The Provincial Grand Master, Right Worshipful David Charles Purdie, together with the Devon Mark Charity Association recently made donations to the Hospices located across the Province. Many members of the Province will have either been affected, both personally or have known someone, whether a friend or colleague, who will have received care at the hands of a hospice team over recent years. This year alone the Province saw a number of our brethren being supported by the Hospice system, either at home or in their facilities.

Hospice care is crucial because it provides holistic, patient-centred support for people with life-limiting illnesses. They focus on quality of life over cure, managing symptoms like pain, offering emotional & spiritual comfort, assisting with daily tasks, and supporting families through bereavement. They ensure dignity, respect, and comfort for the patient and their loved ones, often at home, for as long as needed. It's about living well in the time left, not just about dying, and is most effective when introduced earlier in the illness. 

It is a useful fact that the sum of £1000 equates to:

It can funding a nurse on a Bedded Unit, to provide round-the-clock care for a whole week. That’s 24/7 support for the patients who have the most severe symptoms, or funding the provision of care for patient in their own home in their final weeks of life.

It is for these reason that the Devon Mark Charity Association felt that the Hospices around the province deserved recognition and support for all the dedicated with that they undertake throughout the year. Each of the hospices were recently presented with a cheque for £1000 to assist them in this work.

The Provincial Grand Master joined Molly Billingsley at the Rowcroft Hospice in Torquay

Both the Deputy and Assistant Provincial Grand Masters joined Martin Stokke at the Searle House Hospice in Exeter

Worshipful Brother Robert Palmer, the Provincial Grand Secretary, accompanied by Worshipful Brothers Paul Howard Baker and Dr Alan Howlett, the Provincial Grand and Assistant Provincial Grand Charity Stewards joined Claire at the North Devon Hospice in Barnstaple

Worshipful Brothers John Betts, DMCA Chair, and Garry Kitchen, DMCA Vice Chair, joined Emma at the St Luke’s Hospice in Plymouth