On Friday 18th March 2016 WBro Ian MacNeill and W Bro Kevin Gould presented a cheque for £2650 to Bury Hospice. Why Bury Hospice?
In April 2015 W Bro Kevin’s wife, Jenny, passed away in Bury Hospice and this was naturally a very sad time, but whilst it was undoubtedly sad it made him realise the value of the work done by staff at the hospice. The nursing care is several levels above any care that you could expect to receive in any hospital and that includes private hospitals and the attention to detail is infinitely more than any five star hotel. The staff go about their work in the most caring of fashions and this is at every level; we would expect good nursing care but this stretches beyond just the nurses, the whole hospice is a team and no one person is more or less important than anyone else be it the CEO or doctor or nurse or cleaner or fund raiser or volunteer.
Townley Parker Lodge No. 1083 based in Manchester Hall, Bridge Street, Manchester hold what is commonly known as a Ladies Festival; a formal affair when wives and partners get to have a new dress at very least and this is usually held in October. 2015 is the first year that this event did not take place because of Jenny’s death and the members of the Lodge met and agreed that whilst they would like to have an event it would be more appropriate to have a less formal affair in respect for Jenny
With the help of W Bro Ian MacNeill and Bro John Williams and skilfully negotiated rates by W Bro Wes Marchant an evening was planned aboard the Emmeline Pankhurst, a cruise barge which regularly sails the Manchester and Bridgewater Ship Canal, was commissioned and many Lodge members attended as well as Jenny’s own children and grand children, this was designed to achieve two main aims
- The celebrate Jenny’s life
- To raise money for a non Masonic charitable cause, which would be selected by the Worshipful Master, Kevin Gould, his chosen charity was quite naturally Bury Hospice, who cared so expertly for Jenny in her final few hours of life.
It was a great night of celebration and was made even sweeter when Bro John Williams, having approached Barclays Bank for help, was able to announce that the bank had offered to support the event by informing him that if we managed to raise £1000 for the charity they would match it with a further £1000. Both Townley Parker Lodge and Bury Hospice are indebted to Steven Ryder at Barclays Bank for this very kind contribution and in these days of receiving criticism it is wonderful to be able to praise a bank.
Having had a guided tour of the Hospice WBro MacNeill presented a cheque to Nicole Ainsworth, one of the fund raising team at the hospice. Whilst Nicole expressed her gratitude so too did all the staff present.
The work of a hospice often goes unseen until you need it yourself or you have contact with someone who has had experience at first hand. The work ethic, attitude and welcome is disarming; they perform their task with obvious love and care for both patients and their families
