Members from the Freemasons’ Hall at Litherland continue in their quest to help bring a little relief and the odd smile to the front-line staff in the local community during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
The NHS shift survival pack.
It all started when members of Crosby Lodge No 3714, Ron Elliot and Jake Huggett produced and delivered some simple wash packs, containing a toothbrush, toothpaste, shower gel and deodorant which weren’t available on the wards to staff and recovering patients at Aintree Hospital to enable them to freshen up. Many staff are unable to travel home and, in any event, the hours are long, and the work intense and demanding, so the packs were a welcome blessing.
That mission having been achieved, the next question was what further could be done for nurses, and the instant reply was “chocolate!”. It was from that response that phase two of the operation gathered momentum, and they have since been preparing and dropping off packs of chocolates and goodies to the local hospitals and care workers.
Ron Elliot is also a member of Thornton Chapter No 8008, which also meets at Litherland. With funding from the chapter, Ron was able to produce more ‘pick me up’ packs. As a result, 100 were packed and 66 bags delivered to the North West Ambulance Station in Fazakerley and 34 bags to Litherland Walk-In Centre, Respiratory Unit and GP Practice.
These little gifts were really well received and prompted yet another delivery, this time to the front-line staff at Ormskirk Hospital, consisting of shift survival packs.
Many messages of thanks and appreciation appeared from grateful front-line workers on the Crosby Lodge and Thornton Chapter Facebook and Twitter pages.
As the generosity of the Litherland membership left enough money to do something for the staff at Tithebarn Masonic Care Home, Joe Williams, one of the Friends of Tithebarn committee and a member of both Crosby Lodge and Thornton Chapter, asked if there was anything they needed. The staff preferred something for the residents, and together they came up with the idea of an activity hamper.
The home has been in lockdown since well before the official government announcements and thankfully remains CCOVID-19 free. The hamper full of games, puzzles, quizzes and many other goodies will be a welcome distraction for the residents, who obviously have not been able to venture out on any trips or outside activities.
Ron and Jake, together with Joe Williams, met manager Linda Johnson outside the home to deliver the hamper, taking the most stringent precautions with the safety and wellbeing of the residents always at the forefront of their minds.
