Â£30,000 raised for NI Hospice

Provincial Deputy Grand Master R.W. Bro David Lyness, chairman of the Antrim Charity Committee, is watched here by members of the Seven Towers Charities Committee W.Bro Tim Coulter, W.Bro George Peden, W.Bro Roy Gilmour and W.Bro Allen Mercer, as he presents a cheque for Â£30,000, on behalf of the Freemasons of Antrim, to Heather Weir, Chief Executive of the N.I. Hospice. The money, which will go towards the Hospice ?Fit Out? appeal to equip bedrooms in the new hospice, was presented during the Provincial Grand Lodge of Antrim Stated Communication, which was held in the Leighinmohr House Hotel Ballymena on Monday evening.

The money raised by the Lodge will be used to help equip and fit-out three bedrooms in the new Northern Ireland Hospice.

Due to open soon the charity is asking people, organisations and companies across Northern Ireland to help them complete the new hospice by purchasing some of the vital equipment needed for the 18 patient bedrooms.

John Dickson, from the Provincial Grand Lodge of Antrim, said: “As an organisation we are delighted to be able to raise funds to help equip and fit out the patient bedrooms in the new hospice.

“I believe everyone knows the important and vital care hospice nurses provide in homes across Northern Ireland and when we were asked to make a special effort to help purchase some of the equipment needed to finish the new hospice our members didn’t hesitate.”

Heather Weir, Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Hospice, said: “We are delighted that the Provincial Grand Lodge of Antrim has funded the fit-out costs of three bedrooms in the new hospice.

“The new hospice will be so much more than a building; it will provide the foundations to build a legacy of hospice care for generations to come.

“We are very grateful to all our supporters that have backed us and provided the funds needed to help us build a hospice that is equipped to deliver the care that local people and their families deserve.”