Dorothy House Hospice
In the morning of Saturday 25 July, accompanied by W. Bros. Rich Gilson, Pete Kuzemka and Dave Sherborne along with Bro. Matt Burt and his young daughter Delilah-Rose, I visited the Dorothy House Hospice at Winsley to present our cheque for £500, that was complimented by a further £250 from the Province of Somerset’s Masonic Charity Relief Chest, in support of their 50th Anniversary Appeal. And in that fifty years they have cared for more than 75,000 people, both young and old.
Prior to the cheque presentation we were given a very comprehensive tour of the hospice by Community Fundraiser, Katherine Bowhay. I’m sure we all know what a hospice does but never having visited one before I didn’t quite know what to expect, but I have to say I was blown away. Not only by the exceptionally high standard of the décor considering the age of most of the buildings, but also the extensive range of facilities available for patients and their families, and daft though it may seem, the place felt quite cheerful. And I know from comments made, the rest of us felt the same. The immaculate extensive gardens with features such a fireflies that automatically light up at dusk and the tulip garden that hardly ever sees a tulip because as soon as they bloom the local deer feast on them, and the interactive nature trail, are just as impressive as the interior of the buildings. Everything is a testament to their army of volunteers.
One interesting point though is that now 95% of their work is carried out in the community with only a small number of beds actually in the hospice itself, and our £750 funds four home shifts delivered by skilled hospice staff. It doesn’t sound a lot in itself but as Katherine said, it costs £19 million per year to run all the services of which £15 million is raised by the support of the local community, so every donation whatever the size is always gratefully received. As part of their fundraising ventures there is a calendar of events running throughout the year, including their Autumn Lightshow that we were told should be well worth seeing.
Overall, a most enlightening morning for us all.
Chris James, Charity Steward
If interested to know more about the hospice, or wanting to assist in any way, go to their website: dorothyhouse.org.uk.
