Burnley and Pendle Freemasons' "generous" Pendleside Hospice donation

The grant, which comes through the Masonic Charitable Foundation and will be used for patient care, is just one of 245 grants to hospices across the country from Freemasons, with a total of £600,000 to be donated to hospices in England and Wales this year.

This includes £450,000 which will be distributed to each hospice that receives less than 65% funding from the NHS and a further £150,000 provided to the national charity for hospice care, Hospice UK, in a pilot partnership aimed at developing and extending bereavement support services in hospices.

“We’re very grateful to Burnley and Pendle Freemasons for their generous grant, which will go a towards out £4 million a year running cost," said Pendleside Hospice's Vikki Bassek.

Contributions from Freemasons to hospices have exceeded £12 million in England and Wales since 1984 and are continuing to increase at a rate of £600,000 a year, with Keith Jackson from Burnley and Pendle Freemasons, saying: “I’m very pleased we’ve been able to assist Pendleside Hospice.

"They do an outstanding job helping people with terminal or life limiting conditions, as well as supporting their families through very difficult times," he added.