Page 40 - Essex Mason (Issue 91)

E s s e x F r ee m a s o n s
Essex Freemasons

Support BAME initiative at St Helena
Support BAME initiative at St Helena
Essex Freemasons have donated £31,000 to St Helena Hospice to help it to better reach and provide end of life support
for patients and families living in deprived communities in Colchester and Tendring.
The money, donated via the Masonic Charitable Foundation, the Freemasons own charity, will be primarily aimed at
reaching communities who do not traditionally access hospice care, including those from Black, Asian and minority
ethnic communities (BAME) and deprived communities.
There has historically been a lack of understanding of how hospice services need to adapt in order to meet the cultural
needs of all communities they serve. This project will enable connections to be strengthened and the grant will help
fund initiatives to explain what end of life support means and how help is available to cope with issues around death
and dying.
Nicola Button, Head of Partnerships at St Helena, explained: “Through the collaborative work with colleagues at
Community 360 and CVS Tendring, we have identified the number of patients from BAME and deprived communities
accessing end of life support is lower than other sectors of the community.
“We need to address this matter and improve outcomes for people living in communities who do not traditionally access
hospice care. This means working with community leaders and healthcare professionals to ensure they are more aware
of the support we can offer; whilst also looking at ways in which the hospice must adapt to meet the needs of the whole
community. This grant from Essex Freemasons will enable us to do this.”
This project demonstrates true collaboration: St Helena is working in partnership with Community 360, CVS Tendring
and the Essex Faith Covenant. Two Social Prescribers will be employed, one in each geographic area and their role will
be to work specifically within local communities, supporting families and their carers at end of life.
St Helena Hospice provides specialist palliative and end of life care to local people facing incurable illness in north east
Essex, supporting them, their families, friends and carers at home, over the phone via a 24/7 advice line and at the
hospice in Colchester. It also help adults in north and mid Essex to cope with grief following the death of a loved one,
regardless of where or how they died.
Peter Hollingsworth, Assistant Provincial Grand Master for Essex Freemasons, commented: “Our members have
traditionally supported hospices in every part of the county for many years and we are delighted that once again we can
make a difference for St Helena and the people of Colchester and Tendring.
“Freemasons are very much part of the local community and this is another way of saying thank you to the team at St
Helena who do so much good work. We wish them every success with this latest initiative and are glad that this grant
has made a difference.”
The £31,000 to St Helena is part of a £450,000 package of support for hospices across the country from the Masonic
Charitable Foundation. Of that total, some £100,000 has been awarded to the hospice movement in Essex.