A £1,000 grant to Shalom House Hospice from the West Wales Freemasons will enable it to care for Pembrokeshire people both day and night.

The grant from the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) will be used to support Shalom’s work in providing a day centre for the people of Pembrokeshire with life limiting illnesses.

It will also go towards the overnight respite care that Shalom House is running in February and March. This additional service, to assist with relieving winter pressures, gives families and carers a chance to have a break, knowing their loved ones are being well looked after.

This is just one of 227 grants to hospices around the country from Freemasons. In total £600,000 will be donated to hospices all over England and Wales this year.

This includes £300,000 which will be distributed to each hospice that receives less than 60 per cent funding from the NHS. A further £300,000 will be provided to individual hospices across England and Wales via Hospice UK, the national charity for hospice care. The MCF is partnering with Hospice UK to re-imagine day hospice services.

Contributions from Freemasons to hospices have exceeded £15 million in England and Wales since 1984.

Isobel Bowen from Shalom House hospice said: “We’re very grateful to West Wales Freemasons for their generous grant, which will enable us to continue our support of the people of Pembrokeshire.”

James Ross, head of West Wales Freemasons added: “I’m very pleased we’ve been able to assist Shalom House hospice. They do an outstanding job helping people with terminal or life limiting conditions, as well as supporting their families through very difficult times.”

Shalom House is running two more Monday to Friday overnight respite care weeks from February 28 to March 4 and from March 28 to April 1.

In between the respite stays Shalom House continues to welcome people into the day centre. It will also be running wellbeing days once a month throughout the year.

For referrals for the respite stay, the day centre or wellbeing days contact Donna on 01437 721 344 or donnahumphrey@shalomstdavids.org.