Ian Moss, a member of Peace Lodge No 2269 that meets in Westhoughton, has completed the X Border Challenge 10K Run from Carlise to Gretna Green. The charity participation and fund raising is part of the continued support the Peace Lodge brethren give for the local Wigan and Leigh Hospice.
With many members having experienced the caring support they offer and following the passing of a friend, who had been cared for by staff at the hospice, Ian plotted a plan to raise funds to aid this great cause in their memory. On a very chilly Sunday morning, Ian completed the course and arrived at Gretna Green to be greeted by hardy friends who had braved the cold to wave him home.
Wigan and Leigh Hospice is a charity which provides palliative and end-of-life care to people with life-limiting illnesses who live in Wigan Borough. They deliver care to address the physical, emotional, social, practical and spiritual needs of their patients. They also offer support to those people important to our patients. They do not charge for our care and rely on the local community to continue to support hospice care and services. Around two-thirds of their funding comes from charitable giving including donations, fundraising and legacies.
It costs over £6,700,00 each year to run the hospice. Around one third of this total comes from the NHS or other statutory sources. The rest, nearly £12,000 every day, has to be raised through our shops, donations from the community, our weekly lottery, legacies and fundraising events.
As a result of some great support from Peace Lodge brethren, personal donations and the Lodge of Harmony No 4390, meeting in Sale, Cheshire, where Ian is also a member, he raised a fantastic sum of £1,185 for the Wigan and Leigh Hospice.
Ian later visited the hospice with Dave Williamson, Peace Lodge’s charity steward, to donate the funds raised, which were very gratefully received by the members of the hospice team.
Charity is an important part of Freemasonry across the UK and its members regularly raise funds or offer volunteering support for charities and organisations in their local communities.