Brethren of Prince of Architects Lodge No 4188 are rightly proud of their junior deacon Dan Hill, who has been awarded an MBE for charitable services to bereaved families in the King’s New Year Honours list 2024.
Dan has been rightly recognised for his work as Chief Executive Officer of the charity, Daddys with Angels, which offers advice, support and information to parents who have suffered the loss of a child. Dan and his wife Jade, having suffered that loss 12 times, 11 in pregnancy and daughter Isobella, a week after her premature birth, due to a series of medical errors.
Dan and Jade started a campaign, ‘Justice for Isabella Hope’ determined that the devastation they had experienced wouldn’t happen to another family, which culminated in the issuance of national guidelines for the use of universal veinous catheters in neonatal babies in England and Wales.
Having successfully campaigned for the issuance of national guidance, Dan struggled afterwards, and founder of Daddys with Angels, Paul Scully-Sloan offered him a role at the charity. Dan explains that with bereavement of a child, often men struggle to express their grief and that help is not easily accessible. Finding that helping bereaved parents helped Dan, he flourished in the role being awarded ‘Inspirational Father of the Year in 2016 and 2017’. The unexpected death of founder Paul Scully-Sloan, led to Dan accepting the challenge to lead the charity voluntarily, whilst working a full-time job and with a growing family.
Dan was summoned to Buckingham Palace for his investiture as a Member of the British Empire, which was awarded by Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal. Awarded for charitable services to bereaved families, Dan has been recognised for his commitment to making the journey after the loss of a child more bearable for parents and the wider family.
On receiving his honour Dan said: ‘I am hugely humbled and honoured to receive this honour presented by The Princess Royal. This is a hugely proud day for not only myself and my family but also my team of volunteers and all the members we aim to support. It is a sign of how far Daddys with Angels has come and the impact it is making for so many families sadly affected by child loss. I am merely the public face of a charity that changes lives and, in some cases, saves lives, my team deserve a huge amount of the credit.”
Dan is a fully committed and active member of Prince of Architects Lodge in Litherland. Dan explains that he entered into Freemasonry for many of the same reasons he became part of the Daddys with Angels. It is a brotherhood, a support network, a fellowship and it’s a way of contributing to so many good causes and charitable works.
“Like Daddys with Angels, the vast majority of the fine work of Freemasons globally is widely unknown and I quite like that” said Dan. He added: “An honour like this does bring an amount of credibility to what the charity does as a whole, and he would like to thank the brethren of Prince of Architects Lodge, and The West Lancashire Freemasons’ Charity in particular for their endless support and encouragement for me personally and at the events we arrange to fundraise.”
Dan is looking forward to welcoming the brethren of the lodge and visitors to the annual Daddys with Angels Gala Dinner in Bolton, as they had an entire section for members of the lodge last year, which was an absolute spectacle. Dan promises this year will surpass that!!! We look forward to hearing more from Dan and offer him congratulations on his investiture.
Story by Mike Fox.