Freemasons support wounded soldiers
January 16, 2013
Wounded military patients and their families have been given a New Year boost thanks to the generosity of the Warwickshire Freemasons.
Members of the organisation raised £10,540 for Fisher House, a ‘home from home’ being built close to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham for military patients and their families to spend time together away from the wards.
Guests at the fundraising dinner, which was held at Edgbaston Golf Club, included the Lord Mayor of Birmingham Councillor John Lines and Olympic gold medallists Pete Reed, a rower, and cyclist Joanna Rowsell.
Mike Hammond, chief executive of the hospital’s official charity, said: “We enjoyed a fantastic evening at Edgbaston Golf Club and I would like to thank everyone who attended for their amazing generosity and passion for helping military patients and their families.
“We are grateful to the Warwickshire Freemasons for their generous donation to Fisher House. We could not provide and run Fisher House without such kind support. For families to be close to their loved ones and for patients to know their families are safe and comfortable in a ‘home from home’ will make a huge difference.”
The project has been launched as a partnership between the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity, Help for Heroes and American charity Fisher House Foundation.
Fisher House Foundation has awarded a grant of US$2m to the project, the first time it has supported a project outside of US soil. Help for Heroes has awarded a £1.5m grant and has already confirmed a further £50,000 per year for the ongoing running costs. In total, the Fisher House will cost in the region of £4.2m.
If you’d like to make a donation to Fisher House please press the ‘Donate’ button or contact the charity team on 0121 371 4852.
Pictured above (left to right) are John Lines, Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Worshipful Master, Amarjit Nandra, and Provincial Grand Master, David F Macey.
Did you know you can find out what we’re up to on Facebook and Twitter? Just take a look at www.facebook.com/qehbcharity and http://twitter.com/QEHBCharity
“We’ve seen the military and the charities working in the best way possible with all the support they’ve given us. They’ve taken on every other stress so we can concentrate on our son.”
Iain Stewart
Father of wounded soldier
