St Ann’s Hospice has been chosen to receive a grant of £1,682 from East Lancashire Freemasons to help fund its care for local patients.

The hospice, which only receives around a third of its funding from the NHS, needs to raise around £20,000 a day to keep its services from its sites in Heald Green, Little Hulton and the Neil Cliffe Centre in Wythenshawe Hospital, as well as its range of outreach and community services running.

The generous grant from East Lancashire Freemasons comes through the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF), and is just one of 237 grants to hospices around the country from Freemasons. In total £600,000 will be donated to hospices all over England and Wales this year.

Eamonn O’Neal, Chief Executive of St Ann’s, said: “As a charity we’re enormously grateful for the support of the East Lancashire Freemasons, and we’re thrilled that they have chosen us to receive this grant.

“It will make a real difference to the lives of local patients and their loved ones.”

Contributions from Freemasons to hospices have exceeded £13 million in England and Wales since 1984 and are continuing to increase at a rate of £600,000 a year.

Ian MacNeil, Freemasons Salford District Charity Steward, said: “I’m very pleased we’ve been able to assist St Ann’s Hospice.

“They do an outstanding job helping people with life-limiting illnesses, as well as supporting their families through very difficult times.”