The new Children’s A&E facility at James Cook University Hospital benefit from a £6,500 donation by Yorkshire Freemasons for the purchase of an additional Bladder Scanner Machine.

In recognition of the work by the staff of the NHS during the recent pandemic, the Ferrum Lodge of Freemasons, based in Middlesbrough, decided to support the Rainbow Appeal for the recently opened A&E facility specifically for children at James Cook University Hospital.

This was considered particularly appropriate in view of Freemasonry’s involvement over the past 15 years in the TLC Scheme which provides Teddy Bears as a gift to children admitted to A&E to alleviate distress whilst awaiting treatment. Over this period in the region of 20,000 teddy bears have been distributed to children in the unit, funded entirely by Freemasons and their friends and family.

Two thousand five hundred pounds was raised by Ferrum Lodge members, and together with a successful matched funding application to the Freemason’s Charity of Yorkshire North & East Ridings plus a contribution from the main Freemason’s national charity the Masonic Charitable Foundation, a donation of £6,500 was made by the Lodge to provide an additional Bladder Scanner machine to the children’s A&E facility.

On behalf of the Masonic Province of Yorkshire North & East Ridings, the Assistant Provincial Grand Master, Denis Stubley, thanked the members of Ferrum Lodge for their diligence in organising the donations and contributing so much to their local community.

Thanks were also expressed by Ben Murphy, of the hospital’s charity team on behalf of the unit, who advised that the scanner will enable nursing staff to make a quick assessment of care required to avoid delay and also to rule out any potentially serious clinical condition with their child patients.

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