Mark Masons have a fun day at Brian House, Blackpool
 
The PGM Keith Beardmore accompanied by his deputy Geoffrey Lee, his special representative John Forster, Charity Steward Peter Green, Mark Corinthian Charity Leader Mike Casey and his deputy Bob Boal visited Brian House, the children’s wing of Trinity Hospice in Blackpool, for a presentation which proved quite different from the norm and was certainly fun to attend.
Geoffrey Lee, Mike Casey, Peter Green, John Forster, Keith Beardmore
and Simone Enefer-Doy with, (seated) John from Brian House
At Brian House the Mark Masons joined forces with David Houston the CEO of Trinity Hospice, hospice staff and some of the children in their charge as well as Simone Enefer-Doy CEO of Lifelites and her colleagues and Wendy Parmley of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists; all there to see some revolutionary technology which funding from the Mark Benevolent Fund has helped to provide.
Partnership – Lifelites, Brian House staff and Mark Masons
with TECH TRUCKS full of technological wonders
In 2019 Lifelites received a staggering donation of £141,423 from the Mark Benevolent Fund which will help change the lives of over 10,000 life-limited and disabled children and young people which the Lifelites organisation supports in the 60 children’s hospice services across the British Isles it serves.
 
At the presentation Brian House received a specialist technology package worth £4,694. The children, Simone said, are able to use this life-changing technology to play, be creative, control something for themselves and communicate, for as long as it is possible.
Kids trying ‘stuff’ at Brian House
Lifelites provides expert training for the hospice staff to use the assistive technology and, in the case of Brian House, Simone said that hospice staff had undergone a three day training programme to make them expert with the specialist equipment.
John Forster with a special poster
Part of the package was a Magic Carpet, a Virtual Reality Screen, touch enabled toys, and Tech Trunks containing all manner of “amazing equipment” as described by Brian House’s David Houston which he said  would enable hospice staff to visit children in their own homes in a pilot scheme which they hospice was planning to improve their services. David said how grateful Brian House was to Lifelites and Mark Masonry and other donors in partnership for providing the funding to purchase the special technology package.
Magic Carpet in football pitch mode
Wendy Parmley of the Worshipful Company of Technologists continued that the Tech Trunks which contained the vast variety of equipment which had been demonstrated in the presentation would go a very long way to help children control and communicate in ways they had never experienced before.
Simone Enefer-Doy and TECH TRUNKS full of technology equipment
Keith Beardmore said how pleased he was that Mark Masons, through the Masonic Benevolent Fund, had helped to provide the equipment he had seen being demonstrated at the presentation.
 
He remarked on the long journey which had begun with small contributions in lodge charity plates in lodges throughout the country and which funding had finished by being brought together by the MBF to help children such as those at Brian House.
David Houston head of Brian House gives a vote of thanks
He said that he and his Mark colleagues had had an enjoyable day seeing the technology in use and trying it out. He praised Lifelites for making the time and effort help Brian House and to see the results of Mark Mason’s fundraising being used so well in the community.
Staff and Mark Masons get together
He said how he had been thrilled by playing on the Virtual Reality Screen which had taken him and other observers on a flight of fancy over Paris and the Eiffel Tower. Keith remarked how delighted he was in seeing for himself how donations were being used to such “super effect” by Lifelites.
Words and pictures by Bob Boal