Patients at a Swansea hospital given essential toiletries worth £6,000 by local Freemasons

Swansea Freemasons have donated £6,000 worth of essential toiletries to Morriston Hospital, Swansea for patients who are in urgent need of them.

The Gowers Ward of Morriston Hospital, Swansea, is a unit that specialises in the care of elderly patients who are suffering from various debilitating illnesses, including dementia. Many of these patients, when admitted, don’t have essentials such as soaps, toothpastes, hygiene products and other such toiletries. Frequently, they don’t have the financial means, or family support, to purchase them on admission to hospital, and recently the Gowers Ward has been struggling to provide these basic items for such patients.

A junior nurse on the Gowers Ward, Bro Mart Taylan, is a member of Singleton Lodge No 8399 in Swansea, and he requested assistance from the Lodge to purchase basic toiletries for the elderly patients cared for on the ward.

The request went to a group of Swansea Freemasons known as the Swansea Almoners, whose Chair, W. Bro. John Theo Davies, came up with an idea.

W.Bro. Phil Osbourne, secretary of the Swansea Almoners, said: “We thought that, rather than asking for financial donations to help the hospital, why not ask for donations of the actual items that the patient so desperately require. We put a box in the hallway of the Masonic Hall at Swansea and asked for brethren to drop off any unwanted soaps, shampoos, toothpaste, and other toiletries; anything that could make a difference to a patients’ stay at Gowers Ward.

“The response from the Swansea brethren and local firms, such as Dr Organic Group Ltd, was amazing, with the value of the items donated being around £6,000.”.

The donation from the Swansea Freemasons was made on 31 March 2022 to Ward Sister Rachel Thomas, and other ward staff, who were extremely grateful at the generosity afforded to the hospital by the Swansea Freemasons.

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Photograph: Ward Sister, Rachel Thomas 2nd from right) and staff of the Gowers Ward, Morriston Hospital, Swansea, along with Swansea Freemasons (from left to right: W. Bro. Phil Osborne (Secretary of Swansea Almoners), Bro. Mart Taylan (Junior nurse on Gower Ward and member of Singleton Lodge), W. Bro.  Russell Wilkinson (Treasurer of Swansea Almoners), W.Bro.  Mark Clement (Almoner, Singleton Lodge), W. Bro. Terry Webber (Secretary, Singleton Lodge)