As a long-standing lodge charity steward, I am used to hearing some excellent alms appeals at Installed Masters’ meetings.  The brethren who were present at our November meeting witnessed the mother of all appeals when we welcomed Laura Power, Mark Davies, Brian Jackson and Karl Hinett to tell us much more about the work of Fisher House.

We did have some business to complete first, sadly starting with eulogies for WBros Michael Midgley, Gordon Forster and Adam Langley.  We also heard from WBro Nigel Hawkins who reported on the Royal Arch: that 40 Warwickshire companions enjoyed the recent meeting of Supreme Grand Chapter before reading part of the Pro First Grand Principal’s address extolling the “One Journey, One Organisation” message, adding the assurance that the Royal Arch will not be subsumed into the Craft.  He was also pleased to announce that the annual PrinDin will be held at the Kings Norton Golf Club on Wednesday 29^th January.  The charity steward then rose to make his appeal, sensibly deferring it to our friends from Fisher House.  He did report that WBro Ian McLeod has taken over the organisation of the Easter Smiles initiative.  The lodge was closed and we welcomed Laura, Mark, Brian and Karl into the temple.

The RW ProvGM formally introduced and welcomed them before reminding the brethren about our Tercentenary Appeal.  Laura, one of the fundraisers from Fisher House, kicked things off by talking about the QE Hospital and the Centre for Defence Medicine (CDM) where British military personnel are treated.  Their treatment is often long term and their journey of recovery is far from quick.  Just a 5 minutes walk from the hospital, Fisher House offers a home away from home, ensuring that loved ones are nearby.  She explained that it has its origins in the Fisher House Foundation in the US.  With 18 bedrooms, it offers plenty of communal space meaning that families can connect, sharing experiences and support each other.  It costs around £300,000 a year to operative Fisher House, which equates to around £40 per night.  To date, around 8000 people have stayed there with a total of around 44,000 nights accommodation.  The shortest stay was around an hour but the longest has been 18 months!  The guest book gives the best indication of just what Fisher House means to those who unfortunately need its services.  It is not a medical facility so folk often comment how they can leave the bad memories of the hospital behind when they return to Fisher House.

Lt Col Mark Davies, the CO of the CDM, then took to the floor and explained more about its work.  It is comprised of around 550 personnel, many of whom are on 24-hour standby, ready to be deployed around the globe as and when the need arises.  Around 180 military patients have come through their doors so far this year from all over the world.  They also welcome UK-based patients and currently receive an average of two such referrals every day.  In all cases, it is vital that family can be nearby and this is where Fisher House is so important.

We then heard from Karl Hinett who has sadly needed the services of the CDM.  He loved listening to his gran’s stories of being in the military so it was no surprise when he joined the Staffordshire Regiment as a teenager.  He was posted to Iraq, aged just 18, where he was having a great time, doing the job he loved, feeling that he was making a difference.  One day on patrol, he was the gunner on his Warrior armoured vehicle.  They came under fire and the Warrior was hit with a petrol bomb.  He managed to get out but had obviously been badly burned.  Initially treated at the scene, he was then evacuated by helicopter to the field hospital at Basra where he was put into a medically induced coma.  He woke up ten days later in the CDM, which was then in Selly Oak Hospital.  This was before Fisher House had been established but thankfully Karl’s family were all local.  He has subsequently had many operations over the years and, as such, knows the importance of Fisher House.  He put it quite simply – “Fisher House allows patients to thrive, not just survive”.

Both the WM and ProvGM thanked our guests for coming and they were delighted to present Laura with a cheque for £2000.  The WM was then delighted to present the ProvGM with a further £1000 for the Tercentary Appeal from the Mark Degree.

It was indeed an extraordinary meeting and I am sure that all the brethren present returned home with a renewed respect and admiration for all that Fisher House offers for our military family.