Charity
Children’s Hospice Association for Scotland (CHAS)
To each and every person who visits this website the Rosslyn Templars appeal to you to make a contribution to Charity.
The Rosslyn Templars favour the Children’s Hospice Association for Scotland (CHAS).
Time is precious for the children, young people and families who visit our two hospices. Help us to continue to support them in Rachel House and Robin House,’
The Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS) runs Rachel House Children’s Hospice in Kinross, and Robin House Children’s Hospice in Balloch. For families living in the Highlands area CHAS runs a care at home service. The Rachel House At Home Team is based in Inverness and they spend time with the families in their own homes.
- CHAS provides specialist palliative support through respite care and emergency care for children with life limiting, life threatening and terminal conditions
- regular short term breaks for children and their families
- terminal care and bereavement counselling
- friendship, information, advice and practical support for families, with help available in their own homes when needed
A children’s hospice is not a sad place; it is a place for living, a place for fun, laughter, love and support. Rachel House and Robin House are places where families can relax and recharge their batteries and have fun with their children knowing that expert care is on hand to help.
As one parent said “I can talk to other mums at Rachel House who are in a similar situation. It’s the best comfort in the world to know that you are not going through this alone. I have made many good friends here. Of course, it is very sad when someone’s child dies, we all share the sense of loss but the love from the staff just wraps itself round you like a blanket.
We are delighted that The Rosslyn Templars favour the Children’s Hospice Association Scotland. Your help will make a big difference to children and families across Scotland who need to use our services – thank you.
If you would like to know more, visit our website:
or please contact:
Lynsey Wallace, Fundraising Assistant,
CHAS, Canal Court,
42 Craiglockhart Avenue,
Edinburgh, EH14 1LT
0131 444 1515
or email: lynsey@chas.org.uk
Other Charities
In any event please do not feel obliged to support CHAS just because it is favoured by the Rosslyn Templars. A donation to Charity, any Charity, is a good and honourable thing to do. Should you, dear visitor, chose to make such a donation to any Charity then please feel free to mention that you were actuated so to do by visiting this, the Rosslyn Templars, website. Freemasons will, of course, require no such encouragement.
To help visitors who are unsure which Charity to support we have provided a few links below that might be of assistance.
A major ‘point of entry’ to the websites of many Charities is:
It is always worth confirming that the organisation to which you intend donating is, in fact a Charity. The Charity Commission, a UK government body, regulates all recognised Charities in England and Wales and their Website is:
http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/
There is a Website devoted to providing comprehensive information about Charitable organisations within England. That website can be found at:
http://www.charitychoice.co.uk
The Freemasons of Scotland made a substantial contribution to CHAS and below is the letter received following that donation.
Dear Grand Secretary,
It is with considerable pleasure that I write to thank you for your part in the magnificent contribution of £230,000 towards the creation of a much needed second children’s hospice for Scotland. It felt quite awe‑ inspiring to us that Lodges throughout Scotland and affiliated Lodges around the world responded in such a whole‑ hearted manner to the Grand Master Mason’s invitation, providing by far the largest single donation to date to our £10 million Appeal.
I enclose a copy of our latest 6-monthly newsletter, ‘Update’. Please note the item on page 5. We have obtained an excellent site adjacent to Balloch Castle Country Park at the southern end of Loch Lomond. Thanks to the generosity of a local farmer, we have a lovely, quiet rural site to build on. If all goes according to plan, we hope to start building by the end of this year with the target of opening the new hospice by Easter 2003.
Action 1 Obviously this is an exciting, challenging time for CHAS. I would be delighted to keep you updated on the progress we make, both in the work at Rachel House and towards the second hospice. Please, if you or your Lodge would like to be kept informed, will you contact me at the above address with your contact details so that I can do this twice a year, wherever you are.
Action 2 We have the rare opportunity to show a number of our key supporters around Rachel House Children’s Hospice, at Kinross on 17/18 September between 9 am and 9 pm. I would like to invite two folk from your Lodge to be our guests and come and see the remarkable service you are helping support. It is probably the most tangible way we can thank you for your help. I will be in touch again nearer the time to remind you but please pencil this date into your Lodge diary now. If it all goes well and there is the demand, I hope to be able to repeat the opportunity next Spring as well.
Finally, you need to know that your interest and support for the work of CHAS are the greatest encouragement to us as we embrace the challenge of meeting the needs of an increasing number of these children and families throughout Scotland. Already, within 5 years of Rachel House opening, we are supporting over 200 families from every part of Scotland. This year, we have both to ensure the E1.6 million running costs of Rachel House and raise further funds to help create the second hospice. Currently, we are nearly halfway towards the £10 million Appeal target. If you feel able to continue your support to CHAS, I can assure you that it will be of direct benefit to these children and families when their time together is so precious.
My warmest thanks to you and your colleagues for your generous help and compassion.
John Rea,
Director of Fundraising.
Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS),
Canal Court,
42 Craiglockhart Avenue,
Edinburgh,
Scotland,
EH14 1LT