FREEMASONS from Marlborough have made a donation to the Brighter Futures charity, based at Swindon’s Great Western Hospital.

The members of the Lodge of Loyalty worked with Dr Michael Smith of the Royal Sussex Lodge in Swindon to raise £600.

Tony Batchelor, Master of the lodge, said “We raised £340 at our meeting last October and increased this to £500 following Dr Smith’s visit. We chose Brighter Futures as our charity of the month on both these occasions because many of our members have had need of radiotherapy services and we wanted to contribute to the radiotherapy appeal.

“Although I have not needed radiotherapy myself I have been a frequent visitor to the Great Western Hospital during the last ten months and can think of no better destination for some of our charitable giving."

Dr Smith raised £1,200 through a series of lectures he has given during the last six months, one of which was at the lodge in Marlborough.

Dr Smith said: “It has been a privilege to raise funds for this fantastic charity. Suffering from cancer is bad enough but to have to travel for treatment to Oxford, sometimes on a daily basis, just adds to the misery."

Welcoming the donation, Jennifer Green, head of fundraising for Brighter Futures, said: “It is through donations from individuals and organisations such as the Wiltshire Freemasons that we are able to provide urgently needed facilities locally.

“To date we have raised £450,000, but we still need the public’s help to reach our target of £2.9 million to build and equip a new radiotherapy centre. To have got so far in such a short space of time is very encouraging. We are most grateful to Dr Smith and the Lodge of Loyalty for their support.”