The Harriet Davis Trust has received a boost of over £6,000 from the Mark Benevolent Fund

The charity provides affordable holidays for severely disabled and terminally ill children and their families at four specially adapted properties - three in Tenby, and one in Narberth.

The charity was formed in 1992 and named after Harriet, a little girl with a rare degenerative disease who was unable to speak and had lost her motor abilities.

Her parents had brought her to Tenby for seaside holidays but found them extremely challenging due to the lack of suitable accommodation. Harriet had loved these holidays but sadly passed away aged eleven years.

Her parents Kit and John Davis formed the charity in honour of their brave little girl.

Like most charities, the Trust had a difficult time during and after the pandemic, and more recently have been faced with costly but essential structural repairs to two properties.

As there was a desperate need to replace and improve some of their equipment, Trust Administrator Susie Shales wrote to Steve Thurgood - Charity Steward for the Mark Masons of Dyfed (who belong to an order of Freemasonry and meet in lodges across West Wales including Tenby) to ask if any financial assistance could be offered.

Almost £6,700 was required to buy specialised profile mattresses for all of the properties to replace the current 10 years old stock, plus two Careflex chairs which provide welcome relief for diasbled guest from being constantly in their wheelchair.

As the amount requested was substantial, Steve approached the Charity Manager of the Mark Benevolent Fund based in London which is the central UK charitable fund for the Mark Masons.

Much to the delight of Steve and the Harriet Davis Trust team, an application was approved within a week of submission!

It was duly arranged for two M.B.F. Trustees to travel to the Ivy Bush hotel in Carmarthen and join the Provincial Grand Master of the Mark Province of Dyfed, Gary Hicks and members of his team in presenting representatives of the Trust with a ‘big cheque’.

Trust manager Carol Lincoln gave a slideshow presentation on the work of the Trust and spoke passionately about the difficulties facing parents of disabled and sick children, and the relief and enjoyment the seaside holidays provide.

She expressed her deep gratitude to the M.B.F. for their compassion and for the speed of their generous assistance.