SIX hospices in Devon have received donations from The Freemasons' Grand Charity totalling more than £14,300, of which St Luke's Hospice Plymouth has been given £3,886.

A total of 239 adult and children's hospices across England and Wales have received a total of £600,000.

Since 1984, £10.5-million has been donated to hospices by The Freemasons' Grand Charity.

The presentation was made by Nick Ball, the deputy head of the Freemasons in Devon.

He said: 'Every year, for nearly 30 years, Freemasons all over the country have worked together to provide funding for hospice services.

'The care provided by our local hospices is exceptional, but financial support is fundamental to ensuring a continued good service.

'We recognise the vital role hospices play within our community here in Devon and that is why we are so happy to continue with our support in 2013.'

Robert Maltby, marketing and communications manager at St Luke's Hospice Plymouth, said: 'We would like to thank the Freemasons for their generous support, donations like this help us continue to provide free end of life care to our local community whether that be at home, in hospital or at our hospice.

'With £4.5 million to raise every year, we couldn't do it without the support of organisations like the Freemasons.'