In 2024, Shaftesbury was chosen as the new name for disability charity Livability, in honour of their renowned Victorian founder, the seventh Earl of Shaftesbury. 

Based in Wall Street, Hereford, Shaftesbury is a disability charity that works with the people they support to promote inclusion, independence and opportunity, enabling them to make their own choices by co-producing care plans and service delivery options.

Utilising state-of-the-art equipment, facilities and highly trained staff they specialise in supporting people with cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and acquired brain injury or stroke. The service takes a person-centred, flexible approach creating care and support plans that meet personal goals and needs. 

Personal choice about how residents live is top of the list for people at Wall Street, with active support from staff. Hoists are vital tools in achieving this, providing safe and secure mobility for individuals with disabilities. By supporting the Hoist Appeal, Herefordshire Freemasons have helped to transform lives.

The charity is funded through donations and Herefordshire Freemasons have donated £1,200 through the Herefordshire Masonic Charitable Association to purchase a hoist to assist staff with the mobility, to be sourced with the assistance of TPG Disabled Aids.

The Head of Freemasonry in Herefordshire, Michael Holland, and the Provincial Grand Charity Steward Tim Bridgland-Taylor visited Shaftesbury’s Hereford based residential home in January, to see how the donation was enabling Shaftesbury to support people with disabilities in Hereford. 

During a tour of the facilities, they saw first-hand how the new hoist was being used and had a chance to talk to staff and residents.

Georgia Loyd, the Registered Manager, said about the donation of the hoist:

“The donated hoist is invaluable, as this promotes the inclusion, and improves the lives, of the people we support.  This means they can lead a fulfilling and high-quality life”. 

The people we support who were pictured were Steve, Matthew and Helen, and staff members were Georgia (Registered Manager), John and Dylan (Enabling Support Workers).