Issue 64 ~ Winter 2023
Freemasonry Today Cementing the membership
Great strides
The Freemason on a coastal crusade
Following the Members’ Pathway
Issue 64 ~ Winter 2023
MOM E NTOUS M E ETING The Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge in Wales
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The official journal of the United Grand Lodge of England Issue 64 – Winter 2023
Editor Donna Hardie Editorial Panel Adrian Marsh, Shaun Butler Marta Zandri, Robert Frankl, Paul Grier Elliott Chevin, Roger Maber, Richard Barnett, Martin Cherry, Guy Roberts Published by Sunday, 207 Union Street, London SE1 0LN, www.wearesunday.com for the United Grand Lodge of England, Freemasons’ Hall, Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5AZ Editorial Manager Marta Zandri editor@freemasonrytoday.com Freemasonry Today, Freemasons’ Hall, Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5AZ Advertising contact Ethan Hall ethan@square7media.co.uk 020 3832 2879 Square7 Media Ltd, 3 More London Riverside, London SE1 2RE Circulation fmt@freemasonrytoday.com 020 7395 9392 Masonic enquiries editor@freemasonrytoday.com 020 7831 9811 www.ugle.org.uk Printed by Acorn Web Offset Ltd © United Grand Lodge of England 2023. The opinions herein are those of the authors or persons interviewed only and do not reflect the views of the United Grand Lodge of England or Sunday.
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Welcome
Grand Lodge
4 From the Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe E
58 The highest honour
Adrian Marsh welcomes you to the winter issue
Out and About 6 Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge in Wales
The Pro Grand Master’s address, presentations to the members, Archway, The 1723 Constitutions
Stories Contact us editor@freemasonrytoday.com
42 Mason on a mission
One Freemason’s big walk for charity
46 Open House Festival
Cover image: Jooney Woodward
Freemasons’ Hall throws open its doors @freemasonry2day @ugle_grandlodge @grandchapter FreemasonryToday UnitedGrandLodgeofEngland SupremeGrandChapter
49 Craftcast
The Grand Master’s Order of Service to Masonry
64 Solomon
Celebrating five years of UGLE’s online learning portal
68 Members’ Pathway
Per Mare Per Terram Lodge, No. 3609 on growing their membership
In the community 71 MCF and Freemasons
Supporting members and their families
Fraternal world 77 Home and abroad
UGLE Lodges around the world
A new season of our official podcast
81 Your social media posts
Daily advancement
82 Thēsauros
52 Museum of Freemasonry
The fascinating and unusual
Spotlight on contemporary collections @unitedgrandlodgeofengland @freemasonrytoday @freemasonshall
54 Setting the scene
The dramatic history of Bath Masonic Hall FMT Winter 2023
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FROM THE GRAND S EC R E TA RY & GRAND SCRIBE E Adrian Marsh explains how every member can contribute towards making the Freemasonry experience enjoyable for all in 2024 and beyond
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ear Brethren and Companions. As Christmas is fast approaching, I am reminded of my early years in Freemasonry. The Strong Man Christmas meeting was always a bumper one, usually with an Initiation. The Festive Board was always a special event too, with mince pies, port and carols. There was always plenty of laughter and hilarity as we tried to complete The 12 Days Of Christmas without knocking over tables or breaking glasses. The actions required got progressively more frantic as the carol reached its climax. My point is, my memories of being a young Mason were very much influenced by first-rate ceremonies and great fun at the Festive Board.
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As I settle into my new role and I’m officially an old fogey, I am struck when I visit other Lodges and Chapters that when I pause, reflect – normally during the Festive Board – and listen, how satisfying it is to still hear animated conversation and loud laughter, particularly among the younger members. I also imagine it was no different 300 years ago. The recipe for success then is no different to now, and the strategy for the next seven years to which we have all signed up shouldn’t be that difficult to achieve. The spirit of innovation and the desire to attract and retain members is abundant and there are so many examples of this being embraced across London, Provinces and Districts. It does, however, pain me when I receive letters from Brethren who feel as though they are not being listened to or that their Lodge is being run for the ‘few’ not the ‘many’, with no one listening to new ideas or suggestions. I know myself that I have been on both sides of this equation, as both an excited young Mason and now an old fogey, but I do think it falls upon us all to consider the impact we can each make on our strategy. I would hope that very few of us would see ourselves in the camp of the ‘few’, but we should question: What if I am? What if we are standing in the way of progress and impeding the strategy? My request is, therefore, that at your next meeting, you actively listen to the other members across all ages and experience, and question what more you could to deliver the strategy. Is there the sound of laughter and enthusiasm at the Festive Board, or does it feel stuffy and flat? One innovation that we tried at the September Quarterly Communication was the removal of a top table. All of us who might ordinarily have expected to sit on a top table were distributed among the rest of the diners. The result from our perspectives was outstandingly positive. I found myself on a South Wales table made up of members of a rugby Lodge, where I was made to feel very welcome. I will be joining them next year to continue the good humour and conversation and celebrate England’s success in the recent Rugby World Cup finals. In casting my eye around the other 1,200 or so diners, I was struck by how my table was far from unique, and by the animated conversation and laughter emanating from every table. Now, I don’t expect that we will do the same at every lunch, but I am pretty sure the Pro Grand Master will be asking me to arrange for it to be repeated at least once a year, given it proved so successful.
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The last three months have been a very busy time for me, not least because I have spent rather a lot of time in France watching the rugby, which was a decision I made when I decided to retire from corporate life. I was very fortunate to be at several of the pool games and watched both England and Wales play, as well as two of the quarter-finals, both semi-finals and both finals. I was fortunate enough to meet up with many Freemasons who, despite my best efforts, led me astray, which accounts for the strict diet my wife has now put me on! It is no surprise to me that so many Freemasons also enjoy watching rugby, given the
of the Province, too, and will be visiting one of their Lodges to hear some more of their great ideas about how they are supporting our Strategy. While trying to manage the day job and spending far too much time in France watching rugby, I have also managed to attend several Lodge and Chapter meetings, including a recent one with the Pro Grand Master of our companion order of Mark Master Masons, John Prizeman. I was very taken with John’s enthusiasm for Craft in general, and Royal Arch Freemasonry in particular, and his strong conviction about the role which the Royal Arch plays in one’s
camaraderie and bonhomie that usually accompanies it. I was also extremely fortunate to have accompanied the Pro Grand Master to the annual meeting and charity festival of the District of Bombay, held in Goa. We were treated to some exceptionally good company and fantastic curries, which I for one can never tire of! The District Grand Master, Percy Driver launched a new charity fund specifically for the purposes of providing educational support to children, and given the Pro Grand Master’s passion for education, named it the Spence Fund in his honour. We attended the annual Convocation of the District Grand Chapter and the annual meeting of the District Grand Lodge, both of which were very well attended and extremely well conducted by the District teams. We were again taken by the enjoyment of everyone attending and the wonderful atmosphere in the evenings when we were joined by the wives and girlfriends of the members. It was gratifying for me to witness for the first time the great affection which our Districts have towards UGLE. I was also delighted to be present at the Installation of David Allan as the Pro Provincial Grand Master of Middlesex. David is also a Past Master of my own livery company, the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers, so it was particularly pleasing to be part of the ceremony. I was delighted to have the opportunity to catch up with other members
Masonic journey. He was extremely complimentary about The Royal Arch: Discover More publication recently published by Supreme Grand Chapter, which should be available to any Master Mason who has not yet continued his journey. This is also the time of year which all finance men like myself particularly enjoy – the time of the annual budget. It is no different in UGLE, and Anna Buss and her team in Finance are closing our books and agreeing with the Board of General Purposes our budget for next year. As you will, I hope, expect, we are paying close attention to our cost base and the maintenance of the unique asset of Freemasons’ Hall. We have also been looking carefully at how we communicate and the costs and benefits of printed and digital channels. Having spoken with most Provincial Grand Masters about how they have managed the migration from printed magazines to more frequent digital updates, we feel this will certainly be a route to explore more fully. Having now removed the scaffolding from the Tower at Freemasons’ Hall our attention is turned to the heating system which, I know, as many wags point out, pumps cold air around the building in the winter and hot air in the summer! To put it into context, we have three boilers which are around 40 years old and were probably past their best at least a decade ago. The Board of General Purposes is now considering replacing each of these, which will have the double benefit of reducing our energy and maintenance costs and also, I hope, keeping our members warm next winter. I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year and hope you also share my excitement about what 2024 has to promise!
‘I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year and hope you also share my excitement about what 2024 has to promise’
Adrian Marsh Grand Secretary
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Masonic milestone
Freemasons met in Wales for the September Quarterly Communication – the largest gathering outside of London for a century
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he International Convention Centre Wales in Newport hosted the September Quarterly Communication (QC) on 13 September 2023. With great excitement, more than 1,300 members joined together to mark the largest gathering of Freemasons outside of London in a century. During the meeting, Pro Grand Master Jonathan Spence emphasised the importance of dedicating time to annual gatherings and maintaining regular contact with members. He also strongly encouraged face-to-face meetings and highlighted that members will respond with greater enthusiasm to this more personal approach. Regarding the four key words, the Strategy Working Party has re-evaluated the description of Freemasonry principles. The current terms – Integrity, Respect, Friendship and Charity – are seen as somewhat inadequate in capturing the organisation’s engagement with communities. It believes that a more fitting set of values should be Integrity, Respect, Friendship and Service. While Charity remains a fundamental aspect of Freemasonry, the organisation recognises that time, skills and a willingness to serve are equally valuable contributions to the communities in which members live, if not more so. Therefore, Service is proposed to more comprehensively reflect Freemasons’ engagement within their communities. At the event, Jonathan said: ‘It is 100 years since the Quarterly Communication was first held outside London. This is the first occasion a Quarterly Communication has been held in Wales and I am very pleased we are doing this today. ‘I’ve mentioned several times in respect of the Strategy for Freemasonry, 2022 and Beyond that this year is one for putting in place the organisation and infrastructure to ensure delivery of our common objectives for a thriving organisation.’ The meetings abroad started on 5 September 1923 when, under the leadership of Pro Grand Master Lord Ampthill, the United Grand Lodge of England held its first Quarterly Communication outside of London. More than 2,200 Freemasons met at St George’s Hall in Liverpool for this historic event, requiring a rewrite of the Constitutions. FMT Winter 2023
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While Grand Lodge meetings outside of London were not uncommon in the previous century, they were reserved for special occasions. These included laying foundation stones for important buildings, installing Provincial Grand Masters and addressing Lodge matters. The idea to hold the September meeting of Quarterly Communication outside of London was proposed in May 1921 by the Grand Master, The Duke of Connaught, last surviving son of Queen Victoria. A special committee, chaired by Board President Sir Alfred Robbins, supported this initiative. In 1922, a vote in Grand Lodge led to an amendment of Rule 11, allowing the Grand Master to determine the location of the September meetings. After the successful Liverpool meeting in 1923, the United Grand Lodge continued to hold September meetings outside of London – in Birmingham (1928), Newcastle (1934), Manchester (1935), and Leeds (1937). Contrary to initial doubts, attendance by Provincial members soared, with 88 per cent of attendees in Liverpool being Provincial Freemasons, compared with only 14 per cent at the London meeting in September 1922. These meetings coincided with a period of growth in Freemasonry following World War I. These gatherings were not merely novelties; they served as serious meetings of Grand Lodge where significant decisions were made. Donations were given for charitable causes, and historic policy changes were announced. Lord Ampthill announced the restoration of Masonic privileges to Freemasons of enemy country birth in 1928. In 1934, Bi-Centenary bars on Centenary jewels were introduced and in 1937, Grand Lodge declined an appeal to send aid to Abyssinia, citing political reasons. Apart from their Masonic significance, these meetings helped raise the profile of Freemasonry. Alfred Robbins, with his background in journalism, played a pivotal role in ensuring positive press coverage. For instance, the Liverpool meeting received extensive coverage, with reports of the event in local and national newspapers. We eagerly anticipate the impact of the meeting in Newport and whether it will continue to uphold the traditions and unity that began a century ago. 7
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impression, inspiring those Freemasons visiting from various Provinces and Districts. As the day drew to a close, the auditorium reverberated with the harmonious notes of both the Welsh and British national anthems. The camaraderie extended to the adjoining hall, where members gathered for a sumptuous dinner, capping off a memorable and historic day. The event not only bridged geographical gaps, but also showcased the enduring spirit of unity and growth within the Masonic community. Daniel Graham, PCO Middlesex
Masonic memories
Members share their experience of a very special day in Wales The Quarterly Communication at the ICC Wales was a brilliant day. My wife and I motored up from the south coast and arrived in good time for us to book into the spa hotel and for me to prepare for the QC. The venue was excellent and despite the tricky logistical problems for the processions, Charles and his team navigated the narrow entrances and other obstacles as could only be expected. The positioning of the Grand Stewards for both the procession and recession was ingenious. The audiovisual presentation made sure that no one missed out on any of the dialogue or presentations and the quality of the sound in the auditorium was crisp and succinct. The weather was kind and the drinks reception on the terrace was a fitting precursor to excellent fare provided by the venue for lunch. I made a point of engaging in conversation with many groups of Brethren and, all in all, their jovial mood and complimentary remarks throughout the day told a story of resounding success. W Bro Thomas Batten 8
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What an excellent choice for Quarterly Communication away from London. The facilities were first class and for someone with mobility problems, everything was so close – the car park straight into the foyer, the auditorium to the right and the robing room and dining to the left. I enjoyed the presentation on The Members’ Pathway and appreciated singing the Welsh National Anthem in Welsh. The day was complete with pre-lunch drinks in the sunshine and excellent dining arrangements enjoyed with fellow London Freemasons. W Bro John Hewett, LGR Rangoon and Ormond-Iles Lodge No. 1268 I attended the meeting in Wales and loved the event, having travelled all the way from the District of Madras. It was a great experience meeting members from various Provinces and exchanging views on what we can collectively work on to attract modern men into our order. MS Duleep, Asst District Grand Master, District of Madras
What an excellent meeting and day it was for us to visit the Quarterly Communication in Newport. Allan Graveson (IPM) and myself travelled from London as representatives of Farringdon Without Lodge and the day did not disappoint. It was wonderful to be so welcomed by our Welsh Brethren and also to learn from our Pro Grand Master and key Welsh Lodges how we can change and adapt for a better and more successful future. Barry Laden, WM, Farringdon Without Lodge No. 1745 The excitement and anticipation was palpable as more than 1,100 Freemasons from across the UK and overseas gathered at the International Convention Centre Wales, where Pro Grand Master Jonathan Spence presided. Highlights of the day were the speeches delivered by three members of Welsh Lodges that had achieved remarkable success in expanding their memberships through the innovative Members’ Pathway. Their insights left a lasting
Attending a Grand Lodge meeting for the first time in my Masonic career, as I approached my installation as Worshipful Master of Thames Lodge No. 1895 on 10 October was splendid. The sheer brotherliness of the event was wonderful too. Geoff Walsh, Thames Lodge No. 1895 Myself and five others attended from the Province of East Kent. The venue was brilliant and the whole experience fantastic. The Pro Grand Master’s address was bang on the money regarding change, with a good mix of professionalism and humour. The three presentations on how Welsh Lodges are attracting new members was inspiring, and to hear so many Welshmen singing the Welsh national anthem was terrific. The Festive Board was exceptional and with no ‘top table’, we were lucky enough to sit together with the Pro Grand Master. My wife and I stayed on in Wales for a few more days and we found the whole experience to be very positive and refreshing. Richard Wingett, AsstProvGM for East Kent
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Provinces and Chapters shared their own Members’ Pathway stories at the Quarterly Communication
Addressing the membership
During a momentous Quarterly Communication, representatives of several Lodges from across Wales recounted the success of the Members’ Pathway Stephen Fearn, Saint Padarn Lodge, Province of West Wales. Members’ Pathway and Universities Scheme Many thanks to Most Worshipful Brother Jonathan Spence and everyone involved in today’s proceeding for allowing me to share with you the successes of an individual Lodge within the Province of West Wales and how the introduction of the Universities Scheme and the Members’ Pathway has elevated Saint Padarn Lodge into one of the most successful Lodges within the Province. George Bernard Shaw said, ‘Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.’ Brethren, a controversial statement, but how often are we faced with this dilemma on a regular basis in our Lodges? Saint Padarn Lodge in Aberystwyth, established in 1932, has always been associated with Aberystwyth University, and has benefitted from many staff 10
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members joining the Lodge across the years. The launch of the Members’ Pathway in 2019 coincided with Saint Padarn Lodge formally joining the UGLE Universities Scheme and these two things have combined to turn around the fortunes of Saint Padarn Lodge. The implementation of the Members’ Pathway across our Provinces is an incredible resource enabling us to support our Lodges. In 2019, with the support from UGLE and our own West Wales Province, we attended our very first Freshers’ fair where we attracted the first generation of our university applicants. Our focus on the Members’ Pathway in conjunction with joining the Universities Scheme meant that not only did we attract many university students, we also attracted candidates from the local community. Just as we were about to initiate our three new candidates in our first ever triple Initiation degree ceremony, COVID-19 hit. Moving on two years, and with the support of the Order of Women’s
Freemasonry, we returned to the Freshers’ fair, recruiting six new university candidates eager to find out about Freemasonry. We were surprised by the excitement and engagement received by the Lodge Brethren, with the dynamics within the Lodge dramatically changing, not only socially but within the Lodge. It is a reflection of the success of the scheme that we have initiated 10 university candidates within the last two years and already have three candidates registered for interviews for next year. That is before we have attended next year’s Freshers’ fair. But we must not lose sight of local attraction to ensure succession in our Lodges for the future. Brethren, this is an exciting time for Freemasonry post-pandemic, and with the advertising strengths of social media and its resources and the implementation of the new strategy, it has been a delight to be part of the exciting new developments and successes of Saint Padarn Lodge in the West Wales Province.
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Dennis Sproul, Secretary of Loyal Monmouth Lodge, No. 457 Province of Monmouthshire Thank you for the opportunity to present the history of our Lodge, and the progress we have made within the framework of the Members’ Pathway in consideration of the values and ambitions highlighted in the new strategy. Our Lodge is rich in early history. The oldest working Lodge in the Province, it was consecrated in 1839. The following year, it moved to an old music hall in Monmouth, and we remain there to this day, 184 years later. Today, our building is home to our Craft Lodge, our Royal Arch Chapter, a Rose Croix and, more recently, a Mark Lodge. By the late 1990s Loyal Monmouth faced severe decline: in reality it faced a catastrophic membership crisis. In 1990, membership was down to 117 and 10 years later was only half that. By 2015, membership had sunk to just 38. Consequently, our Grade II* listed building fell into dreadful disrepair – becoming a major fi nancial challenge. A drastic change of approach was needed for membership in terms of both attraction and retrieval. We needed a new culture and renewed enthusiasm. Then, the Members’ Pathway landed in Monmouth. Monmouthshire was selected as a pilot Province and Loyal Monmouth became a pilot Lodge. The Members’ Pathway was fully integrated a year later. Loyal Monmouth embraced this concept by appointing a Members’ Pathway Committee, and it worked. In 2018, we had 40 members. Two years later, 48 members. This year, our number reached 61, with a further five candidates ready for Initiation. The increased Craft membership is inevitably having a positive effect on the Royal Arch. Scribe Ezra advises me that five new members have been Exalted with three more in the pipeline. As an overview, based on our recent experience within Loyal Monmouth, I would strongly advise any Lodge, either struggling with members or with stagnant numbers, to try a proactive approach; generate enthusiasm, create a happy and vibrant team spirit, and importantly, instigate the Members’ Pathway. 12
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Dr Samuel Lloyd Williams, Province of South Wales I represent 10 Lodges and several Chapters that are actively utilising the Members’ Pathway and our Provincial guidance to address the membership challenge in South Wales. In South Wales our Executive Strategy mwy na geiriau yn unig (more than just words) aligns with UGLE/Supreme Grand Chapter strategy, adopting a partnership approach and team-led structure to implement clearly defi ned actions. The strategy provides a vision for success and an action plan which helps ensure all Lodges and Chapters in our Province have a shared understanding of what we hope to realise as a collective. We have a relatively diverse range of communities in South Wales and our 23 Masonic Centres are located in the more rural areas towards the north of our Province down to the larger cities in the south of the Province, such as Swansea and Cardiff. This diversity, we believe, is one of our strengths, and where Lodges have been most successful in attracting new members, it is usually because they have ensured strong connections with the nuances of their immediate locality. Our well-managed Provincial Communications team has played an integral role in supporting individual Lodges to engage with their communities by utilising the national digital marketing campaign. With 219 men waiting to be
initiated, 31 prospects and a further 50 enquirers, we are making sound progress and we are confident that the Membership Challenge for South Wales (both Craft and Royal Arch) is eminently achievable, Brethren! Further, we are particularly pleased to be supporting efforts to produce these resources yn yr iaith Gymraeg in the Welsh language. We are proud to have been granted permission to work Defod y Greff t yn yr Hen Iaith where our ceremonies are brought to life in the Welsh language at Dewi Sant Lodge, No. 9067. I have been particularly fortunate to work with the other four Provinces here in Wales who, under the direction of the AGM RW Bro Steven Varley, have begun translating Troedffordd yr Aelodau (the Members’ Pathway) into Welsh, which strengthens the emphasis and value we place as an institution on integrating our beloved Craft with the language of Wales and its bilingual communities. In short, Brethren, realising the MW Pro Grand Master’s strategy requires mwy na geiriau yn unig, and it is incumbent on all those who wish to successfully address the Membership Challenge to realise more than just words. Diolch yn fawr iawn. Thank you very much.
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Grand Lodge Quarterly Communication
Strength in numbers
In the first Quarterly Communication in Wales and the first outside London in almost a century, Pro Grand Master Jonathan Spence stresses the importance of multiple ceremonies to bolster membership
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rethren, it is 100 years since the Quarterly Communication was first held outside London and this has not occurred for 85 years. This is the first occasion a Quarterly Communication has been held in Wales and I am very pleased we are doing this today. The original initiative to hold a Quarterly Communication outside London came from the then Pro Grand Master, Lord Ampthill, and Deputy Grand Master, Sir Frederick Halsey, in response to representations from a significant number of Provinces distant from London. To hold such a Quarterly Communication required a change to the Book of Constitutions, which had hitherto stipulated that Quarterly Communications must be held at Freemasons’ Hall. The amendment allowing one Quarterly Communication per year to be held away from Freemasons’ Hall, with the permission of The Grand Master, was approved by Grand Lodge in September 1922 in the face, I might add, of some stiff opposition from some, predominantly London-based, Brethren as ‘we had always done it this way’. Does this sound 14
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familiar, Brethren? In fact it had been forgotten by those opposing the change that the Duke of Sussex, Grand Master from 1813 until 1843, periodically convened a Grand Lodge when he visited a Province away from London in the 1820s and 1830s. Following the approval of the amendment, the September 1923 Quarterly Communication was held in Liverpool. Other September Quarterly Communications were held in Birmingham in 1928, Newcastle in 1934, and Leeds in 1937. So we are following the example of our forebears in holding this Communication today not in London, but in Wales. I do hope you are all refreshed from a break over the summer months and that you are ready for the new Masonic season. You will have heard me say before in respect of the Strategy for Freemasonry, 2022 and Beyond that this year is one for putting in place the organisation and infrastructure to ensure delivery of our common objectives for a thriving organisation. You will also know, Brethren, that to achieve this the membership challenge must be made relevant to all our members in the individual Lodges and Chapters. Provincial Rulers and their teams, including Visiting Officers, should be communicating with each and every Lodge and Chapter what the challenge means for them and how they might address it. I have seen some excellent examples from a number of Provinces demonstrating how it is possible to put the challenge in terms to which members can relate. It might be in terms of comparing the Lodge or Chapter to its position 10 years ago and asking what steps do the Lodge intend to take to restore that position. It could be by asking each Lodge to increase the number of initiates by one and reduce the number of resignations by one each year, as well as cessations and exclusions of members who drift away, often unnoticed – the Masonic equivalent of conceding a penalty try or being banned for a no arms tackle! There is no single, correct answer. There are a number of different ways this can be done, but it is important the members of each Lodge and Chapter take on the challenge and the responsibility. Provinces cannot solve the challenge for the Lodges and Chapters, but they can and must support them in their efforts by excellent communication and advice through such tools as the Members’ Pathway. I am sure those Provinces yet to communicate with their Lodges and Chapters on the membership challenge they face will be doing so shortly. I strongly encourage you and your teams to meet your members face-to-face: the members will respond, I am sure, with greater enthusiasm to the personal approach. It is so much more effective than just using and relying on email communications. I am aware that there are many Lodges throughout England and Wales where there is a waiting list for candidates to join, often with five
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or six potential members on the list, yet the Lodge customarily only works ceremonies for individual candidates. If a Lodge only meets four or five times a year, then it will be only possible to bring one or, at best, two candidates in to the Lodge in any one year. There may even be a consequent, possibly
inordinate, delay in the candidate becoming a Master Mason and being able to participate fully in the Lodge. If the number of resignations, cessations or deaths among the existing members exceeds the number of new initiates, the Lodge will not thrive, even with a waiting list. There are many myths, misconceptions and errors surrounding doing ceremonies for more than one candidate at a time. One such myth, which I think is profoundly misguided, is that being part of a multiple ceremony detracts from the experience. Some Lodges have done multiple ceremonies for many years, in the case of one Lodge of which I am aware, it has done multiple ceremonies since its foundation more than 200 years ago. For those who have gone through Initiation, Passing and Raising as a group of two or more, they have a natural bond and friendship through this common experience that they would not trade, nor has it detracted from their experience. In order to assist Lodges where there is a waiting list and where they wish to undertake multiple ceremonies, a film is being produced involving the Rulers, the Grand Director of Ceremonies and members of his team, and volunteers from a number of Lodges where it is the custom to perform such ceremonies. This film will show how best to manage such ceremonies, particularly in the work of the Deacons, Wardens and Master. This is so a Lodge can do the ceremony well for both the benefit of the candidates as well as its members. The film will also feature interviews with some Brethren who have experienced being one of the candidates in multiple ceremonies. I hope that the film will be available in the autumn and I would strongly encourage all Lodges where there is a waiting list to use multiple ceremonies where at all possible.
Brethren, as you are aware, there are three pillars to the strategy we are following and we have emphasised the pillars of a Thriving Membership and a Coherent Organisation. We are not avoiding pursuing enhancements to the third pillar of Community Engagement. I am pleased to tell you that the Deputy Grand Master will chair a review of this aspect of the strategy. This work will commence shortly and I look forward to being able to update you on progress in due course. One conclusion the Rulers and members of the Strategy Working Party have reached is that the current, modern explanation of our principles in the terms of Integrity, Respect, Friendship and Charity does not quite do justice to the breadth of your engagement in your communities. We believe it would be more appropriate to articulate the principles in terms of Integrity, Respect, Friendship and Service. Charity is one of the fundamentals of being a Freemason, but is now often seen in monetary terms, rather than the broader terms of the past, which is true up to a point. Time, skills and the
willingness to do, however, are every bit as valuable to the communities in which we live, if not more so. I think Service captures more fully our engagement in our communities. I hope you will agree with this amendment to the modern statement of what are our principles. You will all be aware that this experiment of holding a Quarterly Communication outside London was flagged as being likely to happen when we launched the Strategy for Freemasonry, 2022 and Beyond. I would like to reiterate my thanks to the Deputy Grand Master and his working party for the recommendation to come here. I would also like to thank the Grand Secretary and the Grand Director of Ceremonies and their respective teams and express my appreciation for the considerable amount of work that went into ensuring today happened so effectively. Mae hyn wedi bod yn arbrawf a gwersi wedi eu dysgu ond fel dywed Y Prif Feistr ‘ heb drio ni fyddwn yn gwybod be sy’n gweithio’. Gobeithiaf bydd pawb yn fodlon mynd a trio rhywbeth gwahanol yn y Gyfrinfa a’r Siapter. Mae’r Prif Gyfrinfa wedi gwneud hyn heddiw am y tro cyntaf yng Nghymru Dymunaf dymor cryf i bawb. Today has been an experiment; there will be lessons we can learn, there will always be naysayers but, as the Grand Master himself says, ‘If you do not try something, how will you know if it works or not?’ I hope you will all take away some inspiration to try new or different things in your Lodges and Chapters and remember, Grand Lodge has now done what it advises others to do – try something new and engage members – and did it first here in Wales! I wish you all a successful forthcoming Masonic season. FMT Winter 2023
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Pro Grand Master Jonathan Spence extols the benefits of multiple ceremonies at his Quarterly Communication
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06/11/2023 14:28
Grand Lodge Sharing good practice
Nine candidates were initiated simultaneously into Gavel Lodge, No. 8928
Shared experience
In his Quarterly Communication address, Pro Grand Master Jonathan Spence described the benefit of holding multiple ceremonies. One Northumberland Lodge has done just that
A wonderful and historic event took place in October 2023 in the Province of Northumberland. The Gavel Lodge, No. 8928 initiated nine candidates simultaneously in a ceremony at Byker Masonic Hall. It was attended by more than 140 Freemasons, including Assistant Grand Master RW Bro Steven Varley. The Lodge also welcomed nine new joining members, including one who had last been in a Masonic Lodge in 1985. Another joining member is the father of one of the nine Initiates. Each of the nine candidates was led around the Lodge room by a personal conductor, escorted by the Junior Deacon, Bro David Purkis, who carried out his duties flawlessly. One of the conductors – Bro Marc Merrilees – is a Fellowcraft Freemason who only joined the Craft earlier this year. Marc was unbelievably proud of being given the opportunity to take part in the event. There were some changes to the customs to accommodate a ceremony 16
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with multiple candidates, but none of the meaning or significance was lost. The team of Lodge Officers and members worked in harmony to deliver an outstanding ceremony, with the delivery of the ritual shared by 10 members of the Lodge, many of them Master Masons. RW Bro Ian Craigs, Provincial Grand Master of Northumberland, presented the ‘Gavel Nine’ with their candidate packs at the conclusion of the ceremony, and expressed his hope that their experience would lead to a wonderful bond of friendship enjoyed for many years. He went on to say that he had thoroughly
enjoyed a ceremony that had been so well delivered and shared by a great number of the members. He said the Gavel Lodge had brought a great deal of pride to the Province of Northumberland, it demonstrated that Grand Lodge’s new strategy was being taken on board and he hoped it would inspire other Lodges to consider multiple ceremonies. At the Festive Board, which was held at a local restaurant and attended by 120 members, RW Bro Steven Varley commented that the event had put Freemasonry in Northumberland on the map. He showed a century-old Past Masters Jewel from Derbyshire, which was inscribed with the names of the 23 candidates who had been initiated in one year at that Lodge, saying that multiple-candidate ceremonies are not new, they were an important part of our past and must be embraced as an important part of our future.
FMT Winter 2023
07/11/2023 16:20
Supreme Grand Chapter Royal Arch
Grow, thrive and prosper Archway aims to steer Royal Arch Chapters to a more secure future The new UGLE Strategy for Freemasonry is an integrated one that reinforces the fundamental connection between the Royal Arch and the Craft. Participation in the Royal Arch provides a new dimension to our members’ experience and a more complete understanding of what it means to be a Freemason in the United Grand Lodge of England. The success of the Royal Arch is therefore directly related to that of our Lodges; a clear and shared understanding of this will ensure that our actions can contribute over time to a stronger, more secure future for Freemasonry in the 21st century and beyond. Archway is therefore a new resource designed for Royal Arch Chapters to help shape their future, grow their membership and enhance their members’ experience. It is based on extensive research of what our members want – and what works well in successful, thriving Chapters across our Constitution. Many of the challenges that Chapters face are different to those of Lodges. Archway is therefore not a simple translation of the Members’ Pathway into the Royal Arch – it has been developed separately with advice that is specific for Royal Arch Chapters and also guidance for
Royal Arch Representatives within Craft Lodges. However, some of the challenges are similar to those in Lodges, and so references to the excellent resources within the Members’ Pathway and on Solomon are provided where relevant. Archway aims to help Chapters become more efficient and more vibrant, so that every Companion looks forward to their next meeting with enthusiasm. Resources to enhance understanding of the Royal Arch and for sharing the work so that more members are involved are also provided along with advice for making meetings more efficient, for attracting new members, and for supporting every member of the Chapter. It is also intended to be an evolving resource with more examples and case studies of good practice added over time. So if your Chapter has good ideas about what works well then please let us know via your Provincial Executive. There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to the challenges each Chapter faces, but the resources and options it offers highlight what is possible to achieve if Chapters wish to innovate and embrace change to secure their future.
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Archway can be accessed at https://b.ugle.org. uk/membership/ archway
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Out and About Freemasonry on film
Inventing the Future is Matthew’s new movie for UGLE
1723 in motion
Matthew Mitchell explains how his experience of Freemasonry played a part in the narrative of his acclaimed Inventing the Future movie Freemasonry’s principles and philosophy have become a fundamental part of who I am and they influence everything I do. I’d like to think that, in both my personal and professional life, I conduct myself with integrity, respect and a sense of service to others. It’s always so lovely to be able to mix my professional life with something else that I love and I’ve now been lucky enough to do that twice. I produced the Tercentenary show at the Royal Albert Hall in 2017 and now this fi lm. Freemasons are told that one of their core principles is to be happy and communicate happiness. Both on stage in 2017, and more recently in the fi lm, I’ve tried to tell important stories, but in an entertaining and sometimes humorous way. 18
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Film-maker Matthew’s movie celebrates the Tercentenary of The 1723 Constitutions
Early Freemasons regularly had entertainment as part of Lodge meetings – lectures and even demonstrations of scientific experiments. The fi lm was inspired by that. Over the past few years (and no doubt largely because of my involvement in the Tercentenary), I’ve become immersed in Masonic history. It’s absolutely fascinating. I’ve even written a history of my Lodge that was published at our own Tercentenary in 2021. When UGLE asked me to make a fi lm about the writing of the Book of Constitutions, I confess that my initial reaction was ‘seriously?’ It’s the least fi lmic thing I can imagine! But the more I learned about it and the characters involved, I began to see how the narrative might develop. It’s actually a fascinating and really gripping story. One thing I insist on doing, with both the Royal Albert Hall show and the movie, is working with a scriptwriter who has no involvement with Freemasonry. That way, I can be sure I’m not telling a story from a position of ‘assumed knowledge’ that could be off-putting to some. We want to speak to everyone – Freemasons, non-Freemasons, the whole world. My most recent fi lm has just been released. It’s called I Am Urban and deals with some thoughtprovoking subject matter. It’s set in Leeds in the 1990s and covers the deprivation that a lot of kids experienced at that time; kids who’d come out of care and who had no real prospects in life. But it’s a movie that’s also full of hope and I think audiences will fi nd it inspiring. I’ve made a commitment that my company will give 10 per cent of any profits from the fi lm to Action for Children. It’s an amazing charity that supports deprived children throughout the UK and gives them a voice. Urban Grimshaw (the lead character in the fi lm) may be unique, but sadly his situation isn’t and, although our movie is set in the 1990s, the problems he has to deal with are all too relevant today. The number of children living in poverty is rising and I hope that we can make a difference by supporting this cause. I’d like to think that we’d have done this even without my involvement with Freemasonry, but my involvement with the Craft has undoubtedly helped to inspire our charitable links. My next movie is a Cold War spy thriller. It’s a true story and it also has a strong moral message as well as being an exciting story. I’m very drawn to subject matter that challenges the way we, as society, deal with tough issues. I have a feeling that that will always inspire and inform my work. I really hope that I’ll have a chance to do something more for UGLE, although nothing is (if you’ll forgive the pun) set in stone at the moment. One of the things I’d love to do is a dramatic history of Freemasonry – it occurs to me that there are lots of Freemasons who join a Lodge and have very little idea of the rich history of the organisation, where it came from and what it stands for. I’d love to do something that’s both entertaining and educational, that Freemasons and prospective Freemasons can both enjoy and learn from. Maybe one day. Watch this space.
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Out and About UGLE Provinces & Districts
B E R KS H I R E
D E VO N S H I R E
Helping hands
Care and community
For charities in the village of Pangbourne, 2023 was a breath of new life after the struggles of COVID-19. The members of Pangbourne Lodge were keen to help out in the community and were tasked with finding charities in need of help. The Friends of Pangbourne Primary School (FOPPS) were introduced to the Lodge in 2021 when they donated £1,000 to help purchase special books for the pupils. And this year, the Lodge was delighted to donate a further £500 towards the purchase of iPads for the children. Attached to the school is Pangbourne Valley Playgroup for under fives, which was in need of funds to help with its gardening project. The Lodge came up trumps by donating from its Benevolent Account and the Relief Chest – a total of £1,333 that saw an outside tap fitted, as well as raised flower beds and gardening equipment designed for young children. Relief was also at hand when the public toilets in the village centre were in need of modernisation. The Lodge donated £500 at the end of last year and a further £500 this year to the Action for Pangbourne Toilets Community Trust. The Berkshire Masonic Charity (BMC) match-funded that donation, raising a total of £2,000 for a very worthy project. In July this year, the Lodge helped the organisers of the Pangbourne Village Fete – a major crowd-puller in the community calendar. Pangbourne Lodge was delighted to donate £1,000 towards the cost of installing electrics in the showground. The Pangbourne Masonic Centre also decided to take a stand at the fete to promote Freemasonry in the Community. It paid off handsomely, with the Lodge attracting two new Candidates. Over the past 18 months, members of Pangbourne Lodge and the BMC have made charitable donations totalling £4,833 and have raised their profile among the community in the process. 20
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The Lodge and Chapter of Obedience, No. 1753 has been concentrating its efforts on the Strategy for Freemasonry, 2022 and Beyond over the past 12 months, focusing on the ‘One Journey, One Organisation – Initiation to Exaltation’ key message, and membership and community involvement. Having looked at the principal elements of the Strategy, the members formed a plan to meet with the objectives and rebrand their image to normalise Freemasonry within the community. The starting point was the creation of a public-facing Facebook page and a series of open-door events. As well as encouraging potential candidates to come forward, the Lodge increased engagement with community groups and made presentations to local organisations. During the Big Help Out campaign, it organised a town litter pick, with members spending the morning working alongside the Lions, the Rotary and Roundtable, and other local organisations. The open-door events have generated a number of positive enquiries for membership. Building on this, the Lodge dines ‘White Table’ at the majority of its meetings, which allows for potential members to join them at their Festive Boards. The Lodge also uses this as an opportunity to promote the ‘One Organisation’ message, which is paying dividends in its Chapter. Over the past year, the Lodge has provided the Okehampton Rugby Club Girls Under 14 team with a new kit, and has sponsored a talented Exeter City Ladies team football player. With help from the Devonshire Freemasons WAKE Fund, it has also sponsored the Okehampton Argyle under 11s football team. And thanks to the Devonshire Royal Arch MEGS Fund, they have been able to support the Okehampton ‘Men in Sheds’ community van project, providing transport for members.
D I S T R I C T G R A N D LO D G E O F B O M B AY
In perfect harmony
Lodge Sine Nomine No. 10,000 – otherwise known as Lodge 10K – was consecrated by The United Grand Lodge of England in London for younger Brethren. The Lodge provides a great opportunity for young Freemasons under UGLE’s jurisdiction from all over the globe to interact with each other. Having observed the success of Lodge 10K, the Board of General Purposes under the leadership and guidance of District Grand Master of Bombay Percy J Driver, has taken a landmark decision to repurpose a Lodge dedicated to young Freemasons – namely, Lodge Friendship and Harmony, No. 1270 EC. The Lodge provides ample opportunity for younger Brethren to integrate ideas, evolve as craftsmen and above all, develop a bond of long-lasting friendship and mutual understanding. Lodge Friendship and Harmony performs single and multiple-candidate workings at different locations across the District of Bombay, and hopes to attract a rich combination of young members from Mumbai, Pune, Bhusawal, Goa, Lonavala, Nagpur, Bilaspur and beyond. The Lodge is very happy to have received invitations from the Districts of Madras, North India, Sri Lanka and Eastern Archipelago to hold meetings within their Districts, too. It will be an unstuffy and young-atheart Lodge, but the ritual workings will be of the highest standards. The Lodge membership will be restricted to those below the age of 45 and the Brethren as a tradition have agreed to resign from the Lodge at the age of 45 so a younger generation can take the Lodge forward. The Lodge had the good fortune of presenting the Donor Badge to Pro Grand Master Jonathan Spence at a recently held meeting during the Charity Festival in Goa. He was also voted as the Honorary Member of the Lodge.
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08/11/2023 10:08
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Out and About UGLE Provinces
E AST KENT
ESSEX
GUERNSEY & ALDERNEY
Casting off
Comfort and joy
Birds of a feather
Richard Dixey reports on East Kent’s Masonic Fishing Charity’s recent event for local school children. ‘The eagerly awaited Masonic Charity Fishing Event at our new venue – Cottington Lakes near Deal – finally arrived in June. We were allocated a Lake known as Windsor. The marquee had already been set up, offering us a great vantage point overlooking the whole of the lake. ‘Three local schools attended the day – a total of 19 students plus their carers. We are grateful to the anglers who turned up to ensure it was a ‘one angler to one student’ arrangement. This allowed us to dedicate ourselves to helping everyone enjoy the day and learn about the fine art of angling. ‘As with most venues, the small, silver fish are always obliging – and lots of tiddlers were caught. The bigger fish were a little more wary, but one or two were caught by the fortunate few. ‘Chairman David Alexander, Past Chairman Peter Brooshooft and Assistant Provincial Grand Master Duncan Rouse were in attendance to encourage everyone involved. ‘At 2.30pm, David said a few kind words before handing over to Duncan to present a medal and certificate to each student for their ‘Angling Ability’. A representative of the school then delivered words of thanks to our charity before another successful day came to an end.’ The charity is always looking for more anglers, and would love you to join. All tackle is supplied (but you can bring your own if you want). Contact Keith Heard at: Ekmfc_casters_helpers@outlook.com
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Women’s Institute (WI) members in Thurrock and Essex Freemasons got together with local charity Get Started Art and the Stifford Clays Medical Practice Patient Participation Group (PPG) to give knitted toys and clothes for Basildonbased charity Colourful Beginnings. In the UK, around 60,000 babies are born prematurely every year. One in 13 is born before 37 weeks. Colourful Beginnings supports families with premature and sick babies in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) UK-wide. Freemasons at Cross Keys Masonic Centre in Chadwell St Mary and Get Started Art raised funds to purchase wool, crochet and knitting needles and other materials needed to knit octopus and jellyfish comforters, baby bonnets and blankets. The WI and Stifford Clays PPG knitted and crocheted hundreds of the much-needed toys and bonnets at their regular arts and crafts workshops. The weight of most premature babies is around 500g because their systems are not fully developed. Feeling the closeness of parents has a significant effect on babies’ recovery and growth. However, many parents are not able to hold their babies close as they are so tiny. That’s where the octopus comforters help. The baby holds the tentacles of their little friend and this helps to keep them calm because the octopus tentacles resemble the umbilical cord in the womb. And in NICU, the babies hold the octopus tentacles instead of pulling life-saving tubes and cables out. David Barton of Cross Keys Masonic Centre and Get Started Art said, ‘This is an important initiative that can make such a huge difference to all the families that need support at such a difficult time. Special thanks go to Sue Leech of the WI and Viv Crouch at Stifford Clays PPG for helping make this project so successful.’ Viv added, ‘Our PPG knitters are always ready to help a charity.’
Local Freemasons joined forces with Directors of Autism Guernsey Jerry Girard, Dr Nick King and Andrew Sparks and the Guernsey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA), run by Steve Bryne, to raise much-needed funds for the charities, as well as sponsorship of 60 handcrafted puffins, painted by artists, school children, community groups and local companies. They were then invited to Government House, where Patron of Autism Guernsey Louise Cripwell and Patron of the GSPCA and Lieutenant Governor Richard Cripwell CB, CBE hosted the launch of the Puffin Parade by unveiling one of the beautifully painted puffins. ‘We are now officially in puffin arrival month as the real birds start to nest along our incredible coastline. It was so nice to meet so many of the sponsors and artists and for the first puffin to be unveiled,’ said Steve Byrne. Previously, the GSPCA team, supported by volunteers from Guernsey Freemasons, ensured the 60 puffins were located in local businesses, schools, churches, local visitor attractions and restaurants throughout the island, with one located in the neighbouring island of Herm. The children of the Bailiwick of Guernsey were then invited to enter a competition, which involved spotting all puffins on the parade using an app that let the whole community get involved. The 12 most popular puffins will also be captured in a 2024 diary to celebrate the popular event and raise additional funds. The curtain raiser will be the puffin auction at St Pierre Park Hotel, when all 60 will be on display and where businesses and individuals can bid for their favourite. The event demonstrates the link between local Freemasonry, charities and the community, who collectively raised around £80,000 for two deserving charities.
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Out and About UGLE Provinces
Baby steps
HAMPSHIRE AND ISLE OF WIGHT
Health check
Freemasons from the Portsmouth area held a successful prostate testing day in conjunction with the charity Prostate Cancer Support Organisation (PCaSO). Almost 300 men were tested at the Masonic Centre in Cosham, Portsmouth, and they received their results in a matter of days. Ian Gore, the Master of King Edward Vll Lodge No. 3816, its Charity Steward Terry Moore, Lodge members and the Freemasonry in the Community team drove this important initiative. The tests were free and open for anyone who made an appointment through the charity’s website www.pcaso.org/ psa-testing. PCaSO also provided 25 volunteers, who enabled the early testing to be quick and efficient. Ian Gore said, ‘Prostate cancer affects one in eight men over the age of 50, and this increases to one in five for men of African-Caribbean heritage. Diagnosed early, recovery rates are high, but all too often the condition is not identified until the cancer is well developed, which results in more than 12,000 deaths a year in this country. The opportunity to have this quick and simple blood test, known as a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test, gives an indication of the health of the prostate.’ Cllr Tom Coles, the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, added, ‘It's important for men to be aware of and take care of their health. This scheme is a great way of facilitating checks on prostate health with a less invasive procedure than commonly believed.’
Some of the most vulnerable parents and babies in Southampton will be given intensive support from trained volunteers, thanks to a grant from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Freemasons to No Limits. The £59,000 grant will provide funding for the Bright Beginnings project, which trains volunteer befrienders to support young parents aged 17-24 through pregnancy and until their child is two years old. In addition, as many as 130 vulnerable young parents will be given parenting skills training and ongoing support from the charity’s youth workers. Bright Beginnings is the only service in Southampton to provide this one-to-one intensive support for vulnerable young parents. Volunteer befrienders will help the young parents overcome challenges such as poor housing, mental health issues and negative relationships. Natalie Webb, No Limits CEO, said, ‘We’re grateful to Hampshire Freemasons for their generous grant which is allowing us to expand our support for highly vulnerable young parents. We’ve given essential support to almost 50 young parents over the past two years, laying the foundations for a healthy childhood for their babies. Thanks to the Freemasons, we will now be able to help more young parents than ever before.’ Jon Whitaker, who heads the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Freemasons, said, ‘I’m really pleased we’ve been able to help No Limits with its hugely important programme to support some of the most vulnerable young parents in the country. These young parents have often had difficult childhoods themselves and No Limits offers one-to-one support that gives parents much-needed help and empowers them to give their babies a safe, healthy and happy start in life.’
H ERTFOR DSH I R E
Keeping Britain tidy
In June, the Heritage Foundation organised a volunteer day to pick up litter around the Greenway in Letchworth. This was supported by Freemasons of Hertfordshire, one of which included Provincial Grand Master Neil Connolly, as well as members of the Fleet House Light Blues Club, other local Lodges and members of the community. The day began and ended at Standalone Farm’s café, where volunteers were treated to well-deserved ice creams as reward for their hard work. The usual bottles, cans and crisp packets were found, as well as one shoe. Some 20 bags of rubbish were picked up on a day when Freemasons served their community. Letchworth Garden City is the first Garden City designed and implemented by Ebenezer Howard. In an effort to combat the disease and poor living conditions within large cities during the late 19th century, the Garden City concept was developed, with the aim of fusing the open air of the countryside with affordable housing and jobs, helping the poor to rise from poverty.
ISLE OF MAN
Present and correct
‘Seeing is believing’ describes the Province of the Isle of Man’s approach to Freemasonry and the community – or, in other words, be there at public events so people can see for themselves what Freemasonry is all about. 24
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Out and About UGLE Provinces
2023 was a particularly busy year and the first main event of the Province was the Charity Forum in April. A total of 30 representatives from nine charities met with a number of Manx Freemasons to inform them about their charity work, with the Provincial Grand Master explaining to them how the Masonic charities work. Everybody enjoyed the fish and chips dinner and £1,750 in donations was presented. After this, it was time to be ‘out there’, with the Provincial Marquee flying the Masonic flag at the Southern Vintage Show. This was followed shortly after by a stand at the Tynwald Fair, the traditional and ancient fair held on Tynwald Day next to Tynwald Hill. The day marks when the new session of parliament (Tynwald) is officially opened in a historic ceremony. The other two ‘must be present’ events were the Southern Agricultural Show and the Royal Manx Show, where the Province had a stand for the public to enquire about Freemasonry. Even if they are not yet interested in joining, they can see for themselves how much society benefits from Masonic charities. The open and public presence dispels some of the prejudice that is still encountered at times. The highlight of the Manx ‘Freemasonry in the Community’ calendar is the ‘Masons in the Park’ event held each year in Ramsey, where the public enjoy a Radio Caroline North celebration, Manx Radio, a display of vintage vehicles, 1960s music, a bowling competition and live music from the Quinn Brothers (one of them being Provincial Grand Charity Steward Peter), Tim Vaughan, Brendan McLaughlin and Gary Christian. Instigated and led by Peter, the event is special in that it is organised by Freemasons themselves. Thanks to the tremendous generosity of all visitors, sponsors and supporters, a magnificent £12,400 was raised for two charities – Forget me Not, a charity taking care of people suffering from dementia, and Live at Home, a charity that supports people to remain in their home for as long as possible rather than having to go into a care home.
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JERSEY
The Craft in colour
Jersey Freemasons took part in the Family Nursing and Home Care charity Colour Run Festival for the second year in succession. The Festival is a celebration of life for the whole family and raises funds for the costs of a palliative care nurse dedicated to terminally ill children on the island. The Festival includes a 5km Colour Run (or walk), with participants passing through five colour stations where they are showered with a rainbow of environmentally friendly powdered paint. A team from Jersey Freemasons clad in branded T-shirts and bandanas – among them Provincial Grand Master Graham Spence – occupied the first colour station, showering participants with yellow paint. Great fun was had by all and a substantial sum was raised for an excellent cause.
LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND
Pie hopes
In the spirit of the King’s Christmas speech, several members of Wyggeston Lodge, No. 3448 and the Universities Scheme Lodge for Leicester University volunteered at Pie Nights, a weekly event held at the Open Hands Compassion Centre in Leicester to provide food for homeless people and those in need. Lodge members donned their aprons and served hot pies, jacket potatoes and baked beans, along with drinks, to more than 60 people a night.
Organised with the charity by Past Master Andy Green, this is just one example of how the Lodge is working to improve social engagement. By volunteering their time, members are able to connect with people from all walks of life and make a difference in their communities. This is particularly true for student members who might not have the disposable income to fulfil charitable giving. Chris Panteli, a former student and now Junior Warden, said, ‘I volunteered at Open Hands. Not knowing what to expect, the people I have met through this, whether homeless or struggling for other reasons, have inspired me to be a better person, to realise what I have, and not to judge those who may appear different. Volunteering for Open Hands has been, and will continue to be, a truly humbling experience. We can all learn a lot from opening our hearts.’
Home to stay
Young people across the country will be given help and support to resolve disputes with their families that are likely to lead to them becoming homeless, thanks to a grant from Leicestershire and Rutland Freemasons to The Bridge, an East Midlands charity. The £59,000 grant will fund the talk²sort Mediation Service, which helps resolve conflict between young people aged 11 to 19 and their families, who may be having problems at home or with their relationships. It is a nationally commended mediation service that supports young people at risk of homelessness through running away or being asked to leave the family home. This can result in low education attainment, substance abuse, antisocial behaviour, involvement in crime, poor physical and mental health and the risk of violence and abuse. The mediation sessions are on a one-to-one basis and in family groups, providing a safe space for young people and families to talk. The Freemasons’ grant will pay for an additional mediator for the next two years, which will enable the charity to reduce its waiting list and support an additional 68 young people before reaching crisis point. Outcomes of the service are positive, with 92 per cent of clients feeling their relationships had improved, while 100 per cent of young people reported feeling closer to other people through dealing
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Out and About UGLE Provinces
with problems well, and 100 per cent able to access or stay in education, training or employment. Anna Maudsley, head of programmes and services from The Bridge (East Midlands) said, ‘We’re very grateful to Leicestershire and Rutland Freemasons for their generous grant. Thanks to them, we’ll be able to help young people and their families resolve their differences and crucially reduce the levels of homelessness young people are experiencing right across our country.’ Head of Leicestershire and Rutland Freemasons Peter Kinder said, ‘I am very pleased we have been able to help The Bridge with their excellent project. By helping families and their children to overcome their difficulties, they can not only reduce the risk of these young people becoming homeless, but also make a major contribution to improving their mental health.’
MONMOUTHSHIRE
Renewed enthusiasm Loyal Monmouth Lodge, No. 457 is one of the oldest working Lodges in the Province and holds a rich past dating back to its consecration in 1839. Today, it stands as a testament to the enduring spirit of Freemasonry, but it hasn’t been without its challenges. In recent years, Loyal Monmouth faced a severe membership crisis, a situation mirrored across many Lodges. By the late 1990s, the Lodge faced a significant decline in membership, a challenge threatening its existence. Membership had dwindled to just 38 by 2015, and the Grade II listed building housing the Lodge was in a state of disrepair, posing a substantial financial burden. Faced with this decline in membership and the physical state of their Lodge, the members realised that it was time for a change. The implementation of the Members’ Pathway was a turning point. Monmouthshire was chosen as a pilot 28
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Province, and Loyal Monmouth was designated as a pilot Lodge for the Members’ Pathway. The Lodge embraced this concept by forming a Members’ Pathway Committee. The results were remarkable. In 2018, the Lodge had 40 members, which grew to 48 two years later, and now, in the present year, membership stands at 61, with five Candidates ready for Initiation. With a new-found sense of purpose, Loyal Monmouth aims to initiate six new members annually. Its stretch goal is to reach a consistent membership of 80-plus by its bicentenary in 2039, a testament to the enduring spirit of Freemasonry and the power of proactive approaches. Today, Loyal Monmouth serves as a home for various Masonic Orders, including a Craft Lodge, a Royal Arch Chapter, Rose Croix and, more recently, a Mark Masons Lodge. It has enjoyed a vibrant revival brought about by the Members’ Pathway and a renewed commitment to an open, inclusive and enjoyable Masonic environment. Provincial Grand Master, Richard Davies said, ‘I am delighted with the results achieved by the Loyal Monmouth Lodge both in terms of the way they have embraced the Members’ Pathway and their commitment to our Provincial Buildings Strategy.’ N O R T H A M P TO N S H I R E A N D HUNTINGDONSHIRE
Food for thought
The 3 Pillars – Feeding the Homeless and Supporting the Community charity has been distributing hot food, bedding and clothing to homeless people from its mobile catering vehicles for several years in Peterborough, St Neots, Huntingdon and Rushden. With the support of many agencies and volunteers, this Freemason-based charity has helped to house more than 180 people, 77 of who are now in employment. Founded in Northampton by Freemason Ged Dempsey and Provincial Grand Chaplain Aaron Day alongside a wonderful team of helpers, it has extended its operating area into the town, with a new feeding centre and food bank, which opens on Tuesday and Friday evenings each week from rooms in St James Church in Northampton. Recently, Provincial Grand Master Mark Constant and his wife Dawn
attended the 3 Pillars feeding station at the church to see their excellent work first hand. They got involved by taking orders and delivering food to all our friends and visitors at the tables. Assistant Provincial Grand Master, Michael Caseman-Jones and his wife Gail, who are regular volunteers, were also in attendance. The menu was a roast beef dinner with all the trimmings followed by a dessert. The team at St James delivered an amazing service to many of the area's most vulnerable people. The Provincial Grand Master summed up his visit, ‘As we go about our busy lives at work or in retirement, enjoying our hobbies, we take so much for granted. To spend two hours in the company of those less fortunate than ourselves is a most humbling and thought-provoking experience. This initiative between the 3 Pillars and St James church, bringing together our Masonic members and the church congregation, is a fantastic example of the positive impact that such a collaboration can achieve within our community.’
Catching a smile
Children from Kettering’s Wren Spinney School and the Corby Business Academy, all with special needs, enjoyed a one-to-one fishing experience with their dedicated casting partners from the Northants and Hunts Masonic Trout & Salmon Fishing Charity (MTSFC). With several reports of ‘40 plus’ carp per angler, there was no shortage of fish or smiles on the day. Afterwards, the volunteers prepared a fabulous barbecue lunch and drinks for all. Following lunch, Provincial Grand Master Mark Constant – who along with other Grand and Group Officers have been constant supporters of the MTSFC and Freemasonry in the community – presented certificates and medals to all 20 children. Each of them was given an individual best-in-category title, such as biggest fish, loudest fisherman and biggest smile. Hats off to the volunteers who put a great deal of time and effort into organising these events. Northants and Hunts Chairman David Linger said, ‘We simply could not hold these types of events without the support of our amazing volunteers’.
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Out and About UGLE Provinces
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Helping heroes
In the saddle
Suffolk Freemasons signed the Armed Forces Covenant in October 2022 at their Almoners Conference, which covered various topics under the theme ‘Not Forgetting the Forgotten’. Through its Grand Almoner Jamie Gwatkin, the Province established a relationship with The Not Forgotten charity in London, which provides support to any serving man or woman who is wounded, injured or sick, and any veteran with a disability, illness, or infi rmity, whatever the cause and whenever it arose. Discussions with the charity Chairman David Cowley identified that they could not hold an event for Suffolk veterans because they were unable to secure an appropriate venue. Various requests were sent out by Freemasons to stately homes in the county and events were arranged at Euston Hall in 2023, and in 2024 at Helmingham Hall and Blenheim Palace. The idea for the event came during lockdown when the Not Forgotten’s patron Anne, Princess Royal, suggested a drive-in style garden party at Gatcombe Park. It was so successful that the charity wanted to roll out the scheme across the country. The Military Veterans’ Day in Suffolk was held in September at Euston Hall. Around 220 veterans, helpers and family members attended what was their largest event in 2023. Suffolk Freemasons provided a team of 27 volunteers from Suffolk Provincial Grand Stewards Lodge, Suffolk Group Almoner Team, Suffolk Provincial Executive and Suffolk Masonic military veterans. The invitees enjoyed musical entertainment, plus a hog roast from event caterers the Travelling Pig. The initiative has gained Suffolk Freemasons recognition within the community and from the military organisations within the region, and given the volunteering team a huge sense of pride that they made a difference to people’s lives.
The Band of Brothers Masonic Motorcycle association in West Kent has raised funds for a specialist pink bike that will improve the quality of life for five-year-old April Ellis. Since its inception in 2019, Band of Brothers has always been active in seeking out individuals, causes and organisations in the Kent region who need support. April suffers from the debilitating, lifelong and rare genetic chromosomal disorder Mosaic 18Q Deletion. As a result, she can’t communicate, crawl, walk, stand or feed herself, but can hold herself up for a few seconds and has recently learned how to pick objects up and move them. April’s parents’ wish to provide her with a better quality of life came to the attention of the Band of Brothers through its Charity Steward at one of their club nights. The specialist bike would help to build April’s muscles, aid her in walking and let her experience the outdoors with her parents and siblings. President of the Band of Brothers Stephen Demwell is also a member of Radiant Star Lodge, No. 8967 and proposed that they jointly support the fundraising required. In September, members of both Lodges presented the bike to April at her home in Tonbridge. WEST L ANCASH I R E
Masonic marathons
Around 40 Brethren, their partners and family members from the Furness and South Lakeland Group of Freemasons assisted in the marshalling of the western sections of the Brathay Trust ASICS Windermere Marathon. This giving up of time on a precious Sunday was much appreciated by the group executive Assistant Provincial Grand Master Peter Schofield and the organiser in chief, group charity steward Phil Renney. Hi-visibility vests and walkietalkies were the order of the day, with
members directing traffic and ensuring safe passage for the 15 ‘10 in 10’ runners and 650 participants running on the day. The Brathay Trust works in several areas, offering courses in personal and professional development, notably with young people who are victims of circumstance, not victims themselves. They are supported at Brathay and out in the community to become more self-aware and fi nd the potential and resilience they never knew they had. Looking to next year, there is a chance the event could take place on a Saturday, which may be an incentive to all Lodges and Chapters in the Furness and South Lakeland Group to encourage better attendance. It’s a fantastic shop window to illustrate the spirit of Freemasonry, the ethos of charity and benevolence.
On the ball
Freemasons who meet at Bryn Masonic Hall in Ashton-in-Makerfield enjoyed a great afternoon out when they sponsored an amateur rugby league match at nearby Ince Rose Bridge ARLFC. Bryn Masonic Hall is situated in what is best described as a ‘no man’s land’ between Wigan and St Helens, and members come from either side of that great divide. There is a famous rivalry between the rugby league clubs from both towns and this is the source of good-natured banter among members who meet at the hall. So, when the season’s fi xtures called for the famous St Helens club, Pilkington Recs, to visit Ince Rose Bridge, it provided the perfect opportunity to support the local community by sponsoring the game and having a really good afternoon out, too. Supporting this event was the idea of members Mike Butler, a long-standing corporate sponsor of Ince Rose Bridge and a member of Hope Lodge, No. 4003, and Phil Hughes, Steward of the Masonic Hall and a member of Borough Lodge, No. 3996. Financially contributing to the event were more than 25 members of the Lodges that meet at Bryn Masonic Hall, who turned out in force to enjoy the event. Attendees were treated to a competitive game of rugby, and Ince Rose Bridge came out as the victors on this occasion. Back in the clubhouse after the game, the good nature and mutual respect was there for all to see, as performances were praised, presentations made, and players and fans alike socialised in a great atmosphere.
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schedule of gardening and landscaping. The team achieved the activities that needed to be completed, making the existing overgrown garden fully wheelchair accessible and operational. The garden now blooms along with the people who benefit from it. It has also enabled Thrive to expand its fantastic work as it now supports even more people for whom STH is an intrinsic and positive part of their lifestyle.
From small acorns
YO R KS H I R E W E S T R I D I N G
When the gardening for health charity Thrive looked to the local community to help revive and upgrade one of its gardens in Kings Heath Park, Hospitality Lodge, No. 8325 answered that call. This led a combined Worcestershire Province team organised by Worshipful Master Mark Barber on a ‘Ground Force’ weekend of work. Thrive uses gardening to change lives. Thrive Birmingham operates in what was the old BBC Gardeners’ World garden in Kings Heath Park. It uses social and therapeutic horticulture (STH) to bring about positive changes in the lives of people living with disabilities or ill health or who are isolated, disadvantaged or vulnerable. Many famous gardeners such as Monty Don, Mark Lane, David Domoney and Alan Titchmarsh have praised the work of the charity and the benefits it offers to so many people. For the Masonic volunteers, it was a serious commitment that involved a clear
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Back to school
Thanks to fundraising by local Freemasons, Paces Sheffield opened its doors to a brand-new school dedicated to children with cerebral palsy and other motor disorders. The project’s completion, which cost just shy of £1.5 million, is testament to the boundless determination and resourcefulness of the Paces School community. A substantial portion of the funding was secured through a grant application, a dedicated team of fundraisers and private donations, such as that given by the Province. The newly inaugurated school boasts state-of-the-art facilities, carefully tailored to meet the specific needs of children with cerebral palsy and motor disorders. The ultimate goal is to provide these remarkable young individuals with the best possible start in life, fostering an
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environment in which they can learn, grow, and thrive. Chair David Idle has helped lead the charity for the past three years and has helped bring the project to fruition, opened the school officially on 30 August – a culmination of years of hard work and unwavering belief in the charity’s mission. The new home for Paces School represents not only a place of learning, but also a beacon of hope for families and children who deserve nothing but the best. David said, ‘Paces is a leading specialist centre for children with cerebral palsy and other motor disorders, with an ever-growing reputation for excellence in conductive education. It is thanks to the generous donations of organisations such as the Province of Yorkshire West Riding and the West Riding Masonic Charities Fund that we are able to meet such challenges.’
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Out and About National museums
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he Library and Museum at Canterbury owes its existence to Colonel FS Cornwallis. He was the Provincial Grand Master of Kent, later to become first Baron Cornwallis of Linton and, in 1926, Deputy Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England. He conceived the idea after being shown the collection of memorabilia and books already assembled at the Canterbury Masonic Centre in Kent. The Library and Museum, the shop window for Freemasonry in Kent, was purpose built and opened in 1933. Its history has been well documented ever since. Today, the building is divided into two parts: the main museum collections and the library. It is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) in the name of the Kent Museum and Library Trust and is an Accredited Museum with Arts Council England. The main objective of the CIO is to advance education for the benefit of the public by the maintenance of a museum and library. Since re-opening the doors following the COVID pandemic, a new team of nine trustees has been recruited. The team has been up and running since June 2022 and, over the past 15 months, they have been very busy indeed. A new direction has also been set to drive this objective. Peter Hazlewood was appointed as the Marketing and
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Canterbury Library and Museum gets involved with many community events through partnerships with both local and national institutions
P R ES E RV I N G T H E FU T U R E
Since the 1930s, the Library and Museum at Canterbury has been a shop window for Freemasonry. Now, a series of partnerships is ensuring its future success
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National museums Out and About
Development Manager with the remit to engage with our community. We have a permanent seat with Canterbury City Council Business Improvement District Team (BIDS) so that we may join in with all local events. We work in partnership with Canterbury Cathedral, Westgate Towers Museum, the University of Kent, Kent Family History Society, the British Museum, Westminster Abbey and more. It is this drive in to our local communities that is key to our future success. We have joined in annual events, such as the Canterbury Medieval Pageant, where we had more than 500 members of the public through the doors in just one day. The pageant is a family fun day and we provided face painters, who decorated the faces of 175 children. This year, we have also joined in the national Heritage Days to help celebrate our fantastic history and culture. We are attracting groups and organisations that want to come and visit us. These include successive lord mayors of Canterbury, the Sheriff of Canterbury and Women’s Institutes. We also work with dementia groups and Headway, the brain injury association. The Museum is viewed as a calm and safe facility that helps in gently stimulating the minds of people who require such services. We also go out and deliver talks to community groups, Lodges and Chapters.
And as we push out further into the community, we also seek feedback to help us improve. Many of the community groups welcome us with open arms asking, ‘Where have you been all of these years?’ Many people say that they thought we were a secretive bunch, but that we’re clearly not. These comments act as a gauge so that we can adjust where necessary. One of the questions we are always asked is, ‘But you don’t allow women to join do you?’ I am really pleased to say that the Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons (HFAF) and the Order of Women Freemasons (OWF) now want to join us to help make a difference. For some time, we have been underrepresented by women and young people and this is a dynamic that we are keen to change. We have also now recruited our first 18-year-old volunteer, who is just about to start a three-year curatorial degree. He will work alongside our Curator Ron Carter and we have tasked him to look at the collections from a young person’s perspective. Our library collection consists of many books on Freemasonry, with 6,000 titles on the history of Kent, its genealogy, heraldry and archaeology. Many of our books were printed in the 1500s and are rare. This has ignited a huge interest with academics and research groups. This year, we will be creating a research facility for the public
so that we can share our books with the world outside. We have interviewed and appointed a Library Manager who will help drive this forward. For us, this is a really fascinating journey – one where we are discovering a world of opportunities. While we are not a dedicated recruitment centre for Freemasonry, we cannot shy away when people ask how they can join. We are happy to take their details and pass them on to the respective teams so that their enquiries can be actioned. You have to remember that Canterbury has been the seat of the spiritual head of the Church of England for nearly five centuries. Canterbury’s other important UNESCO World Heritage monuments are the Church of St Martin, the oldest church in England, the ruins of the Abbey of St Augustine, a reminder of the saint’s evangelising role in the Heptarchy from 597, and Christ Church Cathedral, a breathtaking mixture of Romanesque and Perpendicular Gothic, where Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered in 1170. The Kent Museum and Library Trust building nestles within this landscape and plays an important role today in the history of the city. For more details on the collections at the Library and Museum at Canterbury, see www.kentmuseumoffreemasonry.org.uk
The Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons and the Order of Women Freemasons have joined the Library and Museum in an effort to make it more inclusive
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Stories
Stories
People, places, history and more
Chris Jones reflects on his motivation for walking the coast of the UK
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Freemason Chris Jones on his marathon charity walk
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The historic Freemasons’ Hall welcomes the public
Welcome to the second season of UGLE’s Craftcast podcast
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Stories Coastal crusade
Walking the talk
Lincolnshire Freemason Chris Jones is on an 18-month quest to walk the coast of mainland Britain to raise funds for charity. Peter Watts catches up with him at the halfway mark W O R D S P E T E R WAT T S P O R T R A I T S J O N S H A R D
The Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF, the Freemasons’ charity) helped Chris with mental health counselling
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hris Jones spent a couple of hours watching a family of white-tailed sea eagles flying back and forth from their nest on a remote island off the coast of Scotland and thought about how far he’d come. That was true both physically – Chris has now walked some 2,000 miles around the coast of Britain since departing Skegness on New Year’s Day – but also metaphorically, given that a few years before, he had considered taking his life as he stared into a black hole of depression. ‘I’d been through a period of some really poor mental health,’ says Chris over the phone from somewhere in Cumbria between Anthorn and Silloth, as he continues his epic journey around the coast. ‘I ended up in a very dark place. In 2020, I happened to be on the website of the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF, the Freemasons’ charity) and saw they have a mental health
assistance programme. I got some counselling that without question put me back on my feet and took me away from that horrible place.’ The walk will take around 18 months and see Chris travel more than 7,000 miles. His original motivation was simply to do something different – maybe learn a bit more about himself and what makes his brain tick – but fellow Freemasons insisted on seeing him off from Skegness. One thing led to another. Now, Chris is raising funds for the MCF, setting a target of £100,000. He’s drumming up support by visiting Lodges along the way – 76 Lodges and 27 meetings at the time we speak in early September. ‘We go to a Lodge, and they have a raffle and donate the proceeds,’ he says. Chris joined the Freemasons just over a decade ago. After leaving school, he went in to the Royal Engineers as a reservist while working in the building trade. He discovered a niche – helping troubled, often excluded kids get in to the construction industry – and set up a successful training business, employing former soldiers and police officers as mentors. To find contacts
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Stories Coastal crusade
Chris has covered more than 2,000 miles since he set off on New Year’s Day
who could provide opportunities for the students, Chris joined the Lions and then the Round Table. In 2012, he was invited to join Round Table Lodge, No 8240 in Lincolnshire. ‘I thoroughly enjoyed it,’ he says. ‘I could walk the dog and lose myself for hours learning ritual. That gave me something else to think about when I was selling the business. It was a success, but not what I wanted to do. Because of policy changes, it became a monster. I was forced to become an independent school, but if it looks like a school and smells like a school, those kids aren’t coming. It stopped us doing what we were good at and turned us into a machine that pummels a qualification in to the kid whether they need it or not.’ After selling the business, Chris sought counselling. Now in a better place, the 52-year-old began to think about his future. He’d read about Chris Lewis, a former paratrooper who had walked around the coast of the British Isles – a trek that took six years and 11,000 miles as he included all the islands. Chris isn’t so strict – his rule is to stay within sight of the sea as much as possible. Some parts of the coast in the north-west of Scotland were impenetrable, so he adjusted his route to walk round the islands of Skye, Mull and Arran. That flexibility gives him the freedom to follow his nose, whether it’s attending a Lodge meeting, hanging out with friends and family or watching wildlife. When we talk, Chris is walking with a former colleague from the military, Charlie, who lives in Carlisle. Several friends have joined Chris along the way, while local Freemasons hand him to the next Province when he crosses the border. He’s been
about walking and talking. Most blokes know that if you go out for a walk you come back feeling better, and I am doing that every day. Being around the sea is good for mental health, too.’ That’s not to say it’s been easy. There were times in Scotland when Chris feared for his life because of the treacherous coastal path, while after 1,600 miles, he had to leave his boots outside his tent every night because they ‘stank like a dead badger’. Most nights he has camped in fields, but he’s treated himself to the occasional B&B. When possible, he’ll end the day in a local pub – indeed, he has had to deny accusations that he is essentially partaking in the world’s longest pub crawl. Chris defends himself stoutly, while Charlie chuckles knowingly in the background. ‘When I get to a small village where I don’t know anything, it’s the pub where I can find out where I can camp,’ he insists. ‘Pubs are a great place to meet people, get local intel, get some donations and, obviously, rehydrate. People I meet are very willing to put their hand in their pocket when they find out what I am doing, and it also raises awareness. I tell them the MCF is one of the biggest grant-making charities in the UK. There’s not a community that doesn’t benefit in some way from Freemasons’ money. That always impresses them.’
‘If you go out for a walk you come back feeling better, and I am doing that every day. Being around the sea is good for mental health too’ listening to books and podcasts about mental health, pulling together his own thoughts for the book he will write about his journey. Additional insight has come from fellow walkers. ‘The biggest killer for men between 50 and 54 is suicide,’ he says. ‘Some deal with it [mental health] better than others, but a lot of us ignore it. I have had a lot of time to think. I want to write a book and put all this into layman’s terms so it will help others. People I walk with tend to talk to me about their own experiences because as soon as I explain what I am doing, they unload. There’s something 44
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If Chris’s story touches you, your family or friends, you can take a positive step to prevent that hurt for others by donating to his fundraising page using the QR code here, or by visiting https://bit.ly/3Cg32Jo
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Chris is often joined by fellow Freemasons who support him on his fundraising walk
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Stories Open House London 2023
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Open House London 2023 Stories
THE GRAND TOUR The Open House London 2023 at Freemasons’ Hall gave people the chance to walk the corridors of London’s finest Art Deco memorial
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isitors to London’s renowned Freemasons’ Hall during the 2023 Open House Festival were treated to an extraordinary experience. Over two days in September, the venue opened its doors to the public, offering a weekend filled with fascinating exhibits, Special Interest Lodges, exclusive tours and more. Steeped in history and built as a peace memorial to Freemasons who died during the First World War, Freemasons’ Hall stands as one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture. Visitors were given the exclusive opportunity to explore parts of Freemasons’ Hall rarely seen by the public, including behind-the-scenes tours to the second and third floors. The highlight of the tours was the awe-inspiring Lodge Room No. 10, affectionately known as the Egyptian Room, a meeting place for some of London’s largest Lodges. There was also the chance to witness the magnificence of the Grand Temple and enjoy an engaging short film on Freemasonry. In addition, visitors gained insights into the practice of modern Freemasonry and witnessed how the historical building still serves its original purpose. Throughout the weekend, people could engage with Freemasons wearing Masonic regalia, offering a personal touch to the experience. The public also had the unique opportunity to meet Freemasons from Special Interest Lodges, such as those dedicated to science fiction and fantasy, historical Masonic plays in authentic costume, Whisky Lodge, Military Lodge and Formula One Lodge. This was a great chance to get a sense of the diversity and traditions that Freemasonry encompasses. Members of Freemasonry for Women were also present for the whole weekend. They were
happy to chat with visitors and discuss the significance of Freemasonry for women. Families were in for a treat too. Younger visitors could discover a captivating children’s trail, explore the breathtaking architecture of the building, marvel at the beautiful scenes depicted within the stunning stained-glass windows, and create their own Bright Bricks figures of dragons, thrones and unicorns – all inspired by the building’s architecture. The visit also included an unveiling of the rich heritage at the Museum of Freemasonry, which showcases one of the world’s largest collections of artefacts related to Freemasonry. The Museum’s collections are packed with historical treasures, including Winston Churchill’s apron and the Grand Throne crafted for the future King George IV, who served as Grand Master from 1790 to 1813.
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Visitors to the Open House Festival at Freemasons’ Hall got the chance to chat to Freemasons in full Masonic regalia
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Listen and learn Stories
Introducing Season 2 of Craftcast: The Freemasons Podcast Welcome back to Craftcast! Shaun, James and Stephen are thrilled to be back with a brand-new season, packed with exciting Masonic insights and intriguing discussions. Back in the studio, they’ve bid farewell to the formal office chairs and desk, opting for recycled leather couches that set a relaxed yet professional tone for our conversations. Their diverse interests and experiences, from university degrees to travelling the globe, have filled their summer months with adventure and reflection. This season, they’re delving deeper into the Masonic
world, breaking down terminology and acronyms, exploring Special Interest Lodges and shedding light on the Armed Forces’ vital connection with Freemasonry. Get ready to explore the many facets of Freemasonry, from Universities Scheme to Masonic clubs, and how they contribute to the United Grand Lodge of England’s seven-year Strategy. We encourage you to join the conversation, share your stories and tell us about your everyday Freemasonry. Craftcast is all about you, the members, and we want to ensure that your experiences are at the forefront of our discussions. So reach out to us on social media, email us at podcasts@ugle.org.uk, or connect with us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. Thanks for joining us and we look forward to exploring the world of Freemasonry with you in the episodes to come. Stay tuned!
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After the successful launch of Craftcast, the trio of hosts returns with a series of fascinating episodes
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Why is Art absent in the Media when it is the most frequented public sphere in the modern life? Can we introduce a new genre in Art that would enable everyone to enjoy Art and thus subtle aspects of life?
The book is available on Amazon, Better World Books etc.
Tel: 07414 957 277
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A daily advancement 52 Everyday collectibles The Museum of Freemasonry’s contemporary pieces
54 Taking to the stage One-time theatre Bath Masonic Hall in the spotlight
Bath Masonic Hall, formerly the city’s Theatre Royal
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Daily advancement Modern memories
Preserving the present The Museum of Freemasonry doesn’t always have its eye on the past. Collections Manager and Registrar Emma Roberts tells us about the Museum and contemporary collecting
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Modern memories Daily advancement
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ll museum collections are full of rich, invaluable historic objects and we take great pride in looking after them. We hope that by caring for these treasures, they will be of benefit not only to people today, but also for those in the future. The Museum, Library and Archives here at Great Queen Street form the repository for the history of the United Grand Lodge of England. Past events covering all aspects of Freemasonry involving this organisation can be researched in our Library of more than 60,000 books. However, we also like to collect and capture activities that Freemasons are engaged with today. Contemporary collecting can be defined as the collection of objects, material and stories from the recent past or present day that represent culture in its current form. It is generally considered that items created within living memory or objects produced in the past 50 years fall within this definition. One vital lesson that we learned during the COVID pandemic was that we had to make sure we documented all that was happening in the Masonic world during this particular moment in time. It was undoubtedly a devastating blow for everyone around the world and its aftermath is something we are all still living with, and will continue to do so for many years to come. When the first national pandemic lockdown started in March 2020, the Museum was contacted by several people asking for information we held about the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, and how people at that time had coped. Sadly, we were able to provide very little information, as it was not well documented in our archives. With this in mind, we knew it was imperative that we gathered as much information as we could during this pandemic for our future researchers. We successfully captured the activities of several Lodges, Provinces and Districts. We now have face masks, PPE visors, sanitiser bottles and even a fish and chip box produced by one Lodge to provide meals to NHS workers during this period. I now have a storage box dedicated to collecting anything to do with the COVID pandemic. In 100 years’ time, I hope that my distant successors will be able to use them in their exhibitions and displays to help inform the visitors of the day about Masonic activities and the good work that was done by Freemasons during this time. Moving forward to more recent times, another project that we have been able to capture is the work produced by the United Grand Lodge of England Membership and Communications Team. In July 2023, UGLE took part in the Pride in London Parade for the first time. For this, the Membership and Communications Team not only organised the logistics for the event, they also designed and produced T-shirts
‘I hope that my distant successors will be able to use them in their exhibitions and displays to help inform the visitors of the day about Masonic activities’ for the parade. After the event, the Museum was able to collect several items from the day, including one of the T-shirts, which can now be seen on display in the Museum’s North Gallery. Nevertheless, it is not just the activities of UGLE that we collect. Some recent activities of the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF, the Freemasons’ charity) have been captured, too. The MCF also took part in the Pride in London Parade, so we have collected items that they produced as well. The T-shirt and pronoun button badges that were designed by the MCF are also on display. When I ask people what they think the Museum is for, the answer more often than not is ‘it’s for old things to be kept’. While that is true to a certain extent, they do not see that the activities they are taking part in today are also part of that organisational history. As part of the work I do here at the Museum, I often notice that people find it difficult to see beyond their own lifetime. So, capturing their impact on the history of Freemasonry today can be a challenge, but it is something that the Museum team here are really hoping to build upon from now on. If you would like to know more about the Museum’s contemporary collecting initiative, contact Emma at: contact@museumfreemasonry.org.uk
Far left: Contemporary Founders jewels for new Lodges. Left: visor and masks produced by Provinces and Districts
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Daily advancement Setting the stage
From thespianism to Freemasonry Famous for its Roman heritage and Georgian architecture, Bath is also an early centre for Freemasonry. Co-ordinator of tour guides Vincent Baughan explains the history of Bath’s Masonic Hall
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here is a hall, in Orchard Street, Bath, that is drenched in history. It was built as a theatre, became a Roman Catholic chapel and is now the Masonic Hall. It spans the time from when Bath burst out of its grim, defensive medieval walls and bloomed into an elegant Georgian spa town. Many historical figures were involved. John Wood the Elder, the man who started Bath’s transformation, provided the land. Richard ‘Beau’ Nash, a professional gambler and dandy who controlled Bath’s fashionable society, invested in it. John Palmer Jr, inventor of the Mail Coach, ran it. Sarah Siddons, superstar actress, played there. And Lord Nelson and Jane Austen were regular patrons. The story of Freemasonry in Bath, however, pre-dates its current hall. The fi rst Lodge outside of London to be deputised by the then Grand Lodge was formed in Bath in 1724 under the guidance
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Setting the stage Daily advancement
of Dr Jean Theophilus Desaguliers. It boasted six members of the Royal Society under its banner, and its Worshipful Master was the Duke of St Albans. However, after his death, the Lodge faded away. The second Lodge to be created had its fi rst meeting in December 1732. Now called the Royal Cumberland Lodge, No. 41, members fi rst met in the Bear Inn, moved to the White Hart, then the White Lion, and other inns around the town. The story of the Masonic Hall, meanwhile, started in the 1740s. John Hippisley, a retired actor, recognised the need for a quality theatre in Bath. Halfway through raising the funds, Hippisley died. A local businessman, John Palmer, stepped in. A brewer and chandler, he knew on which side of his bread was buttered – theatres used an awful lot of candles and beer! He raised the £1,000 necessary and in October 1750 the theatre opened. In 1764, John Palmer handed the theatre down to his son, John Palmer Jr – an enterprising man. He embarked on improvements to the building, employing John Palmer the architect for the major works. As an interesting aside, it is worth noting that the actor John ‘Plausible Jack’ Palmer appeared on stage at the theatre during this period – four John Palmers in all. Palmer Jr obtained a royal patent and the theatre became the fi rst Theatre Royal outside of London. After 50 years, however, the theatre was feeling its age. It could not meet the demands of late 18th- and early 19th-century stage craft. The population of Bath had grown 10-fold and every performance was an overcrowded sell-out. The neighbourhood around the theatre was going to the dogs and it was on the wrong side of town. Theatre-goers lived on the northern slopes and the theatre was on the south side of Bath. Its days were numbered. In 1805, a bigger, modern theatre was built on the theatregoers’ doorstep and the old theatre closed.
‘For over 270 years, Bath’s Masonic Hall has served the community theatrically, spiritually and now as a home for Freemasonry’ The building stood empty for four years when, in 1809, Roman Catholics moved in. The Old Theatre Royal became the Chapel of St John the Evangelist and headquarters of the Roman Catholic Mission for the Western District of England. Major alterations were made. The auditorium floor was levelled, the theatre galleries were removed, windows were punched through the East wall and the ground floor was fi lled with pews. In 1830, Bishop Peter Augustine Baines became Vicar Apostolic for the district. He was the embodiment of a turbulent priest following a meteoric rise through the ranks of the Church. He had a dispute with the monks at Downside Abbey near Bath, made friends with Pope Leo XII, attracted the disquiet of Pope Pius VII and the wrath of Pope Pius VIII – who threatened him with ‘deprivation’ (the Catholic equivalent of being defrocked) – and narrowly missed being made the fi rst English Cardinal. Meanwhile, Freemasonry was on the move in Bath. In 1819, the Lodges, which had been meeting in various venues around the city, moved into a new purpose-built hall. After a dispute with the building’s fi nancier Charles Geary, a local wine merchant and former master of the Royal Cumberland Lodge, they were locked out of the building and their furniture sold to a Lodge in Barnstable. The Lodges were again in diaspora. That hall still exists, but is now a swanky bookshop. It is the oldest purpose-built Freemasons’ Hall in England. In 1863, the Catholics moved out of the old theatre and into a newly built church a few hundred yards away. The theatre was once again empty. In 1865, members of The Royal Sussex Lodge, No. 53, tired of their nomadic existence, resolved to fi nd a permanent home. They considered building a new hall, but settled on taking the old theatre. Two years later, Royal Cumberland and Lodge of Honour, No. 379 joined them, and the hall has been a Masonic centre ever since, apart from a short break when it was damaged during World War Two. Even during COVID, although Masonic meetings were impossible, the kitchens were used in the Square Meal Project, preparing more than 22,000 meals for elderly and vulnerable people. So, for over 270 years, Bath’s Masonic Hall has served the community theatrically, spiritually and now as a home for Freemasonry, with the social and charitable benefits that our Order provides. It is hoped that it will continue to serve as such. FMT Winter 2023
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Bath’s former theatre now has a life as a thriving Masonic Centre
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Grand Lodge News from Great Queen Street
58 The highest honour
68 Members’ Pathway
The history and prestige of the Order of Service to Masonry
East Kent Freemasons on building their membership
64 Solomon online
Celebrating five years of UGLE’s online learning resource
Image: Alamy
Lord Harewood, who instituted the Grand Master’s Order of Service to Masonry FMT Winter 2023
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M
THE H I G H E ST HONOUR
At the Quarterly Communication in Freemasons’ Hall in June, Deputy Grand Secretary of UGLE Graham Redman gave an address on the history of the Grand Master’s Order of Service to Masonry
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W Pro Grand Master and Brethren, 78 years ago, at the Quarterly Communication of the Grand Lodge in June 1945, all the Brethren stood while the Grand Secretary read out the following message from the Grand Master, MW Bro the Earl of Harewood, KG: ‘It is my desire to have power to confer on Brethren who have rendered special service to Freemasonry a distinction to be known as the Grand Master’s Order of Service to Masonry, to rank immediately above the Grand Deacons, with the prefix Very Worshipful. The Brethren upon whom the Order is conferred shall be entitled to place the letters OSM after their surname to be followed by those of any lower rank they may hold, and if subsequently a higher office or rank should be conferred, the letters shall follow those applicable to such higher office or rank. The distinction shall be indicated by an addition to the regalia which the recipient is entitled to wear at the time of the conferment of the Order. It is my wish that there shall be a limit to be determined from time to time by the Grand Master upon the number of holders of the Order. I propose that the present limit be 12.’ The President of the Board of General Purposes in moving amendments to the Book of Constitutions to give effect to the Grand Master’s wishes said: ‘Brethren, I am sure that Grand Lodge will have heard the message from the MW The Grand Master with much pleasure and will desire to record its deep appreciation of his interest in the activities of the Brethren by giving immediate effect to his wishes in accordance with the usual custom.’ It is an interesting coincidence that the Vice-President of the Board of General Purposes, W Bro Edgar Rutter, PJGD who seconded the amendments was one of the first four recipients of the Order who were invested the following April. At the September Quarterly Communication of that year, the amendments to the Book of Constitutions were put for confirmation (it was a rather longer process to change the rules in those days), and the Board’s Report stated that the MW The Grand Master desired that the holders of the Grand Master’s Order of Service to Masonry should wear a jewel appended to a collarette, the design for which had not yet been finally approved. As we now know, however, the jewel is worn from a dark blue collarette and is of silver gilt, being a double circle with a pair of compasses extended on the segment of a circle, and the letters OSM; beneath it is the motto In Solo Deo Salus – In God alone is our safety. On the double circle are the words ‘grand master’s order of service’. The jewel was designed by RW Bro Sir Gerald
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Loyalty and service Grand Lodge
‘In the early years, recipients were invested along with new Grand Officers, generally at the Annual Investiture’
Wollaston, KCB, KCVO, PJGW, a former Garter Principal King of Arms. In the early years, recipients were invested along with new Grand Officers, generally at the Annual Investiture, but occasionally when additional Grand Ranks were being conferred by way of celebration. It should be noted that when the Order was introduced, Grand Deacon was far more senior as a rank than it has become in more recent times and ranked immediately after the Grand Director of Ceremonies, who was, until then, the lowest ranking among the Very Worshipful Brethren. The Order was therefore a neat way of giving Very Worshipful rank to Brethren for whom promotion to the very small range of acting offices (or the corresponding past rank) carrying the prefix ‘Very Worshipful’ would simply not have
Left: Earl of Harewood portrait by William Nicholson. Top: recipient of the Order Edgar Rutter, 1949 by Lafayette. Above: Graham Redman, Deputy Grand Secretary
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been appropriate. Since the major reordering of Grand Ranks which took effect at the Annual Investiture in April 1969, that consideration has no longer applied, but as we shall see in a moment the Order of Service to Masonry had already moved on. In December 1960, the then Grand Master, the Earl of Scarbrough, made this statement about the Order: ‘Fifteen years have now passed since Lord Harewood instituted the Grand Master’s Order of Service to Masonry, and in that period 18 Brethren have been appointed to it, nine of whom are, I am glad to say, still with us. I feel that the time has now come to take stock and to consider whether the Order, as it is now constituted, achieves its object of honouring special service to Masonry, or could be made more effective in this respect. I have always held the view that the Order should be conferred on Brethren whose Masonic activity has not been confined to one sphere but who have served Masonry well in the widest possible sense: there are some Brethren well qualified in this sense who already hold a higher rank than is conferred by the Order of Service to Masonry, and there are others, I believe, who would find sudden promotion to such a rank a matter of embarrassment. I have come to the conclusion, therefore, that the Order of Service to Masonry would be more effective and be held still higher in the estimation of the Craft if it ceased to be one of the 72 ranks in our Masonic hierarchy of Grand Officers. This would mean that it would have no place in the table of precedence and would not be entitled to salutations. Such an attitude towards the Order and those very distinguished Brethren who hold it now or may come to hold it in the future is something which is at present without precedent or parallel, but I believe that Grand Lodge will agree with me that the Order of Service to Masonry should be set apart and that it should be possible to confer it upon any Brother without reference to his existing rank, or having any effect upon it. My desire therefore is that the Order of Service to Masonry should be eliminated from the Order of precedence and cease to carry any entitlement to salutations: I hope that, instead, it will have a unique quality of its own among our Masonic 59
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honours, resting solely on the distinction of its holders and the strict limitation of their number. It appears to me that the constitutional action required to bring this about is of quite a simple nature, and I feel sure that it can be safely left with the Board of General Purposes to evolve the necessary amendments to the Rules.’ The necessary amendments to the Book of Constitutions were duly passed, with the reservation being made that those Brethren who had acquired the prefix Very Worshipful by virtue of having previously been appointed to the Order should not lose that prefix (and its accompanying seniority) when the Order ceased to figure in the table of precedence of Grand Officers. In June and September 1961, a total of three new appointments were made, all of them of Brethren who were already Right Worshipful. In June 1962, Lord Scarbrough announced:
‘I have no doubt that some of you were present in Grand Lodge on 7 December 1960, when I made a statement about the Order of Service to Masonry. The necessary Constitutional action to give effect to the wishes I expressed on that occasion was duly taken, and I have been able to make a number of appointments to that Order of very senior Masons. It has, however, been in my mind all along that there are Brethren, not already Grand Officers or even perhaps members of Grand Lodge, whose work has nevertheless been of outstanding value to the Craft. I have, I believe, found such a Brother, and I shall shortly ask the Grand Director of Ceremonies to introduce him into Grand Lodge, but before doing so I would like to tell you something about him. He is Bro Reginald A Easton, and he has been Secretary of the Whittington Lodge for 18 years. Many Secretaries have been in office for that length of time or more, but, largely by his efforts, the Whittington Lodge has built itself up a peculiar position with regard to Brethren of our own and other Constitutions overseas. Very close links are forged, first by the attendance of visitors from overseas at a Lodge and, subsequently, by keeping up correspondence with them and their Lodges, and by entertaining in a similar way other visitors from their Lodges.
The portrait of the Earl of Scarbrough by Herbert James Gunn in Freemasons’ Hall
‘The limit of 12 members set by Lord Harewood has never been increased, and there are 12 numbered jewels only in existence’ 60
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The result is that the Whittington Lodge now has a world-wide reputation for its hospitality and the welcome it extends to visitors from abroad. The news bulletins produced with the Lodge summons are the best possible evidence of the Lodge’s activities in this direction, and anyone reading them comes to appreciate the meaning of the phrase “Masonry Universal.” All this is, I believe, due to Bro Easton, who has, however, resisted all attempts to persuade him to accept other offices and reach the Chair, preferring to remain a Master Mason. Hitherto, he has debarred himself from any honour or preferment in Masonry by this attitude of self-denial, but the recent changes in the status of the Order of Service to Masonry enable me to do honour to one who has, I believe, in the truest sense done good service to Masonry. I will,
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therefore, now ask the Grand Director of Ceremonies to escort Bro Easton into Grand Lodge in order that I may invest him.’ Bro Easton was then escorted into Grand Lodge, and was invested by the Grand Master to loud applause. You will have noticed that Lord Scarbrough declared that Bro Easton had debarred himself from any honour or preferment in Masonry by refusing to go through the Chair. And indeed it was so, for a Master Mason in London, unlike one in a Province or District, until London Rank was introduced 36 years later in 1998, had no avenue of promotion other than the Grand Master’s Order of Service to Masonry. With the decoupling of the Order of Masonry from the formal ranking of the members of the Grand Lodge came a pleasing change in the procedure when an award was made: instead of the recipient being submerged in the list of Grand Officers read out at the Annual Investiture, the Grand Master or other Officer presiding in Grand Lodge was able briefly to extol the virtues of the Brother concerned, so that all those present in Grand Lodge – and subsequently reading its printed proceedings – could know why he had been honoured in this special way. This eventually became formalised by the Grand Secretary reading out a citation when the Brother concerned was invested – as has happened earlier today. In one particular case, the citation was all that there could be: the first, and so far only, posthumous award was made in December 1990 to VW Bro Alan Jole, PGSwdB, one of my predecessors as Deputy Grand Secretary, and the last Secretary of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys before it became amalgamated into the Masonic Trust – later the Royal Masonic Trust – for Girls and Boys. He had died in October of that year and the then Pro Grand Master, Lord Cornwallis, was anxious that his contribution to Masonic administration and in particular Masonic charitable administration should be recognised. A copy of the citation was engrossed on parchment and was presented to his widow after a short period of display in the Grand Lodge Library and Museum. Bro Easton remains the only Master Mason to be honoured with the Grand Master’s Order of Service to Masonry, but it can nevertheless be seen that the Order looks to a Brother’s service rather than to his rank. As a result, among the 82 recipients (as of today) there have been Brethren of widely varying seniority, but of whom each has made his own unique contribution to English Freemasonry. Among them are those whose contribution has
The Order of Service to Masonry with the motto In Solo Deo Salus - In God alone is our safety
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lain in the fields of, among others, Masonic Research, Ceremonial, Charity, and External Relations, including work in other Masonic Orders. The limit of 12 members set by Lord Harewood has never been increased, and there are 12 numbered jewels only in existence, each of which must be returned on the death of its current holder. The jewel allocated to each recipient is recorded in a small red pocket cash book, which was started in the rather distinctive handwriting of the late Sir James Stubbs (himself a recipient of the Order in 1997 in token of his continued contribution to Freemasonry during the 17 years since he had retired as Grand Secretary); and it has become what I regard as the pleasing recent custom to give each recipient a list of the previous holders of the jewel with which he has been invested. 61
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WITH GOOD GRACE
Freemason Charles Grace reflects on the rarest honour of being the recipient of the Grand Master’s Order of Service to Masonry
I
was initiated in 1966. It is a long time ago, and I have enjoyed every minute of it – the companionship, camaraderie, charitable work and discovering more about the deeper meaning behind what we do and how and why we do it. Like all outside interests, you get out of it what you put in. I quickly found out that I am much better suited to administration than I am to ritual and I served as Secretary of my mother Lodge for about 13 years. A Lodge is a microcosm of the Craft as a whole and being Secretary is a great way to learn how the organisation works, as well as taking a very active role in running the Lodge and helping other Brethren in their growth and enjoyment of Freemasonry. Until the 1990s, the administration of London had been under the aegis of the AGM, handled by a small number of staff in the GSec’s office – a difficult task, bearing in mind that London membership represents about 20 per cent of the English Constitution. Recognising this, the Marquis of Northampton, then AGM, put forward plans for a MetGL and MetGC. Groups of Lodges, each with its own Chairman, of which I was one, were created. It was a challenging time. We had to persuade a number of Brethren that a MetGL was a good idea. Eventually, everything fell into place on 1 October 2003 at the Royal Albert Hall when MetGL and MetGC were constituted by the GM and First GP, HRH the Duke of Kent, in two memorable ceremonies. Later, having served as an AsstMetGM, I was appointed DepMetGSupt and as such served on the Committee of General Purposes. In 2012, the question arose as to how the Royal Arch should best commemorate its bicentenary. Pipe organs should be properly overhauled every 25 years: the fine Willis organ in the Grand Temple had 62
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Charles Grace managed the project to restore and refurbish the Grand Temple’s Willis organ
survived 80 years without major attention, and its restoration and refurbishment were suggested and agreed. The President then asked for a volunteer to manage this project. I put my hand up. I love music, but at that time knew little about pipe organs so I enlisted the help of a number of past and present grand organists, and the Organ Committee was formed. There was also invaluable assistance from Ian Bell, the renowned international organ consultant. A budget of £1 million was agreed, to include a new organ case on the east wall containing six extra ranks of pipes to add to the 2,220 pipes in the two existing cases. Besides providing a much-needed extra musical boost, the new case has enhanced the look of the east wall, previously covered with dreary dark curtains. The case was gilded in 23 carat gold leaf by W Bro Robert Woodland, a master gilder,
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Loyalty and service Grand Lodge
and the existing cases regilded. The amount of gold leaf used would have covered a doubles tennis court! A full illustrated description of the restoration is recorded in my book Grand Temple Organ Restoration (available at the shop: www. shopatfmh.com/grand-temple-organ-renovationbook-by-charles-grace/). There were challenges along the way with some inevitable delays, such as when it was discovered that the steel frame of the new case was not exactly upright, a necessity for organ builders who work to very fine tolerances. The frame had to be unwelded and a small piece taken out. Strangely enough, there are no detailed architects’ plans of Freemasons’ Hall. As a result, we also lost some time when a diamond drill, working through the foot-thick concrete to prepare a passage for the air to be pumped up to the new case, cut clean through a steel joist. Although there was no danger of the dais floor collapsing, jacks were installed until a new piece could be welded into position. The project was nevertheless completed just in time for the Investiture meetings in April 2015. It was a privilege to be working with craftsmen in organ building, joinery, embellishment and gilding, all of whom took immense and justifiable pride in their work. I would not have missed it for the world and so I was astonished and very honoured to be awarded the Order of Service to Masonry at the March 2015 Quarterly Communication. The Grand Master’s Order of Service to Masonry is the rarest honour in Freemasonry. It is awarded to a maximum of 12 Brethren at any one time for rendering exceptional service outside the normal run of Freemasonry. It takes precedence over any rank that the Brother might hold, and is a silver jewel on a dark blue collarette, to be worn at every Lodge and RA Chapter meeting. The jewels are all numbered and the DepGSec Graham Redman keeps a record of their provenance; for instance one of my predecessors was Lord Swansea. Recipients must sign a form which states that you undertake to return the jewel to the GSec on your death, which could present an interesting problem.
Incidentally, the only (but very valuable) tangible benefit is that it guarantees you a seat at QCs. At the time of writing there are only six of us. On 5 September, Sir John Welch Bt PSGW died aged 90. He was truly the doyen of the Order and everything that a good Freemason should be – totally self-effacing, easy of address and one of the nicest and kindest men I have ever met. Freemasonry is important to us all, but I have always been aware of the importance of keeping a balance between my Masonic commitments and family life. After the Craft and Royal Arch, the final and very important step in Antient Freemasonry, it is easy to be drawn into joining other Orders (‘it’s only three meetings a year’) with all the extra time and expense that can entail. I have tried to concentrate my involvement in the areas of Freemasonry where I have found the most fulfilment and have enjoyed a lifetime of rich experience and fun.
‘I have tried to concentrate my involvement in the areas of Freemasonry where I have found the most fulfilment and have enjoyed a lifetime of rich experience and fun’
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Grand Lodge Solomon
C E L E B R AT I N G FIVE YEARS O F SO LO M O N
Learning and Development project team member John Roscoe describes how member surveys helped to map Solomon online – an invaluable resource that fosters curiosity and develops understanding
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t is now five years since Solomon launched in November 2018. The origins began as a result of three surveys conducted in Freemasonry Today in 2015 and 2016 that attracted more than 7,000 responses. The concept for the original design, structure and purpose of the Solomon idea was developed in direct response to these findings. In brief, Survey 1 asked questions about Freemasons’ expectations of Freemasonry. The main outcome was that mutual respect, the quality and range of fraternal relationships and the need to learn about and understand the history and symbolism underlying Freemasonry were the three most important sets of expectations – attracting more than a 90 per cent rating in terms of importance. Survey 2 explored aspects of Freemasons’ involvement and satisfaction with the Craft and Royal Arch. The most important factors identified by the respondents as contributing to their overall satisfaction were: feeling valued as a member; developing new friendships; developing their Masonic knowledge; and feeling included. The free comments section of the survey contained many references to the importance of Masonic education, summarised perhaps by one person who said, ‘Providing development paths so that members can truly study the hidden mysteries of nature and science, the symbolism, ritual and meaning of those things to our daily lives. People are left guessing what it all means and few make much effort to find out. In short, most members are unaware of the powerful messages embedded in Freemasonry.’ This led to Survey 3, which explored issues about understanding the underlying ideas underpinning Freemasonry. This survey asked specific questions about: • Importance of Masonic knowledge • Kind and extent of Masonic knowledge • Preferred methods of obtaining knowledge. The findings within each can be summarised as: 64
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• Importance of Masonic knowledge: 68 per cent of respondents thought that understanding the history, traditions, symbolism and moral/ philosophical issues underpinning Freemasonry to be either very important or essential. • Kind and extent of Masonic knowledge: 64 per cent were very interested in the history and traditions; 45 per cent were very interested in the symbolism and moral/philosophical underpinnings. • Preferred methods of obtaining knowledge: Presentations and private reading are the preferred way to access the history and traditions. Presentations, informal discussion and seminars/ masterclasses are the preferred approach for the symbolic and moral/philosophical underpinnings. As a result of these findings, Solomon was designed to be a virtual learning environment and not just a passive library.
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Slug goes here
Solomon is intended to address three audiences: 1. Individual Freemasons 2. Lodges and those within Lodges with an interest in sharing and broadening the understanding of their fellow members 3. Provincial Grand Lodges and Districts in order to help them share experience and deliver an effective programme of education at a Lodge level. Thus, Solomon has been designed not just simply as a library or repository of material but rather as an
‘Solomon has more than 45,000 registered members and we are continually responding to feedback’
engaging and interactive tool which responds to the very differing needs of individuals for the way they like to learn and obtain their information. Addressing individual Freemasons, many look for a fairly structured programme working through the three Degrees and on in to the Royal Arch as a steady progression of learning and understanding. This is met by modules such as Welcome Initiate, Welcome Fellowcraft, Welcome Master Mason and Welcome Companion. Others enjoy the opportunity to pursue specific interests that may often be much more exploratory and perhaps depend on serendipity to kindle and foster their curiosity and subsequent understanding of the ritual. Hence, Solomon has a tag system within it that enables individual Freemasons to follow their own pathways, whether that be to work FMT Winter 2023
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The outcome of views from three surveys taken in 2015 and 2016, Solomon is now five years old
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Slug goes Grand Lodge hereSolomon
through the three Degrees and the Royal Arch, to explore the history and traditions of Freemasonry, to explore the symbolism behind the ritual and maybe draw out the moral precepts, or to pursue a more esoteric or spiritual journey. We have been very conscious of the different learning styles that people have and these have also influenced the design. Whatever our differences in how we like to learn, what is most important is that we share our enjoyment with others in and beyond our own Lodges and Chapters. Curiosity is a light to be lit, fostering interest in others and sharing our own enjoyment is what is most important. And Solomon is the resource to feed that journey of discovery and understanding. With respect to design and the way it needed to respond to individual Freemasons, the central message was, and is, to foster curiosity and develop understanding. With respect to addressing Lodges more generally, modules such as Lodge Matters focus on the structure of a Lodge and its Officers. Other modules include Masonic History. There is also a module called Mentors Corner that provides guidance and resources, not just to collared Lodge mentors, but to anyone who is mentoring a member in their Lodge. This module is intended to provide material specially selected to be delivered in a Lodge or Chapter room, or on the internet, directly or alongside nuggets and papers set within the other modules. It is aimed at enabling mentors, Lecture masters, and DCs to make the best 66
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of Solomon, to be appropriate to an event and the audience. It can help and guide informal mentors such as proposers to make a good choice to fit the mentee’s needs and wants, to be interesting and relevant to them. In summary, the Members’ Pathway makes the point that a new member is presented with a huge amount of information and needs a personal mentor to guide him through it. Solomon is packed with interactive material, nuggets and papers designed to help them to make sense of their Masonic journey and follow their own motivations and interests in their own way and at their own pace, with a little help and encouragement from their personal mentor. With respect to the third group, Provincial Grand Lodges and Districts, there is a module called L&D Leads on building a Provincial/District L&D team and on cascading learning and development out into Lodges and Chapters. Finally, Solomon features a module called About Freemasonry, which is available on the public access site for non-Freemasons who are curious or are thinking about joining and want to do a little research first. Solomon now has more than 45,000 registered users and we are continually responding to feedback and monitoring how it is being used. We constantly update the way it works and add new material. We also have some developments in progress which should really excite – but more of that in due course.
The need to learn about Freemasonry’s history and symbolism came top of the list of priorities in the survey
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Grand Lodge The Members’ Pathway
Prior to the meeting, the Membership team reviewed the templates, guidance and information available via the Members’ Pathway website (www.b.ugle.org.uk/membership/memberspathway) and decided to focus on the Lodge planning segment. Some 17 members of the Lodge attended, and following an excellent full English breakfast, they began conducting an analysis of the Lodge’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats using the template available. What followed was a frank review of current practices and the beginning of a plan that would enable the Lodge to move forward by attracting new members, engaging and retaining existing members and ensuring the longevity of the Lodge. After two hours, and using resources from the Members’ Pathway, the team discussed the following topics:
M E M B ER S’ PAT H WAY: THE JOURNEY SO FA R
East Kent Freemasons demonstrate how they’ve strengthened bonds with their membership by following Members’ Pathway good practice
I
n January 2022, an interested group of Freemasons from Per Mare Per Terram Lodge, No. 3609 attended the launch of the updated Members’ Pathway in their Province of East Kent. Following a series of informative presentations, the members were left full of enthusiasm and pondering how their Lodge could adopt these principles and better engage with its own membership. During the subsequent months, a Lodge Membership team was established. To involve the Lodge and explain more about the Members’ Pathway, a breakfast meeting was organised during August 2022. 68
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• What made Per Mare Per Terram attractive to new and joining members? • What originally attracted the existing membership to join Freemasonry and specifically the unique selling point of this Lodge? • Was the current programme of Lodge social events in need of refreshing? • Were they doing enough Masonic education within the Lodge? • Was Lodge governance fit for purpose? • In a social media-focused world, was the existing communications approach fit for purpose? • Succession planning. Who within the existing membership was interested in supporting the Lodge as it moved forward? After a productive session, the SWOT analysis completed, the outcome was as follows: Strengths It was considered that the Lodge had good governance, a welcoming atmosphere, was supportive towards its members, with a good standard of ritual. Weaknesses The social events programme needed review. It was noted that some new members hadn’t attended a social function since joining the Lodge. The Lodge’s social media presence needed to be improved to engage with a more IT aware community, and Masonic education and awareness within the Lodge needed to be better to engage with the members.
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The Members’ Pathway Grand Lodge
Opportunities As a military Lodge, better engagement was needed with organisations such as the Royal Marines Association, Royal Naval Association, and local cadet units, as well as friends and work colleagues, in order to attract new members. Threats A lack of new members and failure to engage with existing members were the greatest threats. Others included the rising cost of living, high initial joining fees and failure by the Lodge to embrace the Members’ Pathway. So, 12 months on, where is the Lodge now? In August 2023, 27 members attended a further breakfast meeting to review the progress made and share good practice with other Lodges in the local area. The progress so far is as follows: • Driven by the Membership team, the Lodge has initiated four candidates during the 2022/23 seasons. • They have four more candidates in the pipeline and a potential joining member. • The cost of initial membership has been reduced and changes made to make it more affordable and spread the cost monthly. • The Lodge has established a new Lodge Facebook presence, but they accept there is still further work to do. • They have introduced new social events to attract wider participation. • They have changed the way they initially interview potential candidates by making it less imposing and have introduced meet and greet sessions so the existing Lodge membership can engage with potential initiates prior to them joining. • The Lodge has started to introduce Masonic nuggets into regular meetings to improve understanding and education. • As a Lodge, they have fully engaged with the principles of the Members’ Pathway.
W Bro Mark Costelloe, a member of the Members’ Pathway Working Party writes: ‘Brethren and companions, here we have an excellent example of good practice. The SWOT template is readily available and explained within the framework of the Members’ Pathway and can also be accessed via the interactive Keys document. It is a very useful tool, which will allow any Lodge Membership team to assess where they currently are and where they would like to be in the future. In order not to become complacent, it is important that any SWOT analysis is regularly reviewed. In doing so and by taking a leaf out of the book of Per Mare Per Terram Lodge, you will ensure growth and longevity within your Lodge.’
The SWOT template is explained within the framework of the Members’ Pathway and can be accessed via the interactive Keys document
‘By taking a leaf out of the book of Per Mare Per Terram Lodge, you will ensure growth and longevity within your Lodge’ FMT Winter 2023
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Charity
Chapter One offers children one-to-one reading support at a time when they need it most
Transforming lives with literacy Young readers in Doncaster receive much-needed one-to-one practice and support Thanks to a £47,000 grant from Yorkshire West Riding Freemasons to the Chapter One charity, 600 school children aged between five and seven years old in disadvantaged communities of Doncaster will receive individual reading support over the next three years. The grant, which has been awarded through the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF, the Freemasons’ charity), will support Chapter One’s online reading volunteers programme. This matches struggling early readers with volunteers from local and national companies to give vital reading practice and support. The reading pairs meet virtually for 30 minutes every week for the whole academic year. Together, they read stories and enjoy a range of word activities designed to build reading enjoyment, fluency and comprehension. Chapter One provides a laptop and headset for each classroom which links, via a voice connection, to the volunteers.
In 2022, 38 per cent of 11-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds in England left primary school without reaching the expected reading standard. The pandemic had a devastating impact on these children, widening the attainment gap with their more advantaged counterparts. ‘We’re very grateful to Yorkshire Freemasons for their generous grant supporting the work of Chapter One in Doncaster primary schools,’ says Emma Bell, CEO of Chapter One. ‘The window to teach children how to read is short and missing it can make it almost impossible to catch up. By connecting children with effective, one-to-one reading support at the time they need it most, we develop fundamental reading skills and inspire a love for reading from an early age, helping to build confidence in children who might otherwise slip through the cracks.’ Doncaster Council’s Education and Skills Strategy 2030 states that reading is the biggest area of challenge for the city, with the proportion of pupils meeting the FMT Winter 2023
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expected standard currently well below the national average. Doncaster currently ranks 146th out of 151 local authorities for this measure. In 2021/22, 32.4 per cent of children in Doncaster were living in poverty, against a UK rate of 27 per cent. The government has named Doncaster as one of the 55 Education Investment Areas announced in the Levelling Up White Paper to raise school standards. ‘I am pleased we have been able to help Chapter One to support Doncaster children with their reading,’ says James H Newman, Provincial Grand Master of Yorkshire, West Riding Freemasons. ‘Literacy is the fundamental skill that lies at the heart of all educational subjects and there is no other more important skill that will bring children such benefits than reading and nothing that will bring them more pleasure throughout their lives.’ Learn more about the MCF’s charity grants programme at: www.mcf.org.uk/ get-support/grants-to-charities/ 71
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RMBI Care Co. storms awards shortlist RMBI Care Co. has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Great British Care Awards in seven different categories. Seven award entries were submitted, which resulted in an equal number of nominations in the following categories: Care Home Team (York & Humberside); Care Home Registered Manager (East Midlands); Care Home Registered Manager (South East); Dementia Carer (East Midlands); Dementia Carer (South West); Social Care Nurse (London); and Care Home Activity Organiser (South East). Entries for the awards were open nationally to statutory, independent and voluntary organisations. RMBI Care Co. has been nominated alongside established companies and organisations such as Barchester Healthcare, Berkley Care Group and Amica Care Trust. The Great British Care Awards are a series of regional award events throughout the UK. The awards pay tribute to those individuals who have demonstrated excellence within their field of work. Mark LLoyd, Managing Director at RMBI Care Co., said, ‘We are immensely proud to have been shortlisted as finalists in no less than seven categories. This means that every person we put forward has gone through to the finals, which clearly reflects the excellent work carried out by our magnificent staff members.’
‘Every person we put forward has gone through to the finals, which clearly reflects the excellent work carried out by our magnificent staff members’
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Year two of the Cranfield Trust partnership will see delivery of 37 new projects
Cranfield Trust
Reflections on a year of partnership with Cranfield Trust It’s been just over a year since the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF, the Freemasons’ charity) established a strategic partnership with Cranfield Trust, which is supporting 60 small charities across the country with the help of a £228,000 grant. Cranfield Trust is an independent, registered charity and the leading provider of pro bono management support to UK welfare charities. It provides short-term practical advice and longer-term support, enabling smaller charities, like those that the MCF works with, to access essential training and support to grow and expand their services. The two-year partnership has given each Province across England and Wales the opportunity to nominate one small charity to receive intensive support, alongside the 12 charities nominated by the MCF itself. On top of this, Cranfield Trust is delivering a programme of webinars, learning events and activities to thousands of other charities. The first year has been incredibly successful and through our collaboration, Cranfield Trust has: • Received 44 referrals/enquiries for support (28 referrals via Masonic Provinces and 16 self-referrals from charity leaders) • Started 24 intensive consultancy/mentoring assignments for 20 MCF grant-holders • Launched a survey to assess training needs among charities
• Supported 63 charity leaders through 10 peer support groups • Developed and delivered 12 webinars with 2,654 registrations and 1,562 live attendees • Developed an internal and external communications programme with the MCF • Collaborated closely with our Impact & Evaluation Manager, the Charity Grants team, and the Communications team to measure the impact of the programme. Those benefitting from the partnership with Cranfield Trust have voiced their appreciation for the impactful work carried out. Influential voices within the charity sector, such as the Lloyds Bank Foundation, have recognised the need for this type of support, stating, ‘We were really interested to see this research project, as it resonates with needs that we hear of from charities.’ The second year of the partnership Year two will see the delivery of 37 new projects for the recipients of MCF grants, as well as the delivery of a further 12 webinars on ‘management essentials’, and 10 more peer support groups. During Autumn 2023, Cranfield Trust’s feasibility study was published, which will uncover valuable findings from its extensive research into the development of management skills in the voluntary sector.
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Charity
We will also focus on increasing communication activities to capture and share success stories for greater impact. Cranfield Trust will continue to raise awareness and engagement through regular communication, marketing and engagement activities, ensuring that the support available to charities is widely shared within Freemasonry and beyond. The MCF is looking forward to another successful year of working with Cranfield Trust, which will improve the quality of these 60 organisations’ services for those who rely on their support. This partnership is made possible by the generosity of Freemasons.
Case study: Playskill
A charity that has received crucial support from Cranfield Trust’s partnership is children’s charity Playskill. Founded in 2006, Playskill provides support to pre-school age children with physical disabilities and their families in Hertfordshire. With free expert support from a paediatric physiotherapist, occupational therapist and speech and language therapist, Playskill offers group sessions that use play as a tool for development for children aged 1-5. After being nominated by Martin Francis, Provincial Grand Charity Steward of the Hertfordshire Province, Cranfield Trust’s Regional Manager matched Playskill with Frank Learner, a volunteer consultant. By working with Cranfield Trust on this project, Playskill ensured that its accounts and financial reports are clear, and important information is easily accessible for the board of trustees and funders, allowing it to tidy up financial reporting and maintain compliance. A member of Playskill staff said, ‘Frank’s advice has been hugely helpful for us. His expertise and experience were just what we were looking for and the team now has a much better understanding. This will adjust the layout of the report to the board of trustees, as well as how our annual accounts are presented.’ Playskill was also looking for advice on data management and storage. Volunteer consultant Marc Esmiley has many years of experience in IT strategy, technical integration, and digital transformation. He advised Playskill that a cloud-based system would be the best fit. Considering costs and timescales, Esmiley was able to further advise and work with Playskill to formulate a list of next steps that the charity would need to take in order to move to its new system.
Cornwallis Court is rated ‘Outstanding’ Cornwallis Court in Bury St Edmunds has achieved an ‘Outstanding’ rating by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). This followed the care regulator’s latest inspection in July 2023. CQC’s report said that the management team ‘led by example and put people at the heart of the service’. The report added, ‘People’s views were valued and they were consulted in the planning for improvement in the service.’ This puts Cornwallis Court, which provides residential care, nursing care and residential dementia support for up to 57 residents, among the top 5 per cent of care homes in the UK that have received the highest rating by CQC (see www.carehome.co.uk). It is also the fourth Home to be rated ‘Outstanding’ for RMBI Care Co. The Home was praised by CQC which said, ‘People were cared for by a dedicated and compassionate staff team who were valued and appreciated.’ The report also confirmed, ‘The service had a warm and homely environment, welcoming of people’s friends and relatives, especially during FMT Winter 2023
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organised events. People were supported by staff, including activities staff who had the skills to meet their individual needs.’ Denise O’Brien, Home Manager at Cornwallis Court, said, ‘We are thrilled to receive our ‘Outstanding’ rating from CQC. ‘Our staff are passionate about supporting our residents’ health and wellbeing, and helping them to live to the fullest.’
Cornwallis Court provides residential care and support for up to 57 residents
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Bright Shadow’s Zest sessions help alleviate the symptoms of dementia through creativity
Fighting dementia with creativity
A £10,000 grant is funding arts and music sessions to help those living with dementia thrive Studies show that tapping into the left side of the brain can help people living with dementia create a dialogue to better express themselves. The Kent-based charity Bright Shadow uses the power of art and music to allow people diagnosed with and affected by dementia to live well and thrive. Following a £10,000 grant from the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF, the Freemasons’ charity), Bright Shadow has been able to expand its Zest Communities programme. These sessions bring together groups of people with dementia every week for a creative session, which can consist of anything from dance to music to circus sessions with an expert. Bright Shadow believes that harnessing a person’s creativity is critical in helping to alleviate some of the symptoms that people with dementia experience, most importantly isolation. The Zest sessions allow participants to spend precious time together, away from their roles as caregivers or care recipients. Following the sessions, at least nine in 10 people with dementia reported feeling positive, having meaningfully engaged in the activities they offer. The variety in the 74
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sessions from week to week helps boost their wellbeing, allowing people to adopt different skills and areas of creativity. Visual artist Becky held sessions across five weeks where participants worked in groups to create art pieces from different materials. Their ‘shop window’ exercise aimed to help attendees express what they think about Zest sessions by creating colourful hand-printed flags. The sessions were a hit and the flags created had phrases including ‘joyful’, ‘welcoming’, ‘relaxing’, ‘be part of something’, and ‘good company’. By stimulating their brains through art, Bright Shadow is helping to combat the loneliness experienced by people with dementia and give attendees a sense of purpose. When the weather improved, groups were taken into the community gardens over six weeks to create nature-based, sustainable signage. Working among nature with six different artists let participants experience new movement, song, visual art, poetry and floristry. Zest participants experienced a significant improvement in their happiness over the last three months.
Those who reported feeling ‘good’ or ‘great’ increased from 42 per cent to 100 per cent following a session. In the same time, the number of participants who felt ‘awful’ or ‘not so good’ diminished from 19 per cent to 0 per cent. The sessions that the MCF is helping to fund at Bright Shadow are making a real difference for people with and affected by dementia. By using their creativity in weekly group sessions, participants are provided with a much-needed sense of community and a chance to feel competent and have fun. This all has a profound effect on people’s wellbeing and is incredibly empowering. One of the Zest attendees said, ‘I would just like to say thank you for the photo course I did. After years of lockdown and shielding, it was so refreshing to be able to go out into a safe environment. Lockdown and illnesses have limited my social interaction with people and the outside world for over three years. I lost my confidence in going out, which is common with people with a diagnosis of dementia. Then along came Bright Shadow and started my journey back into the civilised world.’
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UGLE Provinces Fraternal world
Fraternal World The UGLE globe at a glance Key
Metropolitan Grand Lodge
Provincial Grand Lodges
Hertfordshire 169 Lodges 68 Chapters
Buckinghamshire 117 Lodges 40 Chapters Berkshire 99 Lodges 38 Chapters Middlesex 166 Lodges 69 Chapters
Northumberland 123 Lodges 42 Chapters
Yorkshire, West Riding 175 Lodges 70 Chapters
Isle of Man 19 Lodges 6 Chapters
Yorkshire, North & East Ridings 95 Lodges 54 Chapters
East Lancashire 172 Lodges 71 Chapters Derbyshire 76 Lodges 29 Chapters
West Lancashire 308 Lodges 117 Chapters North Wales 100 Lodges 32 Chapters
Leicestershire & Rutland 80 Lodges 27 Chapters
Staffordshire 9 Lodges 13 Chapters
West Wales 27 Lodges 12 Chapters
Norfolk 75 Lodges 25 Chapters Cambridgeshire 33 Lodges 14 Chapters
Oxfordshire 53 Lodges 19 Chapters
Monmouthshire 29 Lodges 14 Chapters Bristol 37 Lodges 14 Chapters
Suffolk 69 Lodges 32 Chapters
Northamptonshire & Huntingdonshire 97 Lodges 28 Chapters East Kent 175 Lodges 64 Chapters
South Wales 161 Lodges 69 Chapters
Somerset 85 Lodges 29 Chapters
Sussex 155 Lodges 70 Chapters
Devonshire 125 Lodges 54 Chapters
Gloucestershire 83 Lodges 30 Chapters Cornwall 78 Lodges 31 Chapters
Bedfordshire 57 Lodges 20 Chapters
Nottinghamshire 78 Lodges 35 Chapters
Shropshire 36 Lodges 13 Chapters
Herefordshire 15 Lodges 30 Chapters
Dorset 50 Lodges 22 Chapters
Hampshire & Isle of Wight 248 Lodges 84 Chapters
Essex 289 Lodges 116 Chapters
Wiltshire 44 Lodges 17 Chapters Jersey 11 Lodges 7 Chapters
Guernsey & Alderney 11 Lodges 6 Chapters
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Lincolnshire 76 Lodges 33 Chapters Warwickshire 135 Lodges 46 Chapters
Cheshire 156 Lodges 74Chapters
Worcestershire 92 Lodges 37 Chapters
West Kent 167 Lodges 65 Chapters
London 1,161 Lodges 500 Chapters
Durham 152 Lodges 56 Chapters
Cumberland & Westmorland 65 Lodges 28 Chapters
Surrey 229 Lodges 100 Chapters
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Fraternal world UGLE Districts and Groups
1 5
2
9
3 6
Across the globe
7
4 8
The Districts and Groups of UGLE
George Georgetown Town Bridgetown Halifax
Montreal
Antigua Kingston Willemstad Port of Spain
Hamilton
Cascais
São Paulo
Nassau Santiago Jamestown
Buenos Aires
Zakynthos
Rio de Janeiro Lagos
Montevideo
Gibraltar Vilamoura
1. CANADA Montreal/Halifax The Group of Lodges in Montreal & Halifax (3 Lodges)
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2. CARIBBEAN Kingston/George Town District Grand Lodge of Jamaica & the Cayman Islands (24 Lodges) Willemstad Igualdad Lodge, No. 653 Port of Spain District Grand Lodge of Trinidad & Tobago (8 Lodges) Bridgetown District Grand Lodge of Barbados & The Eastern Caribbean (21 Lodges) Georgetown District Grand Lodge of Guyana (15 Lodges)
3. ATLANTIC Nassau District Grand Lodge of Bahamas & Turks (12 Lodges) Hamilton District Grand Lodge of Bermuda (5 Lodges) Jamestown St Helena Lodge, No. 488
4. SOUTH AMERICA São Paulo/ Rio de Janeiro District Grand Lodge of South America, Northern Division (21 Lodges) Buenos Aires/ Santiago/Montevideo District Grand Lodge of South America, Southern Division (11 Lodges)
Valleta
5. EUROPE Portugal The Group of Lodges in Portugal (4 Lodges) Gibraltar District Grand Lodge of Gibraltar (9 Lodges) Valleta The Group of Lodges in Malta (2 Lodges) Limassol District Grand Lodge of Cyprus (17 Lodges) Zakynthos Star of the East Lodge, No. 880
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UGLE Districts and Groups Fraternal world
Ndola Johannesburg Windhoek
Lilongwe Harare
Kimberley Bloemfontein
New Delhi Kolkata
Gladstone Mumbai
Albany
Durban
Chennai
Cape Town Port Elizabeth
10 11
12
Kampala
Banjul
Dar es Salaam
Accra Nairobi
Freetown
Lagos
6. WEST AFRICA Freetown/Banjul District Grand Lodge of Sierra Leone & The Gambia (21 Lodges) Accra District Grand Lodge of Ghana (58 Lodges) Lagos District Grand Lodge of Nigeria (42 Lodges)
Seychelles
7. EAST AFRICA Nairobi District Grand Lodge of East Africa (48 Lodges)
8. SOUTHERN AFRICA Johannesburg District Grand Lodge of South Africa, North (101 Lodges) Kimberley District Grand Lodge of South Africa, Central Division (8 Lodges) Windhoek District Grand Lodge of Namibia (4 Lodges) Cape Town District Grand Lodge of South Africa, Western Division (30 Lodges) Ndola District Grand Lodge of Zambia (11 Lodges) Harare/Lilongwe District Grand Lodge of Zimbabwe & Malawi (12 Lodges) Durban District Grand Lodge of Kwazulu-Natal (26 Lodges) Bloemfontein District Grand Lodge of Orange Free State (7 Lodges) Port Elizabeth District Grand Lodge of South Africa, Eastern Division (28 Lodges)
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Tully
Melbourne
Colombo
9. THE SUBCONTINENT Mumbai District Grand Lodge of Bombay (23 Lodges) New Delhi District Grand Lodge of Northern India (5 Lodges) Kolkata District Grand Lodge of Bengal (23 Lodges) Chennai District Grand Lodge of Madras (18 Lodges) Colombo District Grand Lodge of Sri Lanka (10 Lodges)
11. AUSTRALIA Albany Plantagenet Lodge, No. 1454 Melbourne Combermere Lodge, No. 752 Tully Geraldton Lodge, No. 3544 Gladstone Port Curtis Lodge, No. 2235
Hong Kong Thailand
Kobe
Auckland
Kuala Lumpur Singapore
Rabaul
Christchurch
Vanuatu Fiji
10. THE FAR EAST Kuala Lumpur/ Singapore/Thailand District Grand Lodge of Eastern Archipelago (40 Lodges) Hong Kong/Kobe District Grand Lodge of Hong Kong & The Far East (20 Lodges) Vanuatu/Fiji The Group of Lodges in the South West Pacific (3 Lodges) Rabaul Rabaul Lodge, No. 4468
12. NEW ZEALAND Christchurch District Grand Lodge of South Island, New Zealand (13 Lodges) Auckland District Grand Lodge of North Island, New Zealand (24 Lodges)
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Social media Fraternal world
e-masons @freemasonry2day @ugle_grandlodge @grandchapter
Tell us what’s on your mind
FreemasonryToday UnitedGrandLodgeofEngland SupremeGrandChapter
@unitedgrandlodgeofengland @freemasonrytoday @freemasonshall
Freemasons and thoroughly enjoyed meeting new people and the festivities. Pictured is Head of Cheshire Freemasons David Dyson, along with other Cheshire Freemasons. Until next time!
14 June @ProvincialGLN Excited for our Quarterly Communication trip to @UGLE_GrandLodge. Congratulations to @Gary Breach and the officers led by @ProvGrandMaster joining him on his fi rst official duties. Wishing you a fantastic day in London representing our Province.
@sialialodge7326 Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge held today in Wales, which by all accounts was a huge success! Fantastic to see 4 of @sialialodge7326 fi nest in attendance and flying the flag for their own individual Provinces, their Lodges and of course their special interest Lodge.
14 September @Surrey1837Club 1837 member Bro Chris Kojie with The District Grand Lodge of South America representative W Bro Jonathan Iggulden at yesterday’s Quarterly Communication. @DGLSASD @SurreyMason @lanch7369
@lincsmasonic Five of the six regional Provincial Grand Masters from the East Midlands – plus Hertfordshire interloper Neil Connelly – at the #Freemasons QC meeting in Newport.
13 September @Chelt_Mason What a fantastic day at @UGLE_GrandLodge Quarterly Communication with members of @Glos PGLodge and @prorsum_ semper. A credit to all those organising it and for trying something new. A clear success with 1,100 dining today.
@PGLHerefords Having fun and enjoying our Masonry at Quarterly Comms today. #Freemasons #UGLE #QC23
@monmasons Welcome to the Province of Monmouthshire
@SouthWalesMason Today, the Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge will take place outside London for the fi rst time in 100 years! Members from across the globe will gather in Newport, South Wales. We would like to wish everyone a safe journey. Stay tuned for updates from this historic event.
15 September @CheshirePGL On Wednesday 13 September 2023, a delegation of Cheshire Freemasons travelled to Newport for the Quarterly Communication of @UGLE_GrandLodge held at the International Convention Centre in Wales. It was held outside London for the fi rst time in 100 years! During the meeting, the delegation heard from a selection of brilliant Welsh Freemasons about how they’re using the Members’ Pathway to very successfully attract new members and grow their Lodges. Afterwards, they dined together with over 1,000 other
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16 September
16 October @dglofmadras Our Assistant District Grand Master WBro Duleep Sahadevan embarked on a memorable journey to the Province of Monmouthshire for the @UGLE_GrandLodge’s Quarterly Communication last month, further strengthening the bond between our District and the Province.
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thēsauros
FMT’s pick of the unusual, striking or just plain fascinating
Image: Museum of Freemasonry
Contemporary collecting: Masonic snow globe
This snow globe depicts Masonic buildings in the state of Illinois. When wound up, the Masonic and state flags revolve as Freemason John Philip Sousa’s march ‘The Stars and Stripes Forever’ plays. The ‘snow’ is multicoloured glitter. These globes were sold for charity in the early 2000s, but the Museum of Freemasonry got this one from an eBay seller in Texas after years of searching. Unique in many ways, and just one of many surprising things made for modern Freemasons.
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