NEWS AND VIEWS
Bikers head to Buckinghamshire for picnic bonanza As part of Freemasonry's celebrations,
Tercentenary
Buckinghamshire
masons
hosted a picnic for children and their teddy bears in July at Drayton Parslow Sports and Social Club. Travelling from as far away as Southampton, of Buckinghamshire
members
Motorcycle
Lodge,
No. 9926, and the South East chapter of the Widows Sons Masonic Bikers Association
arrived in a convoy to
Surrey support for Keith Palmer's family
join members of the newly formed Buckinghamshire
Classic Car Lodge,
No. 9945. They were joined by the Mayor of Milton Keynes, Councillor David Hopkins, and the Mayoress.
Taking the plunge for Brighton The headquarters of Sussex Freemasonry, a Grade II listed building at 25 Queens Road in Brighton, is in need of restoration and repair. Provincial Grand Master Chris Moore therefore put the wheels in motion for a fundraising initiative. The result was a sponsored parachute jump, with Chris leaping from a height of 12,000 feet at Skydive Headcorn in Kent. The parachute jump raised £20,000 to go towards the renovation.
An auction for a framed Charlton Athletic football shirt at a Surrey Masonic Sports Association (SMSA) Charity Golf Day held special significance. Brought along by event organiser David Eager's son Cliff, the shirt was a one-off design worn by all Charlton players for a league match following the death of Police Constable Keith Palmer, who was killed in the Westminster terrorist
attack in London in March 2017. Palmer had been a Charlton seasonticket holder for many years, and the shirt bore his police warrant number. The SMSA agreed to match the final auction figure, which was a £500 bid by Julian Whiteaker, after which Kevin and Beverley Field donated a further £250, bringing the total raised for Palmer's widow and young daughter to £1,500.
Salisbury Cathedral packed for celebratory evensong service More than 1,000 Freemasons and their families attended Salisbury Cathedral in September for an evensong service marking the UGLE Tercentenary. Wiltshire Provincial Grand Master Philip Bullock welcomed civic leaders including Lord-Lieutenant
of Wiltshire Sarah
Rose Troughton and Wiltshire High Sheriff Lady Marland, who joined President of the Board of General Purposes Anthony Wilson and George Francis PAGM for a preservice lunch. The event was the culmination of two years' work by Stephen Bridge, who worked with Canon Precentor, Rev Tom Clammer, in organising the celebration.
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