2008 News

Executive Changes at Provincial Grand Lodge, 15 May 2008
1st Annual Provincial Beer Festival to be on Saturday 16 August 2008
Kimbolton Castle Charity Big Band Concert, 6 July 2008
Successful Provincial Variety Show - Saturday 10 May 2008
Top Brass Concert, Peterborough Cathedral, Saturday 12 April 2008
£10,000 Presented to Air Ambulance, Friday 11 April 2008
Ceres Lodge No 6977 Donation to the Multiple Sclerosis Society, 5 April 2008
Natahala Lodge No 9805 Banner Dedication, 5 February 2008
Endurance Feats of Fittest Mason in Province
Teddies for Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue Service
Piscator Lodge No 7557 Becomes 90th Lodge in the Province
Provincial Web Site Relaunched, 1 January, 2008

Executive Changes at Provincial Grand Lodge - 15 May 2008

Derek Young

At the Annual Meeting of Provincial Grand Lodge on 15 May 2008, VWBro Derek Young PGSwdB, retired from office as Deputy Provincial Grand Master.

On behalf of both the Province and himself, the Provincial Grand Master, RWBro Barrie Hall, expressed his deep gratitude and appreciation of the remarkable contribution which VWBro Derek Young has made to the Province throughout his Masonic career and in particular in the years as Assistant and Deputy Provincial Grand Master of this Province. (He was later apponited as the Province's first Provincial Grand Orator.)

Max Bayes

VWBro Derek Young PGSwdB

The Provincial Grand Master appointed WBro Max Bayes PSGD as Deputy Provincial Grand Master;

Wayne Williams

WBro Max Bayes PSGD

reappointed WBro Wayne Williams PSGD as Assistant Provincial Grand Master; WBro Dr Vivian Thomas PJGD

WBro Wayne Williams PSGD

and appointed WBro Dr Vivian Thomas PJGD as Assistant Provincial Grand Master.

WBro Dr Vivian Thomas PJGD

Copies of the reports to Provincial Grand Lodge of the Provincial Grand Secretary, the Provincial Grand Almoner and the Provincial Grand Treasurer are available from the Provincial Office

1st Annual Provincial Beer Festival to be on Saturday 16 August 2008

PGM with beer glass

Anglo Scottish Lodge No 8844 is sponsoring the 1st Annual Provincial Beer Festival.

It will take place at Freemasons' Hall, St George's Avenue, Northampton from 12 noon to 11pm on Saturday 16 August. There will be entertainment and snacks will be available to order.

Tickets will be £6 each including a commemorative glass. Non beer drinkers will receive a voucher for a drink at the bar.

The Worshipful Master, WBro Tim Mills (07836 636362), and WBro Alex Thomson are finalising details and more information will soon be published.

In the meantime the Provincial Grand Master, RWBro Barrie Hall, samples a taste of things to come.

Kimbolton Castle Charity Big Band Concert, 6 July 2008

A Gala Charity Big Band Concert, organised by the Brethren of Old Kimboltonians' Lodge No 7204, is to be held in the grounds of Kimbolton Castle from 12 noon on Sunday, 6 July 2008. Tickets bought before 1 July are £12 each. For more details click here for flyer.

Successful Provincial Variety Show - Saturday 10 May 2008

On a warm, balmy evening at Freemasons' Hall, Northampton on Saturday, 10 May, over a year’s planning culminated with the Provincial Variety Show taking to the stage. The performers, whose ages ranged from 8 yrs to 78 yrs, all gave freely of their time and talent.

Part old time music hall, part break dancing, part music from the shows, part magic, part traditional Celtic dancing - but wholly compelling and pleasurable. The twelve acts were acclaimed by the 170 strong audience.

East Anglia's Premier Toastmaster, Alan Choat, acted as Master of Ceremony for this rich mixture of variety entertainment with something for all ages and tastes.

Local Masonic impresario, WBro Tony Potter and his team had put many hours of preparation into making this a superbly run evening of entertainment.

Local Oganiser, WBro Tony Potter		Master of Ceremonies, Alan Choat

Scarlet		Anthony

Sam Hagan


Forte with (left to right) David Russell, Lisa Simpson and John Simpson

In conclusion the Provincial Grand Master, RWBro Barrie Hall, warmly congratulated all who had contributed - making this both a most enjoyable and successful evening.

It resulted in £2,650 being raised in aid of the 2013 Festival.

Top Brass Concert, Peterborough Cathedral, Saturday 12 April 2008

Conducted by David Reed, the Provincial "Top Brass" Concert was a great success and enthralled a most enthusiastic audience at Peterborough Cathedral. With soloists Caroline Trutz (soprano) and Benjamin Horden (organ) this unique collection of first rate musicians performed a programme of light, popular classics ending with a 'Last Night of the Proms' style finale which was thoroughly enjoyed and rapturously received by all who attended.

Top Brass Concert

Proceeds of this outstanding event are in aid of the 2013 Festival.

£10,000 Presented to Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance - 11 April 2008

Freemasons have donated £10,000 to the Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance. The money was raised through fund raising by local Lodges (Daventry lodges - Beneventa No 2380, Coritani No 8079, Danetre 8594 and Buckby Castle 8932 - and a Northampton Lodge - Harmony 9048) with additional support from the Provincial Grand Charity and Grand Charity.

Air Ambulace Cheque Presentation

On Friday 11 April a group of Masons representing these Lodges travelled to Coventry Airport. WBros David Tempest and Dick Godwin presented the cheque. This adds to the many thousands of pounds already donated to the Air Ambulance by Freemasons of Northamptonshire and Warwickshire which they will continue to support.

Ceres Lodge No 6977 Donation to the Multiple Sclerosis Society - 5 April 2008

The Worshipful Master of Ceres Lodge No 6977, WBro Trevor Hood, has been instrumental in raising funds for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. With and his wife, Linda's, support he chose to support this charity during his year as Worshipful Master after meeting sufferers of the debilitating illness.

WBro Trevor Hood & Mike Naylor

At a recent Ceres Lodge Ladies Festival Luncheon attended by ninety six brethren and guests, WBro Hood (on the left) presented a cheque for £350 to Mike Naylor of the Northampton and District Branch of the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Natahala Lodge No 9805 Banner Dedication - 5 February 2008

Nearly 100 Brethren enjoyed the dedication of the banner of Natahala Lodge No 9805 at Peterborough Masonic Centre on Tuesday 5 February.

Dedication Team

The Worshipful Master, WBro David Pittham OBE PAGDC, was pleased to welcome the Provincial Banner Dedication Team led by the Assistant Provincial Grand Master, WBro Wayne Williams. He said he was most pleased to be making a return visit to Natahala Lodge, having been a part of the Consecration Team.

After the ceremony the ladies were invited to the festive board. The Worshipful Master made the now customary grand entrance wearing the magnificent Red Indian headdress. This was particularly poignant because WBro Harry Arnold who brought it from the USA and presented it to the Lodge was present.

Endurance Feats of Fittest Mason in Province

Bro Keith Rumbold of Ferraria of Lodge No 8489 can lay claim to being the fittest Mason in the Province.

In the last week of November 2007, he completed a tremendous feat of endurance by finishing the Himalayan Endurance Race - a little matter of five marathons in five days. The third being around Mount Everest!

He received very well earned total sponsorship of £5,500 - from the Provincial Grand Charity (£2000), Corby Masons (£1,500) and non-Masonic sources (£2000).

Three years ago he ran the London marathon raising £2000 for the local Lakelands Hospice.

Bro Keith‘s fund raising efforts over the past 20 years have been officially recognised by the award of the MBE.

Bro Keith Rumbold at Himalayan Endurance Race start

Teddies for Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue Service

In January, 2008, the ‘Teddies for Loving Care’ scheme was extended to the Fire and Rescue Service. This is a first for the Province, following our successes with A & E units, walk-in centres and paramedic ambulances. The addition of this Service promises to be a huge success and demonstrates our ongoing commitment to ‘Freemasonry in the Community’.

All 28 of Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue Services frontline fire engines, covering 22 stations from Brackley at one end of the county to Oundle at the other, now carry a stock of bears for fire crews to give to children they encounter in distress. From house fires to road traffic accidents, the fire crews will now have an extra string to their bows when helping young children deal with the trauma an incident brings.

Bro Mark Douglas (of St John’s Lodge No 3972 in Northampton) for 15 years a firefighter in the Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service said, “In our daily work we often encounter young children in distress of varying levels. Sometimes children are not injured themselves so do not attend A&E but could have lost family members or loved ones or even all their possessions due to a fire or an accident. These bears will provide us with a great help in the early stages of an incident to give children something to focus on other than what is happening around them.”

Picture of Bro Mark Douglas

by courtesy of Northampton Chronicle & Echo

The scheme has received full support from the County’s Chief Fire Officer and a space has been created at the Service’s Headquarters for a stock of bears to ensure engines are replenished quickly.

The TLC scheme is a great example of Freemasonry really making a difference to the lives of communities through its fundraising and hard work.

Following the presentation of the first batch of 72 teddies to Bro Mark Douglas of Northants Fire & Rescue Services on 19th January, WBro John Payne (TLC Co-ordinator for Northampton) said, “We now only need to involve the police in this natural progression and we will have a full house”

Piscator Lodge No 7557 Becomes 90th in the Province

Piscator Lodge No 7557 came about in the mid 1950s when a number of anglers went on a trip to Dieppe. In the bar, following a days fishing, many of them realised that they had a lot in common. The discussion moved to a decision to form a Lodge. The Lodge is predominantly an anglers’ Lodge but also has members with other interests.

On Wednesday 29 January 1958 the Lodge was consecrated at Great Queen Street. Today it still has two of its founders as Honorary members. It is one of seventeen Lodges which follow Stability Working.

During its first 50 years, Piscator Lodge met at Clerkenwell Green, London. Its last meeting there was on 24 January 2008. This Province is very honoured and pleased that the Lodge has decided to re-locate to Northampton - thereby becoming our 90th Lodge.

This decision has been made because of falling membership in London and a number of the members now reside in and around Northampton. The Lodge is hoping to attract new members. Its new Secretary is WBro Bill Ridoutt who can be contacted through this site.

Meeting four times a year, the Lodge’s first meetings in Northampton are on 20 March 2008 and then 23 May 2008. Any Brother wishing to attend the first meeting or interested in joining the Lodge should contact the Provincial Office which will re-direct all enquiries.

Provincial Web Site Relaunched - 1 January, 2008

As part of efforts to continually improve communications within the Province and to more critically assess its impact, the Provincial web site has had a major overhaul. The new, improved version is now relaunched. It will provide a comprehensive source of Masonic information including a dynamically updated list of the Lodges meeting each day in the Province.

When he was the Provincial Information Officer, WBro Chris Smith set up the original site. As the march of technology and electronic communication has continued at an unrelenting pace, the medium has become an ever more important part of Masonic communication. The Provincial site has already been directly responsible for some non-Masons becoming members.

The Provincial Grand Master, RWBro Barrie Hall said, “WBro Chris has done a wonderful job in establishing and maintaining the site. He has relinquished roles of both Information Officer and Webmaster to concentrate on other important Masonic work. It is therefore an opportune time for his successor as Webmaster to update the site thus ensuring it continues to play its fullest part in the process of communication within the Province.”

With the help of Bro Paul Bass of Digital Flair, the new Webmaster, WBro Gerry Crawford has revamped the site. He said, “We intend that, for those with internet access, this site should be a primary source of information about Freemasonry in general and this Province in particular. It is aimed at Masons and non-Masons alike.”

The Provincial Information Officer, WBro Richard Turpin commented, “The site is now one of the foremost dynamic sites of its type and I commend it to you as a useful tool for Mason and non-Masons alike. It is very well placed to play its part in the daily advancement in Masonic knowledge for members and will be most helpful to anyone who has a wish to know more about Freemasonry in general or details of the Province of Northamptonshire and Huntingdonshire in particular. If you don’t have a computer or internet access, you could always ask one of your children or grandchildren (they all seem to have access these days). They will be sure to amaze you with what they find on their computer at this excellent ‘new’ site!”

One of the ways in which you can take full advantage of the site is by making it the homepage in your web browser (eg Internet Explorer).

If some aspect of Masonic life in the Province is not covered as well as you would like or is not up to date please contact the Webmaster, WBro Gerry Crawford.