MasoniC LINCS...MeetFreemasonry’s future Is this the Province’s youngest team of Master and Wardens? –page 13 December 2019 MasoniCThe newsletter of the Masonic Province of …

Meet Freemasonry’s futureIs this the Province’s youngest team of Master and Wardens? – page 13

December 2019

The newsletter of the Masonic Province of Lincolnshire

MasoniCLINCS

reaDY for the FeStivAlJez Hyland is leading from the front as Chairman of our2025 Festival. Find out whathe thinks of the task ahead– page 3

Dave picks up thetrowele foundation stonefor Louth’s new Masonic building is laid by the PGM – page 6

the merchant ofveniceFrom Bagdhad to BayonsLodge and BuckinghamPalace; Jamie Ellis unveilsan intriguing tale – page 10

Masonic Lincs December 2019.qxp_Layout 1 14/11/2019 10:06 Page 1

Message fromthe ProvinceAfter the exciting year of change we’ve just been through, it’s hard to contemplate that next year will be even more memorable – but I’m certain it will be.

Not only have we completed groundwork on which to build the future of Freemasonry in Lincolnshire, but our Province is about to enter a new Festival with the launch of #Lincs2025 on January 18th. I appreciate that it might feel as though the 2014 Festival has only just ended, but it was launched 11 years ago, and so much has happened since then. Planning for the new Festival has been going on for months under the leadership of Jez Hyland. He shares his thoughts about taking on the vital role of Festival Chairman on the facing page of this edition of Masonic Lincs.The reasons for the Festival, and the good it will undoubtedly do for communities throughout Lincolnshire, is explained in the brochure accompanying this magazine. There’s more in this edition too, with the article about the MCF grant to St Barnabas Hospice. I trust you’ll find both publications to be interesting reading. Part of the preparatory work has been the establishment of an events committee under the Chairmanship of Gideon Hall, and ways you can contribute and be recognised for your efforts have been co-ordinated by Christopher Sawyer.Work we already have ‘under our Festival belt’ involves a series of three training sessions for Charity Stewards in all Lodges. These have been set up by Pete Tong, our Provincial Charity Steward, alongside everything else he has to do. These sessions have been very important, because all of our Lodge Charity Stewards have a key role in helping us to reach our aspiration to collect £2.25m during the life of the Festival.

New building and a new LodgeBut the Festival is just a part of the activities happening in our Province. The new Masonic building at Louth is rapidly taking shape. The Foundation Stone has been laid, and the roof trusses went up in November. Perhaps members of the planned new Lincolnshire Lodge, the Freewheelers, will use it for one of their meetings after the consecration at the Epic Centre at the Lincolnshire Showground on May 16th next year.And speaking of doing one’s part, I’m especially grateful to the advertisers who support Masonic Lincs. Their contribution lifts the financial burden of production from the Provincial funds, and I am always grateful for their commitment.

And finally...On behalf of all of the Provincial Executive may I wish you and your families a peaceful Christmas and a rewarding New Year.

Dave WheelerDavid Wheeler

Provincial Grand Master & Grand Superintendent

2 December 2019MasoniCLINCS

MasoniC lincSmasonic Lincs is produced by the masonic province of Lincolnshire.

origination: stuart pearcey,Words and spaces, 01724 352156

print: helloprint

mailing: mortons mailing

EditoriaL teAM

Peter Brooks [email protected]

Stuart Pearcey [email protected]

Gideon Hall(advertising)[email protected]

Jez Hyland(advertising)[email protected]

Plus members of the Provincial Communications Team.

adVErtisErs Masonic Lincs is circulated to everyFreemason in Lincolnshire, and is alsoseen by their friends and families.

To discuss the benefits of advertising foras little as £80 per issue, please contact: Jez Hyland by phone on 07957 603604 oremail at [email protected] Gideon Hall, 07824 808116 or email [email protected]

FEstiVaL coMMitteeJez Hyland, chairmanDave Wheeler, presidentBruce Goodman, LiaisonAdrian Joyce, secretaryStephen Hallberg, treasurerGideon Hall, events Andy Ham, events Christopher Sawyer, honorificsPete Tong, relief chest & Gift aidChristopher Watkin, marketingSimon Butler, merchandisingStuart Pearcey, communications– all supported by Lodge Charity Stewards

Area co-ordinatorsPhil Odling, east Lincs Phil Anyan, north LincsRobert Holland, mid LincsRichard Garn, south LincsPaul Ellis, north east Lincs

the masonic province of Lincolnshire has its hQ at themasonic hall, cambridge road, Great Grimsby, northeast Lincolnshire, Dn34 5sZ

visit our web site at www.pgllincs.org


The #Lincs2025 events team is searching for resources within the Provincethat can offer something new, different, and fun to our events over the nextfive years.It might be a band, someone who can runan outside bar, or a venue for a summerball. We would also like to hear about anyMasons who have the necessary skills toput on race nights, wine tasting, or otherfun topics. Do you have anattraction that could beused for fundraising or something thatcould be used as a raffle prize (rafflingweeks in people's holiday homes has beenvery popular in the past).Any help would be gratefully accepted.We’ll build a database of suitable resources, we will make these known aroundhe Province to assist them in putting on their own events. Point your phone at the this grid on the right – it’s called a QR code – toopen up a page to fill in details of ideas online, or please contact GideonHall on 07824 808116 or email: [email protected] with ideas

Making the magic happen

““

#Lincs2025 December 2019 3 MasoniCLINCS

The euphoria I felt when I was asked to beChairman of Lincolnshire’s next Festivallasted for about two minutes. And then thescale of the task, and the responsibility thatcomes with it, hit me.

But it’s true that nothing worthwhile in life iseasy, and anyway I’d already said ‘yes’, so Ihad to work out how to go about it.The secret has been to break the task downinto smaller, manageable pieces, and to tapinto the wealth of experience and the skillsavailable in the Province – and until I took onthis role, I hadn’t really realised just how extensive those things were.Naturally, Festivals have been run before, inthis and other Provinces, and I was grateful for the support and advice available in Lincolnshire and with Festival Chairmen fromneighbouring Provinces – and the MCF itself,for whom we’re raising the money. It’s all beeninvaluable.I’m now surrounded by a very helpful team,whose members are listed on page 2. I’mgrateful for the support they have alreadygiven, and committed to continue with.With our PGM I have also taken part in alaunch video, highlighting the way in whichthe MCF puts money into worthwhile causesin our Province, which means whatever yougive to the Festival is likely to come back hereat some point, even to brethren and theirfamilies who may fall on hard times. You mayeven need that help yourself one day. Thevideo will be on the Provincial web site after

the launch. Find out more about the Festival inthe leaflet with this magazine, and ask yourCharity Steward. As our PGM and FestivalPresident Dave Wheeler points out, CharityStewards are key people in the task ahead, andhave taken part in training days to bring themup to speed.

Festival Chairman Jez Hyland, a member of the Round Table Lodge of Lincolnshire.

Jez Hyland reflects on hisnew role as Chairman of #Lincs2025

challengerising to the

#Lincs2025:Putting thefun intofundraisingThere are five good reasonsto support the latest Festivalin Lincolnshire – and herethey are:

1Small but mightyYou’ll hardly notice

a small but regular commitment, but it will makea significant difference to theFestival and the people ithelps

2Getting it backLincolnshire good causes

get about £200,000 from theMCF every year

3Supporting you tooThe MCF invests in

services which you or yourfamily might one day need

4More than moneyFreemasons, family, and

friends should all have agood time at Festival events

5Everyone can helpOrganising or supporting

events arranged by others enriches your life as well


Funds given by Freemasons to helpvictims of Wainfleet’s summertimeflooding are being used to good effectin and around the town.

So far more than £55,000 has been givento 61 families whose homes wereinundated when the River Steeping burstits banks. The funds were made of up £25,000 eachfrom the Province of Lincolnshire, TheMark Benevolent Fund, and the MasonicCharitable Foundation, topped up withdonations from other Provinces whichhad also experienced flooding, andunderstood the need for a sustainedresponse.And on a Lincolnshire Day visit to theCoronation Hall in the village PGMDave Wheeler said he was confident thefunds were being given to the rightpeople in the right way.At the ‘sharp end’ of delivery is SueFortune, Joint CEO of the LincolnshireCommunity Foundation which ismanaging and co-ordinating the appealfunding. She has met many of thefamilies face to face and said: “Phase 1involved giving £500 to each homewhich the water had got in to. Phase 2started at the beginning of September,and is offering up to £1,000 to alleviate

specific hardship.”The money is not being divided equally,says Sue, but is being distributedequitably. “Some people need the moneymore than others, and some haven’tasked for financial support on the basisthey believe others are worse off andneed the money more,” she said.Sue said a face-to-face approach hadbeen made available to support thoseaffected, rather than leaving it to onlineapplications. “As well as needing money,people needed to have someone theycould talk to; to feel someone cared.That, and having the Coronation Hall togo to where people could access varioussupport agencies, have been afundamental part of the success of therecovery process.” Sue shared her


Lincoln brethren shared theiropen day with members of theOrder of Women Freemasons.A steady stream of visitorswere able to visit theNightingale Rooms during thecourse of a Saturday, meetLodge members, and discovernot only that women can alsobe Freemasons, but that one ofthe three Lodges the OWF hasin Lincolshire meets in the city.Pictired are, from left, JasonFitzgerald, Katrina Bradleyfrom the OWF, Mike Clay, andKevin ‘Brad’ Bradley, a memberof the current Provincial team.

The Rev John Spriggs has leftLincolnshire to live in Kent, butmembers of Witham Lodge 297felt they couldn’t let him gowithout a thank you gift inrecognition of all he’s done fortheir lodge in his role as its Liaison Officer.W Bro Marc Horsewood, theLodge’s Master, presented himwith a with a gift and bottle ofScotch on behalf of themembers for his work duringten years in the role.

After the

Through the generosity ofLincolnshire’s Freemasons theMasonic Charitable Foundation hasbeen able to support Age UK Lindseywith a donation of £63,000.

The life-changing donation is part of a£1m project called Later Life Goals,launched nationwide to support thecharity’s work in reaching out toenhance the lives of many hundreds oflonely and vulnerable older people. In Lincolnshire in this year alone thattranslates to one-to-one intervention onbehalf of 262 people undergoing majortransitions in their lives such asbereavement, serious health diagnosis,or a partner moving to a care home.Age UK Lindsey works across East andWest Lindsey and North Lincolnshire,helping to make later life a fulfilling

and enjoyable experience by providinga range of direct services, advice, anddomestic support.This can include help to access benefits,liaising with care agencies, or simply aweekly befriending visit.Service Manager Sue White saiddemand for the services they were ableto provide continued to flood in. “Wehave an average of 200 new referrals forour information and advice serviceevery month, and 30 new requests forour befriending help on top of that. Ourservices are always up to capacity, andso many callers have nowhere else togo. We can’t thank you enough for thisdonation; it will help us to sustain ourservices to people who otherwise mighthave no help at all.”PGM Dave Wheeler said: “The work ofAge UK Lindsey is vital for so many

of crisisFriendship in time

PGM visits Wainfleet to see our donation in action

flood


mobile phone number with the families,resulting in calls as early and 7.30am andas late as 9pm. She also spent lots oftime at the Coronation Hall, whichbecame a focal point for residents. Thosecalls and meetings yielded some toughstories, such as the couple who were dueto exchange contracts for a house salethe day after the floods and families wholost everything. “We listened to all thestories, and responded equitably,” shesaid.Face-to-face meetings also helpedsignpost the villagers to people withspecialist knowledge who were able toget things done. A grants panel wasformed, with Sue as mediator, to offerfinancial support to help bring Wainfleetback to, as close as possible, to the way

it was before the flood. Sue’s fellowJoint CEO James Murphy added: “Therewas naturally significant emotionaldistress. Being here in person providedthe reassurance of proactivity; that therewas a person they could talk to.”After meeting Sue, James, and theresidents at a Lincolnshire Day get-together in Coronation Hall DaveWheeler said: “We have been soreassured that the money we havedonated has gone absolutely to the rightpeople and the right places. The processwe have heard of today is fantastic. Allof Lincolnshire’s Freemasons can feel asproud as I do of what’s been achievedwith our financial help. I am in awe ofthe work that’s been done here since theflooding; it’s superb.”

December 2019 5 MasoniCLINCS

Vigilantes Lodge almoner Peter Tasker, left, who co-ordinated our donation toAge UK Lindsey, and PGM Dave Wheeler met Sue White and Pam Cox fromthe charity to hand over the £63,000 MCF donation.

people in rural Lincolnshire. I’d urgebrethren to volunteer to help with thebefriending service. It involves an houra week for a chat over a cup of tea, butit can be a lifeline for someone. [email protected] to find outmore.”

l Find more on this story, and readabout the significant difference AgeUK Lindsey has made to just oneisolated individual in ‘Donald’s story’in the news section of our web sitewww.pgllincs.org

Dave Wheeler and Sue Fortune, right,prepare to go live onRadio Lincolnshire,talking about thereponse to flooding in Wainfleet. Hear the interview inthe news section ofour web sitepgllincs.org

Provincialmentoring getsa boost withlaunch of newliteratureFour new Mentoring bookletsdesigned to help new Freemasons intheir journey through the Crafthave been launched by theProvincial Grand Mentor W.BroDavid Buckenham.

During a meeting of Paulinus Lodge inLincoln, where he is Liaison Officer,David explained that the booklets hadbeen developed with the assistance ofa small working group consisting ofexperienced mentors W.Bros NickBrown, Jim Childs, Barry Jeffrey andMartin Howitt. Proof reading had bendone by W.Bro Brian Roberts, withdesign by W.Bro Stuart Pearcey, theProvincial Communications Officer.David said: “These booklets replacethe original ones which have been incirculation since the ProvincialMentoring Scheme was launched over10 years ago. “We believe they will be invaluable insupporting newer brethren and theirmentors, and supplies will be madeavailable at centres throughout theProvince.“Our next step will be to create adedicated Mentoring page on the website, where the booklets will beavailable to download.”

The new mentoring literature.


crowle brethren chip in with £600 donation to help


Louth’s new Masonic Hall has come astep closer with the laying of a commemorative foundationstone by PGM Dave Wheeler – and the opening up ofanother opportunity to make your mark on the buildingfor generations to come.

To help in fundraising a Founders Brick Wall will be createdin the building’s bar, with brethren being invited to buy aspace and add their names. Details of how to get involved areavailable from fund Secretary Ian Castledine. He can be

contacted at [email protected] the Foundation Stone is the latest chapter of a storywhich began in 2010. Ian said: “We first looked into movingpremises in 2010 when it looked as though we might lose ourcar parking facilities in Queen Street due to re-development inthe town.“We looked at several buildings around the town, but couldfind nothing suitable. Then, due to the ongoing costs ofkeeping the building in a good state of repair and seeing whatthe Skegness brethren had achieved we decided to lookagain.”Early in 2017 a questionnaire was sent to the Brethren of bothof Louth’s Craft Lodges asking the question: ‘should we stayor should we go?’ The majority was in favour of going, if newpremises could be built.“We found the current building site in Bolingbroke Road onthe Fairfield Industrial Estate, and the owner allowed us tobuy it when we had sold the existing site and receivedplanning permission. Our old premises went on the market in2017 and permission was granted last September,” added Ian.Contracts on the old building were exchanged at the end ofNovember, and brethren moved out. Homelessness hasn’t beentoo much of an issue; everything except the Lodges’ warrantsare in storage at Bro.Andrew Wrisdale’s warehouse, andmeetings have been taking place principally at Alford andSkegness Centre, but also Grimsby and Cleethorpes.“After some unforeseen delays contracts were exchanged onthe new site on 20th February this year, with building due tostart on 8th April. In the event, a start wasn’t made until thesecond week in May, but the building’s taking shape now.”

MasonicHall takesshape inlouth

Isle of Axholme Freemasons have supported The Forge Project in Scunthorpe with a donation of £600.

The fundraising effort has been led byPaul Vollans, currently the WorshipfulMaster of one of the Isle’s four MasonicLodges, who is a regular volunteer at thecentre on the town’s Cottage Beck Road.Open five days a week to support thehomeless, the centre provides breakfastsand hot lunches, activities, and access toa range of other services.

Demand for its services has doubledover the last three years, said Paul, andhis work as a volunteer had encouragedhim to get his own Vermuyden Lodge toadopt it as their charity for the year.Currently providing support for anaverage 62 people every weekday, thecentre is working hard to enhance itspremises, a former Methodist church.Plans are afoot for a new kitchen, newflooring throughout, and new windowsto make sure the centre continues to befit for purpose.

Paul said his volunteering work includedsorting out clothing donations, work inthe kitchen, and just being around tohelp and provide support. He said:“Clothing needs to be sorted becausepeople give us inappropriate things,” hesaid. “For instance, rough sleepers haveno need for a bikini – but they’re stillgiven to us. Chatting to the service usersyou get to hear their back stories, andrealise not only how hard their lives canbe, but how well off the rest of us, withhomes to go to, really are.”

Stone laid at Louth: from left: John Christoffersen, Steve Hallberg, John Winter, Steve Siddle, Ian Castledine, and Dave Wheeler.


“Every year, thousands of Freemasonsare helped by the Masonic CharitableFoundation to meet financial,healthcare and family needs.

Countless others also have their livesimproved because of the grants theyaward to community causes. Without theFestival system, providing this supportwould not be possible. Whilst Festivalsare the responsibility of the Province,the Masonic Charitable Foundation – asthe custodian of the funds raised – has aduty to ensure that information isavailable to help initiate, plan, manageand celebrate a successful Appeal.

1What is a Festival? The Festivalrefers to a Masonic Festivalcomprising the Appeal and the

Festival Event or Finale. The FestivalAppeal is the process of raising funds. Itincludes the planning, launch, executionand administration of an Appeal but notthe Festival Event. The Festival Event isthe celebration held at the end of theFestival Appeal to mark its conclusionand to announce, for the first time, thetotal amount raised for the MasonicCharitable Foundation. The FestivalEvent can take many forms althoughtraditionally it comprises a dinnerattended by Festival Stewards and theirwives or partners. The Festival is apartnership between the Province andthe Masonic Charitable Foundation, theaim of which is to raise funds. TheFestival also provides an opportunity toincrease the awareness of theFoundation’s work and the support itprovides to Freemasons, their familiesand the wider community.

2Understanding the FestivalsystemA total of 44 of the 47Provinces under UGLE take part

in the Festival system. Each Province

typically holds a Festival once every 11years. Many Provinces elect to hold afive, six or seven year Festival Appeal;the Guidelines therefore follow thispattern meaning that the Festival launchwill occur in year four, five or six of the11 year cycle.

3The importance of ProvincialFestival Appeals The MasonicCharitable Foundation is often

faced with the misconception thatadditional donations are not needed dueto the income it receives from itsendowments and the AnnualContribution. In reality, the donationsraised through Festivals currentlycontribute around 67% of the MasonicCharitable Foundation’s total incomeeach year. In 2014-15, the Foundationspent almost £27.5m supportingbeneficiaries, whereas the incomereceived from investments amounted toonly £6.2m. This statistic clearlydemonstrates that Festivals are vital ifthe Foundation is to continue itsactivities.

4Jewels. Jewels, (or honorifics) canbe an important incentive formembers to support the Festival

but can also be strongly disliked as somesee them as ‘boasting’ about what theindividual has given. However, thejewels cost the Province nothing. TheMasonic Charitable Foundation will payfor the design and manufacture of the

Jewel on behalf of the Province. Thequantity of the initial purchase will beagreed between the Foundation and theProvince. Additional orders can beplaced if necessary. The design of theJewel must be approved by the GrandMaster through the Masonic CharitableFoundation. Jewels should only be wornby those members, who through theamount they have donated, havequalified as a Festival Steward. Bars canbe added to recognise higher levels ofgiving such as the qualification as aPatron, Grand Patron etc. It is normaletiquette for the Festival Jewel not to beworn outside the Province.

5Collecting donations. Brethrenwill be able to donate either withinthe Lodge at meetings in which

case use will be made of envelopessimilar to the current Gift AidEnvelopes. The means of dealing withthose will be similar to the currentenvelopes except that the money will bebanked by MCF and all Gift Aidclaimed through MCF. Brethren willalso be able to set up a new direct debit– making it an excellent opportunity toreview any current arrangements.

6Training/Support I am currentlylooking at developing a generaltraining package for Charity

Stewards with specific attention to theFestival.

p e Forge project


The Masonic involvement organised byPaul involved raffles and a Christmascarol concert. “People like to supportfrom a distance. Organising events givesthem a conduit to offer support to aservice which is having to find ways toadapt its work to meet an ever-growingdemand, and one which isn’t going todecline any time soon.”Right: Service users wait for the ‘dishof the day’ from Paul Vollans, Barrie Graham, and Colin Robinson, theLodge Treasurer.

festival?So what is a ...and why is

it important?ProvincialCharityStewardPete Tongexplains

“


Almost 60 RoyalArch masonswere at Crowleto see a doubleexaltation toround off asuccessful yearin the chair ofthe Isle ofAxholmeChapter forSteve Spavin.Almost 40 members and 19 guests saw Companions Dan Hercus and TrevorMoore exalted by E Comp Spavin, assisted by Mick Cole and John Cousins inthe Principals’ roles.


Nuggets infocus: Solomoncomes to life on the screenIf a picture’s worth a thousandwords, then the value of a videomust be pretty much incalculable.

That’s the thinking behind some workdone in Lincolnshire thanks to collab-oration between me and Bro Christo-pher Watkin, writes Nick Brown. Withinput from a number of the Province’sother brethren, we’re confident wehave enhanced the value of the richseam of Masonic knowledge presentedby the Solomon online resource.Here’s how it happened. I spend muchof my professional life trying to analyse how we learn, retain, and recall information, and wondered ifthere was a way that such a fantastic resource could be shared even morewidely and perhaps even enhanced. I realised that five-minute video orsound clips are often used in schoolsto help people learn. I wondered – whycan’t we do this with the nuggets of-fered by Solomon? That was the germof the idea – but modern audiences aresophisticated, so wouldn’t engage withthe material unless it was produced toa professional standard. That’s where Christopher comes in.He has a passion for making videos,and the professional skills to match.And he was as keen as I was. Together we chose some suitablenuggets, and gathered together thetechnical equipment. We chose a lodgeroom for the set – where else? – andinvited keen volunteers from a numberof lodges to appear on camera. Then it was a case of ‘lights, camera,action!’ We wanted the format of thefinal product to be a group of brethrendelivering each piece, so each brotherwent through every nugget, whichgave us a series of options for the fin-ished clips. When we’d captured the raw footage,Christopher worked his magic in theedit, and the clips are here to help youmake your daily advancement inknowledge. We’re proud of the results.We hope you find them really useful.Visit YouTube, or look for links on theProvincial web site.

A number of Rose Croix members from Lincolnshire have received their 30thDegree at Supreme Council in Duke Street St James. The ones in this pictureare Chris Turner of Maguncor Chapter in Grantham, Jim Stanser of Old HallChapter in Gainsborough, and Ernie Coleman and Roger Hansard of SanctaMaria Chapter in Lincoln. They were supported by Reg Brittan, Mike Bull,David Sprawson, Lyn Thomas, Alan Newton, and Trevor Clingan.Others recieving these degress are as follows: 32nd Degree: D B Richardson, PW Tasker, and P F Jude, Candleshoe. 31st Degree: M F Bull, Sancta Maria.30th Degree: J E M Fitzgerald, Lindis; P J Miller, Stukeley; P Paige, Wolds; TJ Booth, Stukeley; C J England and L R Morris, Patmos; S C Hallberg and RJ Stevens, Crookshank RC.

A series of essays writtenabout twenty years ago by EComp D K Robinson ofGrimsby's Oliver Chapter792 have become part of theSolomon repository ofMasonic knowledge.Their 'rediscovery' and the efforts ofMike Rix, the Provincial Second GrandPrincipal, have seen the hand-writtenwork re-created in electronic form andadopted as part of the Solomon web site.Mike was able to present hard copies ofthe essays to Companions at a meeting ofthe Oliver Chapter.Chapter Freemasons will be familiar withthe name of Cyrus, King of Persia - butwho was he? One of the essays answersthat very question, this and other essays

have been added to the Solomon web siteand can be viewed in the Seek & Learn:Masonic History section. They are:l The Life and campaigns of Joshua, l son of Nunl Prophets, Priests and Kingsl The Temple at JerusalemlA Man of Tyre-worker in brassl Solomon and his timesl The Grand Originalsl The Babylonian captivity and the l restoration of the Temple

Oliver Chapteradds to thewisdom ofSolomon



When Lincolnshire Freemason GaryHurst was raised to the third degreethe ceremony was performed by hisdad Glyn, who travelled from NorthWales for the ceremony.Gary always wanted to follow his fatherinto Freemasonry, and was initiated intoOlive Union Lodge 1304 in Horncastlein 2017, watched by his father. But, when his raising was being planned,Olive Union’s Master, David Clarke, hadthe idea that Glyn might like to performthe ceremony. Gary said: “Whilst fathersinitiating, passing and raising their sonsis commonplace, the opportunity to do itnot only in a differentLodge to your own, butalso in a differentProvince was anexciting prospect forDad, and after a fewtelephone conversations– including checkingboth lodges were usingthe same ritual and evenlanguage – the scenewas set for him to takecontrol.”Glyn travelled fromNorth Wales on the dayof the ceremony,arriving in plenty of

time to meet David face to face and runthrough the ceremony schedule withOlive Union’s DC to ensure everythingcame together perfectly.“With the Lodge opened in the 2ndDegree, David handed the gavel over toDad, who put the questions to me andthen carried out the raising, assisted byOlive Union brethren. “We’d been planning for Dad comingback to see my raising ever since I wasinitiated, but having him in the chairmade it extra special. I know I speak forboth of us in sending thanks to everyonewho made it possible,” said Gary.

Dad travels from wales to perform son’s third

Masonic support letEmma focus on herMaster’s degreesFinancial support from the LincolnshireFreemasons’ Benevolent Fund hashelped Emma Wragg to study in Hollandon her way to a dual masters degree,graduating with an MSc in InternationalBusiness from Anglia Ruskin Universityand an MBA in InternationalManagement from Hanze in Groningen.The Fund which supported her was setup in the 1930s solely to assist brethrenor their dependants in times of distress,and was able to support her after theuntimely death of her father TonyWragg, a well-respected member ofGrimby’s Smyth Lodge, in 2001.After studying, Emma spent a yearrunning outdoor events in Cambridgefor a wine and craft beer wholesaler andretailer, and then became Digital ProjectManager for Executive Education atCambridge University Judge BusinessSchool, a role she would not have beenable to undertake without completingher masters qualifications. She said:“My role involves working withacademics, learning designers and otherstakeholders to deliver online learningfor corporate clients, orfor our own openenrolment programmes. “I’ve been keepingmyself busy since Igraduated! This is verymuch down to beingable to focus all of myefforts on studyingwhen I needed to. Forthat, I am, and alwayswill be, eternallygrateful.”

Graeme rides 200miles for charity

Pedalpusher

Lodge of Aveland Past MasterGraeme Salmon cycled 218 milesfrom his current Masonic home inWhitley Bay to his past one at Bourneto raise money for theNorthumberland 2020 Festival.Leaving home at 3am Graeme pedalledfor thirteen hours and thirty-fourminutes, and arrived at his destinationaround 8pm, where he was met byfriends, family and brethren from theLodge of Aveland, where he is a pastmaster.And with Lincolnshire’s 2025 Festivalstarting in the year Northumberland’s

finished, Graeme felt he was passing onthe baton from his new province to hisformer one. He said: “I’d like to thankeveryone who has supported me, madedonations towards the Province ofNorthumberland Festival, or simplytaken the time to ask about the ride –and it was a pleasure to share hisMasonic connections with both WhitleyBay and Bourne through it.”Graeme is now working on getting tohis fundraising target of £2,020. He wasthrilled to receive a donation from TheLodge of Aveland when he got toBourne.


The Rev Percival Laurence wasinitiated into Bayons Lodge onMonday 10th March 1884, a monthafter his son had become a member,and five years after both had come toLincolnshire for the Rev Percival tobecome vicar at Walesby.

Although son Franklin Arthur steps outof the story almost as soon as he stepsinto it – excluded for non-payment ofhis subs in 1891 – his father was madeof sterner stuff, went into the chair onlyfour years after his initiation, andbecame Provincial Chaplain in 1890.The church the Rev Percival had cometo take charge of still stands; it’s theRamblers’ Church, which stands on ahill overlooking the village, but in thosedays better known as All Saints.The Rev Laurence soon found out thatfew of his parishioners were prepared tomake the trek up the hill to attend hisservices, and set about finding a suitablealternative in the village that wouldmake the trip to church less taxing. His solution was to create a ‘temporary’structure built of corrugated ironsheeting, which was a relatively newmaterial at the time. ‘Temporary’ was tobecome ‘near permanent’, since thebuilding was used for all the parishservices for 30 years, with All Saintsbeing used only for weddings, funeralsand baptisms.The Rev Laurence spent 34 years as the

Vicar of the village of Walesby, all thewhile encouraging the local residentsand his parishioners to give generouslytowards a building fund, so that theycould one day build a new church in thevillage, at the bottom of the hill, so thateveryone could attend a 'proper' churchwithout having to climb the dreaded hill.His dream was realised in 1913, when,with sufficient funds behind him, theRev Laurence was granted to build StMary’s Church in the village, andcrowds gathered to watch workmen cut

the first sods of earth for the building onJune 6th that year – but shortlyafterwards he collapsed and died, aged84. The villagers thought a life-sizedstatue of their beloved Vicar would be auseful edition to the village, and askedBayons Lodge for a contribution. TheLodge members suggested asking theBishop of Lincoln for money, and madeno contribution… But here the storytakes an interesting twist. In his will, theRev Laurence had left £25,824, morethan £3 million pounds at today’svalues, so he could have comfortablyfunded the new church himself. Butwhere had the money come from? He’dbeen a country vicar for 30 years, hadnever owned property and alwayshaving lived in a Vicarage 'tied' to hisjob, and had no other obvious sources ofincome.Most of the money wasn’t in cash, butwas held in shares in the Great WesternRailway Company. It transpires that theRev Laurence wasn’t a quintessentialEnglish gentleman, but came from afamily called Levy. His father Josephhad been born in 1791 in London, andhis grandfather Zaccaria had been bornin 1751 in Venice, into a large familyoriginally from Baghdad.The family story goes The RevLaurence’s great grandfather Elazar wasin the scrap metal business in Baghdad,and had ‘discovered’ a heavy metal jarcontaining a large quantity of jewels. The circumstances of the ‘discovery’aren’t clear, but the brothers and theirfamilies quickly left Baghdad forVenice, where they set themselves up as


From Bayons lodge to B


merchants, and became extremelywealthy through their trading skills.In due course, Zaccaria joined thefamily business, and became asuccessful merchant in Venice in hisown right – until something went wrongwith a business deal, and he was drivenout of the Italian city with his family.They took refuge in London, where hewas able to get a line of credit from theBank of England, where he was obligedto leave as collateral a large chest full ofvaluables. With this line of credit Zaccaria was in aposition to start trading in the LondonStock Exchange and to get involved inthe Lloyds insurance business and healso operated his own ships bringinggoods into the Port of London. Joseph, the father of the Rev PercivalLaurance, in due course also joined thefamily business and took over from hisfather, going on to further success as astockbroker and in shipping, all the timesupported by the Bank of England.Come the 1820s and the end of theNapoleonic wars, there was an economicdownturn, leading to the bank decidingto cut off his line of credit.To protect their assests, they seized allhis cash and property held by the bank,until he could repay what they claimedhe owed them, thus putting Joseph andhis business in a very difficult position.Still managing to trade, he instructedlawyers to recover from the Bank ofEngland his money and the treasurechest deposited by his father. He lost.He appealed. He lost again. The familyis said to have been trying to recover the

funds ever since, with the latest attemptas recently as 2009. And well theymight; the funds could now be worth£400m, with compound interest.

Name changeIt seems money’s behind that too.Joseph was happy to change his name toLaurence at the request of his newmother-in-law, acquired when he married Penelope Jackson. Her wealthywidow mother wasn’t keen on herdaughter’s marriage to a Jew, and offered to make the couple her sole heirson her death if he changed his name.Joseph agreed…

Going into the churchPercival is said to have been keen toenter the Church, having converted toChristianity, after visiting an aunt andher clergyman husband. Meanwhile, his father, from a merchantfamily, continued to trade on the StockMarket in London. This was during thegreat railway boom, which was a real'money spinner' for all investors andstockbrokers. Investors could not getenough money to invest in the newrailway stocks and shares, and Josephwas heavily involved in trading railwaycompany shares. When he died in 1878,he left over £140,000 – more than £30min today’s money, much of which washeld in railway company shares. His Will made provision for all hissurviving children, and it is believed thatthis Will was the source of the RevPercival Laurence’s GWR shares. The G.W.R. shares in the Rev

Laurence's 1913 Will were left to hiseldest son, also named PercivalLaurence, who was born in 1854, hefollowed his father's footsteps andattended Christ Church College,Cambridge, where he studied Law andhe became a barrister in London. Anasthma sufferer, he was advised to livein a warm dry climate, and chose SouthAfrica. There he rose to became a Judge,at the end of the Boer War wasappointed as the senior judge of theCourt of Reparations, dealing with allthe claims for compensation and lossdue to the war. He must have done agood job because by 1906 the majorityof these claims had been amicablysettled. For his work he was awarded aknighthood. He rose to become the chiefJudge of the Supreme Court of SouthAfrica, returning to the UK after WW1.He died in 1930, in his will he left£275,000 and he made a large bequest tohis old College in Cambridge, whichstill provides for several Professorships. From another branch of the familywhich grew up in Walesby Guy StewartLaurence chose a career in the RoyalNavy and rose to the rank ofCommander. His son Timothy JamesHamilton Laurence, although the greatgrandson of the Rev Percival Laurence,is better known as Vice Admiral Sir TimLaurence, the Princess Royal. So from Bayons Lodge in the sleepytown of Market Rasen, we can trace adescendant of a Past Master of the lodgeall the way to Buckingham Palace On 6th June 2013, Vice AdmiralTimothy Laurence was the guest ofhonour at St Mary's Church in Walesby,where a service was held to mark thedeath of his great grandfather, the RevPercival Laurence 100 years before.Also present were members of thefamily of Bro Franklin Arthur Laurence,who had ben initiated into the Lodge themonth before his clergyman father, whohad travelled all the way from their farmin Lincoln, Nebraska for the ceremony.It had been Vice Admiral Laurence’sfirst visit to Walesby, but he was hadbeen delighted to visited, as his fatherhad told him of the many happy times hehad whilst staying at the Vicarage withhis grandparents, before going off toboarding school.

l Taken from the much longer text of a presentation made by Jamie Evans.

l Picture of The Ramblers’ Church:Steve Hatton | Dreamstime


Jamie Evans exploresthe chain of history

that links BayonsLodge to the

Ramblers’ Church inWalesby, a real

merchant of Venice, apot of treasure, and the Royal Family…

o Buckingham Palace




if you go down to the woods today…Children at Andy’s Hospice in Grimsby got a big surprise when twoLincolnshire Freemasons turned up carrying 72 teddy bears!The bears were a gift from the Noble Order of Corks, and were brought by Corksrepresentatives Pat Elwick and Peter Tasker.The bears are Masonic TLC bears, to be given to children coming to the hospiceto make their first encounter with the bright and friendly place a little lessdaunting.Money to buy them was raised at a Corks meeting, where just over 20 memberscontributed about £600.Tracy Wilson is the Play and Activities Co-ordinator at the Hospice. She said theteddies would be given to children as a support when they went to the facility forwhatever reason, as well as to their siblings. Corks is an informal degree allied to Freemasonry, and is described as a ‘fun’degree with charitable fundraising as its principal aim. 100% of funds collectedare given to charity, and the order prefers to choose those which support children.

On the cover:In the Chair at 32Aged just 32, is Mike Grimshaw theyoungest Worshipful Master in theProvince? Installed in the chair of the Isleof Axholme Lodge at Crowle by his fatherAdrian, he and his Wardens could be theyoungest team not only in the Province, butalso the UK, since Senior Warden RichardTurner is 34, and Junior Warden DanHercus is 35.Mike was initiated into Freemasonry byAdrian, and ‘Team Grimshaw’ willcontinue to work together, because at theinstallation Adrian took over the role ofLodge DC from Wayne Hodgkinson.Brethren in the picture below are all Isle ofAxholme members, from left, BarrieTurner (Richard’s dad), Richard Turner,Adrian Grimshaw, Mike Grimshaw, WayneHodgkinson, and Dan Hercus.



Lincolnshire’s FreewheelersLodge founders Chris Jones,left, and Andy Bagworth rodeto the Provincial office to handtheir petition to create a newLodge to Provincial SecretaryTony Miller, centre. Handing over the petition wasanother step in the journey toconsecrating the new Lodge,which will be number 9991, onMay 16th next year.

Almost retired, after 22 yearsBrethren of Crowle’sVermuyden Lodge havethanked their retiring Secretaryfor his 22 years’ service bygiving him a commemorativewhisky decanter andsomething to fill it with. He’sColin Crofts, who, at the age of88 has stepped out of theSecretary’s chair to beAssistant Secretary,supporting his replacementBro David Joyce.Colin, who has been aFreemason for 38 years, was afounder member of VermuydenLodge, and has also been itsAlmoner for the last year.He retired at the Lodge’sinstallation, at which incomingmaster Barrie Graham wasable to spring a surprisepresentation on him. Barriesaid: “Colin is well known tovisitors throughout the countyfor his excellent ritual workupstairs, and deliveringVermuyden’s ‘firing glasses’and ‘masonic chain’downstairs. He is also a greatsupporter of Connaught Court,the Masonic care home inFulford, York.”

Masons andRobert Holland gave his AstonMartin DB11 a quick wash andbrush up, above, and then invitedDave Sefton to hop into the driving seat and start it up(below). Safe to say Dave was wellimpressed... motors

L D Gb M



ds

No motoring event would be complete without an MGB(above), and this one was no exception. Organisers ofMasons and Motors at Glentham near Caenby Cornerwere pleased to see the Blood Bikes team too. More than80 people were due to come, but the weather was lessthan favourable. Nevertheless, organiser Dave Gibson(below left) was able to hand £136 to the LMCA.

Assistant Provincial SecretaryBill Read had a good time.

Left: Tom Dickinson fromGainsboroughbrought his Mitsubishi Evo.

Right: MarkHooton from

Scunthorpe alwayshas a smile on hisface – even though

he’s riding an Eastern Bloc

sidecar outfit he restored himself.


The installation of every newProvincial Grand Master or GrandSuperintendent relies on anexperienced team from UGLE tocarry it out with all necessary pompand ceremony – and they rely onsomeone to make sure all theequipment they need is to hand.

The job of making sure it is falls to theGrand Lodge Tyler, who for the past 12years has been W Bro Malcolm Brooks.During that time, he’s attended morethan 120 meetings all over England andWales. The equipment he has to take isin two large bags, each weighing about30kg (“Though I’m sure they’re heaviernow than when I started,” he says.)In a first for Lincolnshire, Malcolmvisited the Bicentenary Lodge ofInstalled Masters, where more than 80brethren representing more than 30Lodges in the Province heard stories ofsome of the things that have happened tohim because of those ceremonies.And afterwards Provincial Grand MasterDave Wheeler said he had thoroughlyenjoyed listening to the stories behindthe ceremonies. “He certainly helped meto relax when I was installed as PGMand Grand Superintendent,” he said. Malcolm, who points out that his isn’t aspeaking role as far as ceremonies areconcerned, says that even after 12 yearsof ceremonies in the Grand Temple, hestill has a rehearsal of his own. “Eightsteps from my seat behind the GrandMaster to the top to the stairs, and thendown them without looking down, and27 more steps to behind the ADC – and

no-one can speak until I get there,” hesaid. “Mind you, I always have a rehearsal toreassure myself about those first eightsteps. I’d hate someone to have movedthe chair, so that I do eight steps when Ionly need seven, and fall down thestairs.”He recalled the time he had to take asword, as a gift from the Grand Master,on a flight. “We photographed it fromevery angle, and then we packed it upvery carefully. Then we got to theairport, and saw that the maximum bladelength allowed was four centimetres.This was a bit longer than that, and theman at the check-in desk wanted tounwrap it to have a look. When weshowed him the pictures, he decided thatallowing it on the flight was a bit above

his pay grade, so he called a supervisor,and eventually we were allowed to haveit in the hold. When we got to the otherend, it was the first thing to come out onthe luggage carousel.”Once flying to an installation, the bagswere deemed too heavy. “I wastravelling with the Grand SecretaryDavid Staples,” said Malcolm. “I said tohim ‘Sir, you have a problem’. You see,I was carrying the bags, but he had thecredit card. He bought another suitcase.£140 it cost, and it had wheels but nomotor. We spread things out between thethree, and were allowed on the flight –but we had to pay an excess baggagecharge.” And then, at a Chapter installation,Malcolm was helping the Principals intotheir robes. “One of them was very tall,

and I wasn’t sure I could reach,”he said. “I stretched as far as Icould, but still couldn’t reachhigh enough – and then I realisedI was standing on the hem…”APGM Peter Brooks hadarranged for Malcolm to visit theBicentenary Lodge, and said:“Malcolm’s presentation washugely entertaining. We werepleased and very grateful that hewas able to find the time to visitus. “We try to arrange interestingvisitors with things to say thatwe may not have heard. It’s awonderfully enjoyable way tomake a daily advancement inMasonic knowledge, and I’durge more past masters to join usand share something ofFreemasonry they wouldn’totherwise be able to enjoy.”


My life as thebag manFrom a flying with a sword, makingsure he doesn’t fall over in the GrandTemple, and asking the Grand Secretary for money, Malcolm Brookstells the story of his life as Grand Tyler


Provincial Registrar Keith Appleton walked 42 milesthrough the night to raise money for the children’s charityLifelites.

In a trek of 16 hours and 33 minutes Keith, a member of AstralLodge in Grimsby, recorded almost 87,000 steps, burned off4,300 calories, and climbed almost 4,000 feet.He was following the White Rose Walk between the Yorkshirevillage of Kilburn and Roseberry Topping in neighbouringCleveland. The walk is completed by touching the ‘trig’ pointat the summit of Roseberry Topping. By the time he got thereKeith had has raised £1,960 for the charity, but had pulled acalf muscle with four miles yet to go. “That slowed meconsiderably,” he said. “But I knew people had committedmoney, and that thought was my incentive to carry on andmake sure I finished the walk.”

Nevertheless, it was ‘job done’, since the objective is to complete the distance in less than 24 hours, which Keith didwith time to spare. “ I’m still accepting donations,” he said. “Iam happy to take a cheque posted to me at 24 Gloria Way,Grimsby DN37 9SW.”Keith handed over the money raised to Lifelites when hevisited Grand Lodge for the Quarterly Communicationsmeeting in September. The charity donates specialist assistivetechnology packages for children suffering life-limitingillnesses, and has reached more than 10,000 of them.


Keith walks through injuryto raise £2,000 for children

Left: After Keith’sovernight walk hisefforts in raising£2,000 for Lifeliteswere formallyrecognised by thecharity’s ChiefExecutive SimoneEnefer-Doy.

Our Province is working with LIVESto make more lifesaving defibrillatorsavailable to the community.

Under a new arrangement we areinvesting at least £20,000 to meet theaim of installing defibrillators outsideour 21 centres in Lincolnshire. We havean agreement with LIVES to make surethey are maintained, with all funds goingback into supporting the charity.The move is intended to makedefibrillators available to everyone inthe community around the clock,permanently ready to respond. Theinvolvement of volunteers from LIVES,Lincolnshire’s Community FirstResponder charity, will ensure that theequipment is professionally maintained.PGM Dave Wheeler said: “We have along tradition of support for thecommunity at large. Working inpartnership with LIVES to providedefibrillators outside our buildingsmeans they will be available for thecommunity as a whole, not just our ownmembers. “We see this as a way of making surethat Freemasons continue to be goodneighbours, which is why we haveagreed to cover all the costs involved.”Members of the Bicentenary Lodge ofInstalled Masters at Horncastle havemade a substantial donation to the work,which is being co-ordinated by Barton

Freemason Phil Spicksley. He said: “Wehave had defibrillators in our Masoniccentres for eight years, but until nowthey have been fitted inside, andtherefore available only to those usingthe buildings. “To make these arrangements for themto be outside, and therefore available toanyone who needs them, is a naturalextension of Freemasonry’s growingopenness.”Kirsty Raywood from LIVES said: “Weare thrilled to be working alongside theFreemasons to move all of theirdefibrillators outside so that they areavailable around the clock. Around30,000 people in the UK experience anout of hospital cardiac arrest each year.The potential for saving a life isdependent upon time; the faster medical

help can be obtained the better thechance of survival. Clinical studiessuggest you have less than five minutesfrom the onset of the event to save thepatient’s life, and the chance of survivaldecreases by up to 10% for each minutetheir heart is stopped. “The early use of a defibrillatoralongside early CPR makes a significantdifference for the likelihood of thepatient surviving a cardiac arrest.In rural areas it can take longer to getmedical help, so Community PublicAccess Defibrillators have a veryimportant part to play in helping to savelives in rural communities. CPADschemes are reported to be up to 10times more effective in saving lives, inthe pre-hospital setting, than othercommunity schemes alone.”

we’re working with liveS in £20,000Province-wide defibrillator project

The first of 21 defibrillators mountedoutside our buildingsin Lincolnshire is atthe NightingaleRooms on NettlehamRoad in Lincoln. Pictured are, l-r: PhilSpiksley, who is co-ordinating thework, Steve Harrison,who’s doing the installations, andPGM Dave Wheeler.


“

“Three groups of Scunthorpe brethren have togethergiven more than £1,300 to help a charity in the town toprovide a hot tub to enhance the lives of adults withcerebral palsy and similar conditions.

The charity is Lincolnshire House, provider of residentialand respite accommodation for almost 40 people with someform of cerebral palsy, or conditions like it. It also supports20 people with disabilities in the area through its dayservice.Manager Ian Millard said: “Our aim is to provide as full andvaried a life as possible for people in our care. We arecurrently building three residential flats and a new groundfloor admin block to make it accessible for everyone. “We have raised £3.5m over the last 20 years, with donationsgoing into our Charitable Fund, and we will use thesedonations from the Freemasons to help with our goal ofproviding a hot tub.”The first of the Freemasons’ donations came from TheChapter of St John and Pharos Lodge, of £100 and £500respectively. Both were proposed by Alan Mawer as a result

of having seen an item about Lincolnshire House on a TVregional news programme. The third, of £750, was from StLawrence Lodge, via the New Provincial Benevolent Fund.The Lincolnshire House story has another connection to theFreemasons, when in 2005 the late Roy Spavin, of PharosLodge, laid the symbolic first brick of the modern facilitiesat the core of the charity’s operation today, in whichresidents live in three, four or five person bungalows withinthe grounds, with single rooms and en-suites; there areshared kitchens, lounges and dining facilities in every unit.


York’s ‘court circular’Sun shines down on fundraising event for RMBI Summer Fair at Connaught Court

Grants help charity splashout on hot tub project

Ian Millard (standing, centre), Manager of LincolnshireHouse, receives cheques from l-r, Brian Southall, AlanMawer, Mel Oliver, and Steve Spavin, watched by someof the residents.

Martin Latham, Secretary to theAssociation of Friends of ConnaughtCourt, reports on this year’s summerfair, opened by Lincolnshire PGMDave Wheeler:

After one of the wettest Junes on recordthings were not looking promising forthis year’s summer fair. Thankfully, ourfears were allayed as we awoke to thesight of a forgotten object glowing in thesky.Our new gazebos, generously donated byYorkshire West Rising MasonicCharities, were put to good use with arange of stalls being set up within them.We had 16 Lodges providing and runningthe stalls this year with everythingranging from cake stalls to bric a brac,pottery to paintings and tombola to luckydip stalls. Outside we had The RailwayDevelopment Brass Band playing a vastarray of music, some to sing along to andplenty to just enjoy tapping your feetalong with. Inside we also had afternoontea provided by the staff. All this, alongwith a bouncy castle for the young (andnot so young) coupled with a visit from

the Widows Sons Masonic Bikers and theClassic Cars on the Square, made theafternoon a really special event enjoyednot only by the Brethren and theirfamilies but more importantly by theresidents and their families and friends.Visitor and exhibitor numbers were downon last year, which was disappointing,but with the money raised on the dayalong with the sale of the fair fliers wehave raised £11,390, which is very muchappreciated by us all, and will be put tovery good use. The Association of Friends of ConnaughtCourt is committed to spend £11,500every year for the benefit of the residents.This goes towards providingentertainment, amenities and equipmentwithin the home and trips out in the minibus which we also provide.The Summer Fair is our main fund raiserand our Chairman, David Leach and thecommittee of the Association of Friendsof Connaught Court wish to pass on ahuge thank you to all who took part inthis year’s event and purchased the FairFlyers, and to Rt. W. Bro Wheeler foropening the event.

The autumn meeting of theLincolnshire Freemasons GolfingAssociation took place at South KymeGolf Club thanks to this year’s Clubcaptain Ray Duncan.Thirteen masons and one guest tookpart, and winners were:Robert Humphries best Medal scorefrom either division: John DayPGM’S Cup for the best medal scorein the other division: Steve SpavinFrank Money Trophy best stablefordscore in either division: Eric KingWratten Cup best over 60’s stablefordscore: Bro Ray DuncanThe Gerald Hat Rick Cup best over65’s stableford score: John LambertAPGM Peter Brooks presented thetrophy. Peter thanked the club on behalf ofthe Association for a splendid day andall who took part especially hisplaying partners for the laughs alongthe way, and he thanked W Bro MickWright for the work in putting the daytogether as well as all his workthrough the year on behalf of theAssociation, and said that it was up tothose present to invite a friend to thenext day out to boost the attendance.

Provincial golfers gather at South Kyme




Lincolnshire’s Widows Sons masonic motorcyclists arenow fully formed, having been given their charter at theSons’ 15th annual gathering, held this year at Lichfieldand hosted by the East and West Midlands groups.

The group, called the Lincs Imps, got its charter alongside onefrom the West Country – the Stone Cutters of Devon.Lincolnshire’s Steve Shucksmith, secretary of St Denys Lodgein Sleaford, and Lincs Imps President, said: “All the UKchapters were represented at this rally, with about 500members, wives, partners, friends and family and associates.The main cause of the rally is for us to get together and have agood time, for the President’s governing board to approve andto raise issues regarding the association, but mainly to meetold and to make new friends – and this year’s event raised£17,000 for charity.” He said that charity total, when added toother funds raised through the year, took the Sons to a total of£147,685 for charities all over the UK and Ireland, collectedfrom about 1,000 members in 23 Chapters. Steve added: “TheLincs Imps have eleven full members, two applications tojoin, a joining member from Scotland and two associatemembers, so for a new Chapter we are in fine fettle.We wouldbe pleased to bring our motorbikes to any charity function thatany Mason may put on, and we’d be pleased to visit any bikerwho may not be able to ride anymore but would like to stillhear from others who do.”If you’re interested in joining the Lincs Imps, or having themattend one of your functions, email Steve [email protected] or Secretary David Russell [email protected]. This year they have attendedDevonshire Court, Nottinghamshire’s Provincial Funday forchildren, the Bottesford Egg Run, and the Connaught Courtopen day near York, aswell as numerous ride outsover the summer.


lincsimps get their widows Sons charter

Royal Ark Mariners enjoyed apacked evening in Skegness atthe installation meeting of theEarl of Scarborough Lodge 1032followed by a ‘white table’ festiveboard for 70 diners.It was open to all RAM brethren,Mark Master Masons and theirpartners, in the hope that morewould join.A raffle was organised for theRNLI, and the newly-installedWorshipful Commander W.BroNorman Rollitt presented the£275 proceeds to W.Bro AlanFisher, who is Skegness LifeboatOperations Manager.More Mariners information here :http://www.markmmlincs.org.uk/?Royal-Ark-Mariners

Mariners push the boat out

Summer event raises £17,000


Funded by the MasonicCharitable Foundation andoperated by Lincoln’s StBarnabas Hospice Trust andthe city’s YMCA, a new project to help the homelesscould become the model forsimilar schemes nationwide.

It’s about a new dimension inthe range of services offered bythe organisations, and is aimedspecifically at helping thehomeless to cope withbereavement.YMCA CEO Caroline Killeavysaid working in partnershipwith MCF support made a signficant difference.The scheme will provide one-to-one specialist counselling towork with homeless peoplethrough the difficulties,challenges and emotions thatcan accompany bereavement. Although there are no exactfigures of how many homelesspeople in Lincoln arestruggling with bereavement,there is research that shows it isa problem on a national scale.Strong circumstantial evidenceindicates it is prevalent inLincoln. The YMCA andLincoln Baptist Churchindependently contacted StBarnabas Hospice to discussthe problem, which lead to the

hospice putting together a bidto the Masonic CharitableFoundation for funding. Counselling sessions are held atthe YMCA hostel in RumboldStreet and at The NomadTrust’s shelter in Monks Road.Caroline added: “The YMCArecognises people becomehomeless for many reasons, butone we repeatedly see isbereavement and loss.”Pete Crosby, of Lincoln BaptistChurch, said: “Bereavementamong the homelesscommunity is a reoccurringissue. Without specialistbereavement support thesepeople will not overcome theirgrief and be able to get on withtheir lives.”Cat Rodda is the bereavementcounsellor leading the year-long project, and has alreadyseen positive changes in thosetaking part. She said: “Thesesessions provide a confidentialand accessible space forhomeless people, whotraditionally haven’t felt able to

access the hospice’sbereavement support. We arealready seeing individuals startto work through and bettercope with their grief and takingsteps to move forward withtheir lives.”In addition to the counselling,the project aims to providebereavement training for staffat partner organisations and forhomeless peer mentors towiden the impact of the project.PGM Dave Wheeler said: “People can find themselvesliving on the street for a varietyof reasons. Life is alreadytough enough for the homeless,and the last thing they need isthe extra burden of being alonewhilst having to cope with thegrief of bereavement.“TheMasonic CharitableFoundation’s donation meansthat counsellors with the rightkind of skills can be availableto support them at such times,and I find it reassuring that wehave made this wonderfulinitiative possible.”


Dave Wheeler hands anMCF donation of almost £20,000 to LauraStones of St BarnabasHospice in Lincoln, to support the joint initiative with theYMCA in the city.Provincial CharitySteward Pete Tong and Caroline Killeavy,CEO of Lincoln YMCA,look on.

Donation could pave way fornationwide support initiative

Masonic finance allows hospice andYMCA to help homeless with problemsand consequences of bereavement

Grantham’s MasonicMuseum has beengiven a new artefact‘rescued’ from a now-defunct London Lodge. It’s a candle snuffer,and has been passed tothe museum by RayFlack of MeridianDaylight Lodge to RalfGalloway, Master ofDoric Lodge, both ofwhich meet in theGrantham building.The snuffer was givento Ray by his daughterAdele, and thepresentation was madeafter Ralf had given atalk to Grantham’sParkinson’s UK groupunder the title‘Grantham in the earlyVictorian era’. Itcovered topics asdiverse as crime andpunishment,temperance andhealthcare, and hadbeen assembled fromnewspaper articles ofthe day and otherhistorical records, andwas delivered at Ray’srequest, because he’sChairman of the group– another side toFreemasons in thecommunity.

New artefactfor Granthammuseum




“


The belief that having great places for Freemasons to meet should be as important as membership andmentoring has led Grand Lodge tourge Provinces to create the post ofProvincial Superintendent of Works.

In Lincolnshire, the role has fallen to WBro John Elliott. His ambition is that bythe end of next year visits will have beenmade to all of the Province’s 21 centresto learn about them, offer support andreport back to Boards of Directors andTrustees.

John takes up the story:So far myself and my assistant MikeGerry have visited 10 of our 21 centres,and we have established a MasonicCentre Support team to deliver supportand coordinate information.

Working with me on the team are:l V W Bro John Crutchley lW Bro Mike Gerry lW Bro Chris Wilson lW Bro Steve Harrison lW Bro Phil Spicksley l Bro Roly Freeman

Earier this year John Crutchley, MikeGerry and I enjoyed the now-annualMasonic Halls conference at GreatQueen Street. There were two focusesfor the day:

Updates to ‘Masonic Halls– Centres of Excellence’This is a superb resource which sets outuseful information, standards andsupport, and can be found on line athttps://b.ugle.org.uk/masonic-centres. It is very much a reference documentand not bedtime reading.Since launch at the beginning of lastyear, much has been added to thedocument on a range of topics includingGDPR, CCTV, asbestos, defibrillators,project management, plannedmaintenance and insurance. It is aliving, growing online reference manualfor those responsible for their centres. Topics coming soon are catering, firesafety, availability and access,ownerships structures and phones/data.Grand Lodge is keen to encouragecentres to follow best practice, to begreat places for Freemasons to spendtheir time, and to be good, safe places tomeet. All centres are their ownautonomous unit with directors/trusteesresponsible for achieving this through

their own professional advice and in thecontext of good practice as set out in theguidance. The Provincial Supt of Workswill endeavour to support centremanagement and coordinate that pool ofknowledge so trustees and directors canfulfil their responsibilities to deliverviable and attractive meeting places fortheir members, their guests and non-masonic visitors/customers.

What if? Would you know what to do if yourcentre was damaged or destroyed byfire, flood or act of aggression? Whowould cook for your centre if thecaterers pulled out or went bust? Theseare all things that have happened tomasonic centres in England, and couldhappen to any one of our meetingplaces, and the day’s second topicencouraged delegates to think aboutthem, and what the right responseshould be.For example, we are especially prone toflood damage in Lincolnshire, so it wasa salutary tale to listen to a brother fromStaines where less than 30 cm of water(that's a foot in old money) had caused£380,000 of damage when the Thamesoverflowed.Questions you might ask include: Doyou know where your lodges could goon a temporary basis? Do neighbouringcentres have capacity on your meetingnight? How do you get a dispensation inan emergency? The only things you need to be able tomeet is your own warrant and the threegreat lights of Masonry (though these

can be borrowed). If your warrant is lostor inaccessible, Grand Lodge canquickly issue a temporary document.If the worst should happen, would yourebuild on the same site with the sameaccommodation, or would you take thechance to consider alternative locationsand designs that would be more efficientand more adaptable for profitable non-masonic events? Obviously, you wouldneed to adapt any plan to the actualcircumstances, but the best practiceguidance urges you to have the basicslined up. These things might include:l who would be authorised l to make decisionsl who would appoint advisersl what about the press announcementl who’ll liaise with Provincel who’ll deal with the insurance

InsuranceMasonic Mutual gave a presentation ontheir model of insurance set up only fiveyears ago. Essentially, it is a self-insurance pool for the first £50,000 ofany claim, which saves insurancepremium tax and has no profit toshareholders. Insurance over that levelis sourced from commercial insurers butwith the buying power of a larger group.They say they will be cheaper than anyother comparable insurer – I will leaveyou to find out if this is true when yourpolicy is due for renewal!I hope that you have found this updateinteresting. If you would like to contactme about your Centre or to source guidance, by all means send an email [email protected]

“Buildingsfor the future

John Elliot describes progress made so far in the relatively new role of Provincial Superintendent of Works



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Documents

MasoniC LINCS...MeetFreemasonry’s future Is this the Province’s youngest team of Master and Wardens? –page 13 December 2019 MasoniCThe newsletter of the Masonic Province of …