Climbing to the top

Bro Ian Prendergast has certainly climbed the heights for the British Epilepsy Association, having climbed to the top of Ben Nevis late last October to raise £1,155 for the charity.
    Bro Ian is a member of Lodge of Benevolence No. 226 at Rochdale in the Province of East Lancashire. He is an experienced walker, being a member of the Long Distance Walkers Association.
    The ascent took just over five hours, with the weather fine and only six inches of snow on the summit, where two to three feet could be found at that time of year. Ian walked to the top of Ben Nevis – 4,408 feet above sea-level – some years ago.

Canadian window dedication

Following the publication of a postcard from the collection of Ipswich Freemason Peter King, he has now sent in another one, this time depicting a stained glass Masonic window in Canada.
    It is situated in the chancel of St Thomas Anglican Pioneer Church in Ontario. The window is dedicated to the memory of the Pioneer Masons of Talbot Settlement. Bro King is anxious for any information about cards. He can be contacted through Freemasonry Today.

New look for Slough

During the summer the masonic centre at Slough underwent major surgery, with the main temple rising like a Phoenix from the ashes of the former room.
    The new ambience is home to 34 Lodges and 15 Chapters for the Province of Buckinghamshire, as well as meetings for the Mark, Rose Croix and Knights Templar and other degrees.
    Slough Club chairman W Bro Phil Freeman, chairman of directors W Bro Rodney Holt and former club chairman W Bro John Peat masterminded the project.
    In the first year they raised half the £100,000 needed as the brethren dug deep into their pockets.
    The majority of the work was carried out by the company of W Bro Denis Holdsworth at cost price, a generous offer that has meant considerable savings.

Air Ambulance benefits

The rescue of a dangerously ill member led to Saint Bernard Lodge No 5361 from Minehead, raising £1,300 for the Somerset/Devon Air Ambulance Service. The member, who had suffered a massive haemorrhage in a village near Minehead, had to be airlifted to Taunton, some 30 miles away.
    The life of the brother concerned was saved as a result, and he raised £1,400 in his village for the Service. So Graham Gamble, Master of the Lodge, and his wife Rhona, decided to donate monies raised from various events to the Service.

Calling the Ismay clan

Cumbria has the largest congregation of people with the surname Ismay in the English-speaking world. In September the Year 2000 Gathering of the Ismay One Name Study Group was held in Maryport.
    Several dedicated Cumbrian Freemasons felt that they would like to form a new Lodge for Ismays and persons with Ismay connections. Any readers of Freemasonry Today who qualify – or know of anyone else who does – are invited to become Founder Members.
    The Lodge would meet four times a year, hopefully in either Maryport or Whitehaven. Anyone interested should contact W Bro George Ismay, Tam o’Shanter, Salterbeck, Workington, Cumbria CA14 5EX. Telephone: 01946 831036.

Millennium challenge is met

At a banquet in the Civic Centre, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, RW Bro George Usher, Provincial Grand Master for the Province of Northumberland, presented the Tyneside branch of the Samaritans with a £100,000 cheque.
    The money had been raised by local Masons as a Special Millennium Challenge. David Smith, chairman of the Tyneside Samaritans, thanked the Masons and said the number of calls had risen to 38,000 last year.

Cathedral chairs

Philip Toler, Inspector General for the Ancient and Accepted Rite, District of Surrey, presented a cheque for £2,000 to the Very Rev Alex Wedderspoon, Dean of Guildford Cathedral, for their Cathedral Chair Fund. The 17 Chapters and Chapters of Improvement in the District, have donated 20 chairs to celebrate the cathedral’s 40th anniversary in May 2001.

Mark conservatory opened in York

A new conservatory has been opened at the Connaught Court home of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution at York. This follows financial backing from the Provincial Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of North and East Yorkshire.

First aid at Grand Lodge

A voluntary first aid arrangement has been available for the past year at the Quarterly Communications of Grand Lodge, comprising paramedics in the London Ambulance Service who are also Freemasons.
    They do not take part in the proceedings, but give up their time to attend to boost the first aid cover. They are allowed to administer drugs and advance resuscitation prior to the arrival of an ambulance, which first aid volunteers are not allowed to do.
    The team is anxious to recruit more fully qualified volunteers, and anyone interested should contact Louis Courtney on 01992 713580.

Salisbury Cathedral Service to celebrate 225 years

A near capacity congregation packed Salisbury Cathedral for a special service of Choral Evensong in October to celebrate 225 years of Freemasonry in Wiltshire.
    The Lessons were read by the Provincial Grand Master for Wiltshire, RW Bro Brian Edwick and the Grand Superintendent, W Bro Ian Jacobs.

Going public in Cobham

The need for Freemasons to be seen in the community has never been greater, and members of Coveham Lodge No 4212 did just that on the Cobham Village Day in Surrey.
    Helped by the loan of the travelling display by Grand Lodge, they were a prominent stand on the village green, and were able to raise nearly £500 for a local children’s charity.
    The stand provided a tombola, with Pokeman cards for children and bottles, ranging from tomato ketchup to champagne, for the adults.
    There was a free competition to win a television set, and questions were asked about Freemasonry. Members of the Lodge, in regalia, were on hand to answer questions.
    Lodge secretary John Watkins said: “We were able to put ourselves about in regalia, and prove that Masons are human and normal people. We also managed to get some non-masons to show an interest in local Freemasonry.”
    The winner of the television set, Sol Alan Saad, gave a very generous and unsolicited donation towards the Lodge’s charity fund.
    This is an excellent example of how initiative by individual Lodges can enhance the image of freemasonry with a public example of openness. Photo shows W Bro Nigel Bennett with the WM, W Bro Grahame Meachen & W Bro Colin Worsfold at the stand with other Freemason helpers.

American visitors to UK

Barlow Moor Lodge No 4525 of West Lancashire were hosts earlier this year to California Lodge No 1 of the Grand Lodge of California.
    There were 32 American brethren, accompanied by wives, partners, and children on the visit, the highlight being a demonstration of the US-style second degree ceremony.
    The approach to California Lodge No 1 was made by Bro Andrew Makin, who had made contact with W Bro Scott Beard over the internet.
    More than 130 freemasons attended the meeting. Following the normal Lodge meeting, the Lodge room layout was changed to that used by our American brethren (which is significantly different).

Marathon opportunity

How would you like to take part in the next London Marathon representing Freemasons? There is room for six lucky contenders being organised by Jim Blackledge of the Petre Group of London Masons.
    The team, from Dreadnought Lodge No 4366 and Bolingbroke Lodge No 2417, completed the course last April and raised more than £4,000 for Crisis, which carries out charitable work on behalf of the homeless.
    In addition, you can seek to be one of the team that takes part in the Crisis Square Mile Run in the City of London. This takes place in mid June and is another opportunity to help the homeless. Inquiries to Jim Blackledge on 01708 225932.

Help for cancer research

Warwickshire Freemasons have donated £58,000 to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for latest diagnostic equipment for prostate cancer, which kills more than 8,000 men each year.
    Warwickshire Provincial Grand Master Stanley Lates said: "Freemasons are taught to be charitable to all and to assist those who are less fortunate than ourselves."
    Robert Russell, Provincial Grand Master of the Warwickshire Order of Mark Masons, commented: "Many of us have friends and colleagues who have suffered and died from prostate cancer.
    "It is in their memory that the Freemasons in Warwickshire have generously provided this much needed equipment to help in the fight against it."