Air Ambulance Helped by Warwickshire Royal Arch Masons

The Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance, the United Kingdom’s leading helicopter Emergency Medical Service, has announced that the Royal Arch Masons of Warwickshire have donated £25,000 to the Charity, the largest single donation that they have ever received.
    Representatives from the Charity, together with the Coventry and Warwickshire Ambulance Service, the Chairman of the Warwickshire County Council, the Chairman of the Warwick District Council and many Freemasons were in attendance. The special guest was Richard Wallis, the Grand Superintendent of the Provincial Grand Chapter of Warwickshire.
    At the presentation Richard said: ‘I am delighted to be able to hand over this donation to support this worthwhile and live-saving cause and to enable it to continue to serve the communities of Warwickshire and Northamptonshire in such a vital, caring and dedicated manner. We are extremely grateful for all that they do and are conscious of the many lives that they save when even minutes are critical for each patient. This donation has been achieved in just two short years thanks to the generosity of the 1650 Royal Arch Masons in my Province and I am pleased to acknowledge their unstinting support for this and many other non-masonic causes.’
    Mrs Jo Payne, the Fundraising Manager for the Charity said: ‘We are entirely reliant on donations. We are extremely grateful to the Freemasons for their generosity especially acknowledging that this sum represents many individual contributions.’

New Provincial Grand Master for Buckinghamshire

The Deputy Grand Master, Peter Lowndes, recently installed and invested Ray Reed as the new Provincial Grand Master for Buckinghamshire at Freemasons’ Hall, London. The ceremony was attended by a large team of acting Grand Officers, under the organisation of Grand Director of Ceremonies Jonathan Spence. A very large contingent of Brethren from the Province was present.
    In his inaugural address, the new Provinicial Grand Master said ‘Today sees the commencement of a new era in Buckinghamshire, and at the dawn of any new era there is always an air of expectancy’. ‘Having identified that 32% of all initiates stop attending their lodges within four years of initiation,’ he said, ‘we are tackling the problems relating to recruitment and retention. We must not rest on our laurels, but communication and involvement are gradually becoming strengths.’

MASONIC BIOGRAPHY RAY REED
1967	Initiated Thesaurus Lodge, No. 3891
1968	Exalted Thesaurus Chapter, No. 3891
1971	Advanced Thesaurus Lodge of Mark Master Masons, No. 792
1980	Joined Bourne End Lodge, No. 7943
1982	Joined Marlow Chapter, No. 2752
1985	Founder Bourne End Chapter, No. 7943
1987	Master Bourne End Lodge
1993	Joined Bucks Masters Lodge, No. 3305
1995	Provincial Junior Grand Warden
	First Principal Marlow Chapter
	First Principal Bourne End Chapter
	Joined Bucks First Principals’ Chapter, No. 3305
1997	Joined Dean Lodge, No. 2228
	Provincial Grand Almoner
1998	Provincial Assistant Grand Sojourner
	Perfected Rose Croix Chapter, No. 613
2000	Past Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies
2002	Master Dean Lodge
	Assistant Provincial Grand Master
2003	Provincial Scribe Nehemiah
	Past Senior Grand Deacon

Welcome From Dean of St Albans

Freemasonry had a warm welcome from the new Dean of St Albans Cathedral recently, at the annual Provincial service of thanksgiving. The Dean, the Very Rev. Dr. Jeffrey John, made his feelings known in the opening stages of the service. ‘These are very strange days for the Church,’ he said, ‘when not everyone is welcomed into it. Let me assure you that your welcome in this church and our appreciation of your generosity to this place over many years are genuine and wholehearted.’
    More than 400 Hertfordshire Freemasons, their partners, families and friends, were present. The Dean told the congregation that the Church was grateful for the support given by Freemasons to maintain the fabric and the musical tradition of the cathedral over many years of friendly association, and he looked forward to its continuation in the future.
    In his foreword to the order of service, the Provincial Grand Master, Colin Harris, said that the annual service of thanksgiving had become an important and valued part of the activities of the Province, and said how pleased he was that the Dean was continuing the friendship between the Cathedral and Freemasonry. The Province had made the restoration of the tomb of Duke Humphrey the subject of their Millennium Appeal. The Cathedral Flower Guild had commissioned a pedestal to complement the area of the tomb, and this was made by a local blacksmith, the work being paid for by Freemasons.

Developments at Library and Museum

The annual conference of the Association of Masonic Museums, Libraries and Archives in Europe was hosted by the Library and Museum at Great Queen Street. The conference was attended by delegates from nine countries, representing 14 masonic collections across Europe from Hungary to Norway. Representatives from two American masonic museums also attended. The programme included an introduction to virtual exhibitions by Diane Clements, the Director of the Library and Museum in London and Mark Tabbert of the National Heritage Museum, Lexington, USA; and a visit to the Library and Museum’s latest exhibition on friendly and fraternal societies. Freemasonry Today sponsored the opening reception. The Library and Museum of Freemasonry has announced a number of new appointments to its staff.
    Susan Snell has joined as Archivist and Records Manager. She has worked in a number of local record offices and archives, was Assistant Manager at the NatWest Group Archives, and subsequently Archives and Records Manager at the Natural History Museum. She is currently the Meetings Secretary for Archives for London, a new organisation for archive users and practitioners in the Capital. Susan will be taking forward the plans of the Library and Museum to catalogue more of their archive material. In addition she will be looking at the organisation of current records in Grand Lodge and working with colleagues there on updating the systems used.
    Emily Greenstreet has been appointed Assistant Librarian (User Services). Having obtained her Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science at the University of Western Ontario, Emily worked at the Learning and Resource Centre of Kingston University. She will be working with Martin Cherry (now Librarian) answering enquiries and dealing with users of the Library.
    Andrew Tucker has been appointed Assistant Curator. He joins the Library and Museum from the Wiltshire Heritage Museum where he was Assistant Curator and Keeper of Natural Sciences. He is working with Mark Dennis and will be particularly responsible for upgrading the storage of the museum collections.

London to Paris by Bike

When Nick Savage of William Rogers Lodge No. 2823 died recently of Cystic Fibrosis, his friends wanted to do something in his memory. Accordingly they decided on a London to Paris cycle ride, on which Nick’s widow Sian bravely agreed to join them.
    Space is too short to go into details: the route taken, the gendarmes they drank with, the hills climbed, the punctures, the dangers faced on the cheeseboards and roads of France. The route they took made it 203 miles from London to Paris, with 16 hours in the saddle.
    In the process they raised over £12,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and Royal Brompton Hospital, which cares for CF sufferers and undertakes research. Much of it was raised via their website: www.justgiving.com/wr2005 which is still open.
    If any others are tempted to do something similar, contact John Ashford on johnash4d@yahoo.co.uk

Dorset Celebrates 225th Anniversary

In 2005, the Province of Dorset is celebrating 225 years of its existence. Although Freemasonry in Dorset dates from 1736, it was Thomas Dunckerley who brought order to Dorset, culminating in the setting up of the Province in 1780.
    Members of the Province gathered at Sherborne Abbey for a service of thanksgiving. Guests included the Lord Lieutenant of Dorset, Capt. Michael Fulford-Dobson, the High Sheriff of Dorset, the Hon. Charlotte Townsend, and the Mayor of Sherborne, Councillor Peter Rhodes.
    The service was conducted by the Rev. Canon Eric Woods, Vicar of Sherborne and the sermon was given by the Rev. Canon Neil Collings, in which he spoke of the contribution that Freemasonry had played within Dorset and generally for the welfare of all communities, and of the historical significance of the Province.
    Readings were taken from a lecture delivered by Thomas Dunckerley, the first being read by Brother Bob Winder, aged 96 years, followed by 19 year old Brother Robert Blake, the oldest and youngest members of the Province.
    The Provincial Grand Master for Dorset, Harry Barnes, said ‘The Province of Dorset has always been proud to name great men among its members, but we are also proud of Dorset because we are celebrating 225 years of charitable support locally and nationally’.

Devon Freemasons Give £30,000 to Local Charities

Over 110 people assembled at the Masonic Hall in Paignton recently, when the Freemasons of Devon gave £30,000 to forty-three local organisations and charities. These organisations were spread throughout the county and included the Childrens’ Hospice South West, the Exeter Hospice, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the St John’s Ambulance and Exeter Cathedral Third Millenium Campaign.
    Also receiving awards were many less known charitable organisations often serving a local community, where gifts of £250 to £1000 make a real difference. These included organisations supporting handicapped children, providing holidays for children with serious illness or disability, and providing children’s theatre facilities. Donations are also made dedicated to supporting the elderly, support for cancer sufferers, pre-school education, community education and recreation, safe playing areas for children, support for victims of crime, and sailing and other activities for deprived children.
    The event was organised by Conrad Donaldson, Provincial Charity Steward, and Frank Handscombe, Secretary of the William Alexander Kneel Endowment Fund. This fund, established in memory of a prominent local Freemason, now exceeds £1 million, and proceeds from its investments are disbursed in this way annually. The cheques were presented by the Provincial Grand Master for Devonshire, Robin Osborn.

Masonic Baltic Cruise

John Hughes went to sea as a young man, was made Cadet Purser and later promoted to Deputy Purser. On cruises, one of his duties was to arrange special parties, which often turned out to be an informal masonic gathering. This involved putting a note in the ship’s daily paper advertising a meeting for Freemasons, which was hosted by the Deputy Purser.
    John Hughes got to know these Freemasons, as he was invariably invited to the cocktail parties, and he realised that they were a congenial group and they also raised a lot of money. As a result, John Hughes was initiated, and now, in his retirement, he and his wife have started going on P&O and Princess cruises as passengers. When P&O announced they were launching a new ship to be named Arcadia and she was to have four maiden cruises, one of which was to the Baltic, he decided to go. At the first meeting on the voyage some 25 Brethren attended and it was agreed to hold an informal dinner to include wives and widows. By this time the ship had left Tallinn and was sailing to St. Petersburg. Captain Steve Burgoine, his Purser and four widows joined 52 Brethren and their wives. The result of the dinner was that, after all expenses had been cleared, they had a modest surplus, half of which went to the Captain’s charity, the RNLI, and the other half to the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.