Children’s Hospice South West

At the Annual Meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Somerset, the sum of £150,000 was presented to the Children’s Hospice at Charlton Farm. Andrew Stebbings from the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys was present, together with Eddie Farwell Founder and Chief Executive of the Children’s Hospice South West. £40,000 of the money raised will be used to equip six children’s bedrooms at the hospice in Wraxall. To illustrate how these rooms will look, a model of a bedroom, perfect in every detail was made by Freemason David Kuff, of Weston-super-Mare.

Lodge Pays Tribute to Fallen Brethren

The Frederick Lodge of Unity, No. 452, paid tribute to their war dead at Bray-sur- Somme in Northern France earlier this year. Lieutenant John Ibbs, a member of the lodge from 1912 until his death in 1917, was buried there in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery. Five members of the lodge attended the service. At the time of his death Lt. Ibbs had a three-year-old daughter, whose education was provided by what is now the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls & Boys.

Oxford Masons fund British Heart Foundation

Brethren of the Weyland Lodge, No. 6507, in the Province of Oxfordshire, together with their partners, friends and guests, celebrated their Ladies’ Festival at the Petwood Hotel, Woodhall Spa, Lincs. The hotel served as the officers’ mess for 617 Squadron (the Famous Dambusters) during the second world war. During the weekend £1400 was raised for the Master’s charity, the British Heart Foundation. One of the guests donated a prize of a trip on the Orient Express for two people and this raised an additional £400 when it was auctioned.

Herts Freemasons help Sri Lanka

Ken Moore, Senior Warden of the East Herts Border Lodge, No. 6641, has for the last decade holidayed in Sri Lanka where the 2004 tsunami struck. He has got to know the Sarath family who live in the village of Dodanduna, whose livelihood was completely destroyed. Much hard work by Ken and his wife June, with assistance from members of the Lodge, has over the last nine months raised over £3,000 to offer some financial help. Ken visited the Sarath family and has presented the family with a new, fully equipped, fishing boat.

Canonbury Masonic Research Centre

18 October: Gareth Knight, Dion Fortune and the Masonic Tradition
15 November: Charles Cicero, The Rosicrucian Vault: A Compendium of the Universal Unity
6 December: Neville Barker Cryer: The York Mysteries Revealed

8th International Conference: Saturday and Sunday 4 and 5 November. Knowledge of the Heart: Gnostic Movements and Secret Traditions. A dynamic two-day conference. Carole McGilvery – 020 7226 6256. email: macgilvery@canonbury.ac.uk

Centre for Research into Freemasonry
Sheffield University.

10 October: Dr Francis Harris of the British Library; Alchemy and Monstrous Love: episodes from the life of Sir Robert Moray.
    The Centre’s seminars are held at 1pm in the Douglas Knoop Centre, 34 Gell Street, Sheffield S3 7QW. Admission free.
    Other seminars are being held on 24 October, 10 November, 4 December and 12 December. For details of speakers consult the Centre’s website: www.freemasonry.shef.ac.uk.
    There will be a workshop on Marranos and Masons: Problems and Possibilities on 1 November 2006. e-mail j.p.banham@sheffield.ac.uk; tel. 0114 222 9890.

The Cornerstone Society

The 2006 Northern Conference entitled ‘To Work With Love And Harmony’ will be held at Hemsley House in Salford, Manchester on Saturday 11 November. Speakers: Dr. Brent Morris, leading Masonic scholar; Prof. Njördur P. Njardvik, Grand Master of the International Order of Co Freemasonry Le Droit Humain; Trevor Stewart, 2004 Prestonian Lecturer; Julian Rees, Deputy Editor of Freemasonry Today. Tickets £15.50 per person including light lunch.
    Application forms on line at www.cornerstonesociety.com or write to the Secretary. Please enclose a stamped addressed envelope. Payments can now be made on line. A lecture tour in November 2006 is planned for Brent Morris, details on our website. A programme of Cornerstone Society lectures for lodges throughout the year is available. Interested lodges are invited to contact us.
    Exclusive lapel pin, enamel finish, with The Cornerstone Society’s distinctive logo now available. Cost, including postage and packing, is £7.00 UK, £7.35 continental Europe and £8.15 USA and the rest of the world. Purchase the pin online on our website or write to the Secretary, enclosing payment. Email secretary@cornerstonesociety.com or write The Secretary, The Cornerstone Society, ‘Bellfield’, 13 Victoria Road, Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, FY8 1LE.

Quatuor Coronati

   Thursday 9 November Installation Meeting - Inaugural Address: George William Speth 1847-1901 : the Gift of Historical Imagination
    Thursday 15 February 2007 J.S. Wade: Roman Eagle Lodge