The Association of Medical, University & Legal Lodges (AMULL) Festival for 2017 was held on Saturday, 2nd September 2017 in the Governor’s Hall at St Thomas’ Hospital, London

There was a medical theme underpinning the Festival this year and on the banks of the River Thames across from the Palace of Westminster stood the venue – the famous St. Thomas’ Hospital, originally founded circa 1100 and on its present site since 1868. Deep inside the original building is the Governor’s Suite; in 1901 the setting for the consecration of the host Lodge, the Cheselden Lodge No.2870.

Guests enjoyed a morning of good fellowship whilst a classical string quartet, the Chiswell Strings, provided by graduate students from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, gave a recital which was followed by inter-faith prayers being led by ex-RAF Chaplain and current Metropolitan Grand Chaplain Rev John Hughes.

The medical theme continued with speaker Dr. James Le Fanu, himself a former student at St. Thomas’s who combines medical practice with being the Daily and Sunday Telegraph’s own medical columnist. He very much entertained the guests with his own special brand of medical gossip and satire on ‘Why do the media always get it wrong’.

This was followed by the usual champagne reception, which was taken on the Terrace overlooking the River Thames and the Houses of Parliament in glorious sunshine.

The President, David Williamson, presented this year’s AMULL financial Hardship Grant to Matt Davies, a 26-year old law student – and a non-Mason. The President explained that, having recently graduated with a First in Law from Portsmouth University, Matt had been successful in being awarded a prize to study for his Bar Practice Training Course at UWE Bristol.

Having been orphaned at an early age, Matt had worked to put himself through his undergraduate course and will continue to work to finance his living costs at Bristol. The AMULL Committee unanimously voted to award him a Hardship Grant of £2,000 to cover his first term’s rent and to give him a cushion for other out-of-pocket expenses to allow him to commence his studies and establish himself and find employment in a new city.

The toast to AMULL was proposed by Hugh Johnstone, Master of Cheselden Lodge No. 2870 to which the President responded.

A collection was taken during the lunch for the AMULL charity, which makes grants to the student community in the form of bursaries, scholarships and prizes. The collection raised a whisker under £2,500 (including Gift Aid), which is a record for AMULL Festivals.

Festival welcome in Chester

The 15th annual festival of the Association of Medical, University and Legal Lodges (AMULL) was held this year in Chester and attended by around 130 members, their wives and other guests. 

During the past year AMULL lost its chairman, John Harvey, who was killed in a motor accident. Subsequently David Williamson, Past Assistant Grand Master and the then President of the Universities Scheme, accepted the offer to become the Association’s new leader. 

Chester Cathedral was the venue for the annual ecumenical service, led by the Dean of Chester and Nigel Pett, Assistant Grand Chaplain. Next year the festival returns to London to be hosted by Western Circuit Lodge, No. 3154.

The Universities Lodge of Staffordshire No. 9907, was Consecrated on 5th September 2015 at Shelton Masonic Hall in Stoke-on -Trent, Staffordshire, becoming the 65th Lodge in the Universities Scheme

The Consecrating Officer was RW Bro David Kenneth Williamson PAGM, President of the Universities Scheme and recently returned from Consecrating the Universitas Lodge No.9917 in South Africa, who was ably assisted by a team from Grand Lodge. The Installing Master was RW Bro Alexander I. Stewart TD, Provincial Grand Master of Staffordshire, who Installed as the primus Worshipful Master W. Bro David Firth, PPrGSuptWks (Cheshire).

The event was attended by approximately 130 Freemasons, including the Organising Secretary W.Bro Peter Hughes, thirty Founders, and representatives from many other Provinces. The Consecrating Officer was able to confirm the new Lodge as a member of the Universities Scheme and of the Association of Medical, University and Legal Lodges (AMULL). The Lodge will serve the Universities of Keele and Staffordshire primarily and has already received application forms from fourteen students, all eager to join following attendance at the Fresher’s Fair in mid-September. The first meeting of the lodge, in October 2015, will be a triple Initiation.

The event was made the more memorable by the fact that mid-ceremony the Organist announced that the organ was on fire! The crisis was dealt with by a serving Fire Officer who was present amongst the brethren, while the Consecrating Officer smoothly continued the ceremony with barely a pause, an organ” transplant” being effected!

RW Bro. Williamson ends his tenure as President of the Universities Scheme in November 2015 after a decade in the role, handing over to Assistant Grand Master RW Bro Sir David Hugh Wootton. He will not, however, be ‘resting on his laurels’ as he will become President of AMULL.

Historic Charterhouse hosts festival

The 14th annual festival of the Association of Medical, University and Legal Lodges was held at London’s Charterhouse, founded in 1371, and hosted by medical and Universities Scheme lodge Æsculapius, No. 2410. 

The coffee reception was held in the Great Hall, which has been the Charterhouse Brothers’ dining room for the past 400 years, and the ecumenical service took place in the chapel (pictured right), conducted by the Preacher of Charterhouse, the Rev Robin Isherwood. Back in the Great Hall, the audience was given an insight into the work of David Battie, one of the experts from the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow. The 2015 festival will be held in Chester, hosted by the local university lodge.

The Association of Medical, University and Legal Lodges (AMULL) celebrated its 12th annual festival at Lincoln’s Inn in London, in the presence of Deputy Grand Master Jonathan Spence, his wife Almudena and Metropolitan Grand Master Russell Race.

This year’s host was the Chancery Bar Lodge, No. 2456, whose meetings are held in Lincoln’s Inn. The day included a lecture: ‘For Valour – The Victoria Cross’, by Mark Smith. An ecumenical service was held in Lincoln’s Inn Chapel, led by the Reverend Alan Gyle, with the address by the Venerable Peter Delaney. This year’s AMULL bursaries went to Michael Mather (Universities Lodge, No. 2352, Durham) and Daniel Glover (University Lodge of Liverpool, No. 4274).