At the regular meeting of Ferrers and Ivanhoe Lodge No. 779 in Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire, a cheque presentation was made to the Leicestershire and Rutland 2022 Festival Chairman Dale Page

On 8th January 2019, Past Master Terry Hueck had the pleasure, on behalf of the lodge, of presenting Dale with a cheque for £2,500, which had been raised during 2018 by its members and families and friends of the lodge at a number of social events. The most significant being a successful hog roast held in the summer.

Dale was pleasantly surprised and delighted to receive the donation into the 2022 Festival funds, saying that ‘such charitable donations give me confidence that the full sum of £1.8 million will be raised across the Province by 2022.'

The lodge is now preparing plans to continue with 2022 Festival fundraising throughout 2019.

The first ever meeting of Burbach Lodge No. 8699, in the Province of Leicestershire & Rutland, was held 43 years ago on 13th April 1976 at the Masonic Hall in Hinckley – now 300 meetings later, on 8th January 2019, the lodge gathered to celebrate this landmark achievement
 
The Master of the lodge Michael Kennedy began the evening’s celebrations by welcoming the Provincial Grand Master David Hagger together with the Provincial Team to Hinckley, making for a well-attended meeting with nearly 90 members in attendance.  

David Hagger began with an explanation of the lodge shield and the origins of the name, which is deep rooted in history, having been derived from the words 'BUR' meaning thistle, and 'BACH', meaning a lake or stream. Both symbols are present on the lodge shield. 

There is also a symbol showing a Maltese cross. This refers to the fact that Burbach Lodge, along with Sparkenhoe Lodge No. 8063 and St Simon & St Jude Lodge No. 8729, are daughter lodges of the Knights of Malta Lodge No. 50, all of whom meet at the Masonic Hall in Hinckley.  

The first ever summons circulated for the April 1976 meeting was read out by one of the founding members, Clive Kidd, followed by a brief history of the lodge by Alan James. It was then the turn of Michael Kennedy to lead his team in the raising of Nick Bryan to the degree of a Fellowcraft, before retiring for the festive board. 

David Hagger said: 'The work that has gone into this celebration is testament to the energy and enthusiasm within this lodge, which will put Freemasonry in good stead for another 43 years in Hinckley.'

Freemasons’ Hall in Leicester hosted a wide range of charities and good causes from all over the Province of Leicestershire and Rutland, as £60,875 was presented to benefit the local community and those in need

The donations were presented by the Provincial Grand Master, David Hagger, who was accompanied by the Lord Mayor of Leicester, Ross Grant. 

Leicester-based Reunite International who provide advice and support to parents whose children have been abducted overseas or parents accused of International parental abduction, received a donation of £1,000 which will go towards the replacement of ageing telephone and computer systems. As explained by Reunites Holly Whatsize, Leicester is the largest city outside of London where child abductions in these circumstances takes place, with 22 new cases in Leicester this year alone. Holly added: ‘We take on average 500 to 600 new cases each year.’

Chris Gatfield, of the Dove Cottage Day Hospice, who provide day care respite for those suffering from terminal illnesses, was presented with a donation of £6,800 to help support over 100 families a week who are suffering from cancer and other long term conditions throughout North West Leicestershire and Rutland. 

Members of St Simon and St Jude Lodge No. 8279, who meet at the Masonic Hall in Hinckley, were pleased to join with the Masonic Charitable Foundation in presenting cheques totalling £5,800 to The Air Ambulance Service.

Brian Moore from the The Air Ambulance Service said: ‘The children’s helicopters transfer sick children from one hospital to another who specialises in that particular case.’

In closing the presentation service, the Lord Mayor said: ‘on behalf of the City of Leicester, I would like to thank the Freemasons’ for supporting all of the amazing charities here today.’ David Hagger summarised by thanking the Lord Mayor, all of the charities present and those Freemasons’ involved in the fund raising efforts.

During the first year, over 500 bronze oak leaves with personal inscriptions have been purchased from the Bradgate Park Trust and installed on distinctive feature wooden oak pillars within the Memorial Wood, raising over £70,000 for the charity

The Memorial Wood at Bradgate Park was funded by Leicestershire & Rutland Freemasons to celebrate the Tercentenary, along with Leicestershire County Council, and was officially opened by the Pro Grand Master Peter Lowndes on 5th October 2017

Since then, the wood has settled down nicely after its opening and the Bradgate Park volunteers ensure that it continues to look its best. 

Peter Tyldesley, Director of the Bradgate Part Trust, said: ‘We are delighted by the public reaction to the Memorial Wood, which has become an attractive, peaceful and dignified place of remembrance and reflection.

‘The Memorial Wood has been successful beyond our wildest expectations and we are already planning an extension. The Trust is extremely grateful to all those who have purchased leaves and to the Leicestershire and Rutland Freemasons for their support in enabling us to make it a reality.’

The Provincial Grand Master of Leicestershire and Rutland David Hagger said: ‘Freemasonry has always been part of the local community and we are thrilled to leave a lasting legacy for the people of Leicestershire and Rutland as part of our 300th anniversary celebrations.’

Professor Turi King, the scientist at the heart of the project to find the remains of King Richard III, was the speaker at the 18th annual festival of the Association of Medical, University and Legal Lodges (AMULL) which was held on 6th October in the cathedral city of Leicester

Around 100 people attended and, despite the rain, everyone enjoyed a superb day of fraternity, festivity and fun.

The festival was hosted this year by Wyggeston Lodge No. 3448, the Universities Scheme Lodge for the University of Leicester, with the programme for the event devised and administered by Dr Andy Green with support from AMULL Secretary Athelstane Aamodt.

The festival guests assembled for tea and coffee in cloistral hush of Leicester Cathedral, the resting place of King Richard III and the venue for the interfaith service conducted by the Rev Canon Michael Wilson, Grand Chaplain, whose excellent proceedings and highly topical address were rounded off with a rousing rendition of ‘Jerusalem’ which the assembled congregation sang with gusto. 

After the service, the guests made their way to the beautiful Guildhall, one of the best preserved timber-framed halls in the country and with a history dating back 600 years. There, Professor Turi King gave an entertaining and interesting talk on the excavation in Leicester that led to the discovery of King Richard III, managing to inject wit and humour into subjects like mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosomes. Her talk, which entirely captivated the audience, was rapturously received.

Professor King’s talk was followed by AMULL’s now-traditional champagne reception and then lunch in St. Martin’s House, culminating in a toast to AMULL given by Paul Marvin, the current Master of Wyggeston Lodge, with the response given by the AMULL President, David Williamson. 

AMULL was delighted to make hardship grants totalling £5,000 to three excellent students: Naomi Amos, Andrew Slater, and Joshua Holford whose respective stories were filled with inspiring grit and determination. AMULL was also delighted to make an award of £1,000 to Leicester University Scholarship Fund, which was accepted by Michael Turnbull on behalf of the University. This donation was generously matched from the Leicestershire and Rutland Masonic Charitable Association presented by the Provincial Grand Master of Leicestershire and Rutland David Hagger. 

AMULL President David Williamson said: ‘All-in-all a truly memorable Festival from every aspect.’

Next year’s festival will be hosted in London by Think and Thank Lodge No. 4112, one of the latest additions to the Universities Scheme.

The Masonic Annual Charity Event (MACE) came to Melton Mowbray Bowling Club on 10th August 2018, bringing together 14 Provinces from around the country

MACE is an annual national inter-provincial bowling competition and was hosted by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Leicestershire & Rutland. Rather frustratingly, the day experienced the first rain after weeks of warm fine weather, but undeterred by showers in the afternoon, a good day of bowling was completed with Gloucestershire emerging as winners after a close-fought final against Sussex, who will be next year’s hosts.

The Provincial Grand Lodge of Leicestershire & Rutland produced £4,000, boosted by a generous raffle and auction, to add to the £45,000 already raised by MACE since it began eight years ago.

Provincial Grand Master of Leicestershire & Rutland David Hagger was on hand to present cheques to their two worthy charities, Rainbows and Dove Cottage, who expressed their delight at such meaningful support for the fantastic work they do. 

On a sunny Saturday in August, members of the Light Blue Club, some 48 in total, all arrived at The White Hart in Loughborough, to begin the first Magical Mystery Bus Tour

Arriving in Hawaiian shirts, which was the dress code for the day, the members were in good spirits and excited about the day ahead.

The day was organised by Freddie Harris, of Beacon Lodge No. 5208, and Andrew Yorke, of Highcross Lodge No. 4835, and proved to be a great opportunity for the members to meet up during the summer break, blow off some steam and have a good time together.

Visiting picturesque establishments in Walton on the Wolds, Hoby, Sileby, Rearsby, Thrussington, and Quorn to name but a few the journey on the vintage double decker bus was most enjoyable.

There were even a few non-masons on the tour; one is joining Highcross Lodge very soon and another enjoyed it so much, meeting the members plus hearing about all the good deeds undertaken by Freemasons, that he has just applied to join Beacon Lodge.

At the end of the tour, they all returned to Loughborough, where the venue had live music and bands playing throughout the rest of the evening. £100 was also raised for Leicestershire's 2022 Festival appeal.

It’s the journey  that matters

Via Rolls-Royce, camper van, horse and cart, speedboat and tandem bicycle, Lifelites chief executive Simone Enefer-Doy travelled 2,500 miles in two weeks to raise the profile of this hard-working charity

Providing life-changing assistive technology, Lifelites helps the 10,000 children and young people in hospices across the British Isles live their short lives to the full. On 25 May 2018, the charity’s chief executive, Simone Enefer-Doy, set off on an epic road, air and river trip to spread the word and raise funds.

The 2,500-mile challenge, called Lift for Lifelites, was to take in 47 famous landmarks in England and Wales in just 14 days. For each leg of the journey, Simone received a lift from Provincial supporters in an eclectic mix of transportation. After setting an initial target of raising £50,000 for Lifelites, the total now stands at over £104,000. Simone says she has been astounded at the support and generosity she encountered as she travelled around the country. 

‘Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that so many people would come out to meet me on my journey and support my challenge. We have received a terrific welcome wherever we have gone, and it really spurred me on to continue whenever I felt myself flagging. I would like to thank everyone – drivers, donors and venues – for helping to make Lift for Lifelites happen. We couldn’t have done it without you.’

If you’d like Lifelites to come to one of your Provincial meetings to make a presentation about Simone’s adventure and how the charity will use the money, please get in touch via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 0207 440 4200.

Young people in Leicester not in employment, education or training (NEETS) are to be helped into work thanks to a £35,000 grant from Leicestershire and Rutland Freemasons

Around 250 young NEETs between the ages of 11-24, many of whom are also homeless, involved in substance misuse and crime, will be helped by TwentyTwenty through their Journey to Work programme over three years.

These are young disadvantaged people who have failed at school, through being excluded or not being able to engage with mainstream education. They exist in a demoralised state, feeling neglected and without a meaningful future. Being able to come to TwentyTwenty they will gain not only the maths, English and employability skills they need to find and keep a good job but also the vision and confidence to go out and get one.

Young people who come to TwentyTwenty face a wide range of personal and social needs: poor physical and mental health, learning disabilities (many on the autistic spectrum), caring responsibilities (including teenage motherhood), lack of decent housing, family criminality, gross economic disadvantage, low level drug addiction and a complete lack of societal or family support.

Through intensive one-to-one support from a Journey to Work Coach and Tutor, the young people will undergo an eight-month programme of education, life and work skills, work experience and counselling. These will prepare them for either work or further education, during which they will be supported by volunteer mentors.

Mark Vyner, CEO from TwentyTwenty said: 'We’re very grateful for this generous grant from Leicestershire and Rutland Freemasons, which will allow us to help hundreds of young people to turn their lives around and see a real reduction in the numbers of local people without jobs.'

The grant from Leicestershire and Rutland Freemasons comes through the Masonic Charitable Foundation.

David Hagger, Provincial Grand Master of Leicestershire and Rutland, said: 'We’re very pleased to be able to help TwentyTwenty who are doing outstanding work giving hope and practical help to young people who have had a terrible start in life, by breaking the cycle of worklessness.'

Leicestershire and Rutland Freemasons have generously donated nearly £61,000 to 26 charities supporting local communities in many areas including health-related charities.

The charities all gathered at an event at Freemasons’ Hall in Leicester to receive their donations from the Provincial Grand Master, David Hagger, and the Grand Superintendent of the Royal Arch Masons, Noel Manby, on behalf of Leicestershire and Rutland Freemasons.

They included Leicester-based Mia Moos Foundation, which provides holidays for children with cancer, receiving a donation of £1,200 from the Leicestershire and Rutland Masonic Charity Association.

Mia Moos was set up in 2016 by Chris Phipps after this daughter Mia was diagnosed with leukaemia at 21-months-old. Chris said: 'Three weeks ago we managed to purchase a static caravan at Butlins so families with children on oncology wards can apply to us for a weekend or week away free of charge with full access to Butlins. They can get a break from their hospital treatment on the east coast for some sea and sand and time away with their families.'

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, who are committed to eradicating type 1 diabetes which affects 29,000 children in the UK, received a donation of £600 from Holmes Chapter No. 4656.

Members of the Morley Lodge No. 8320 donated £1,300 to the Leicestershire Autistic Society, which provides support, information and advice to families and professionals dealing with Autism in Leicestershire, Leicester City and Rutland. It is volunteer led organisation, where the vast majority of their volunteers are parents or carers of someone with Autism spectrum disorder.

Linda Hardcastle from Leicestershire Autistic Society said: 'We do provide a play scheme in the summer holidays for children with very severe autism. We used to get grants for this from the city and county council but we don’t anymore, so the money for this has to be raised. Thank you very much to the Freemasons for this donation which will be so helpful in funding this scheme.'

Provincial Grand Master David Hagger said: 'Freemasonry is now one of the largest charitable givers in the UK, and we are thrilled to be able to support charities working in our local communities.'