Installation of Peter Kinder as Provincial Grand Master of Leicestershire & Rutland
Freemasons in Leicestershire & Rutland have had a change of leadership for the first time in 10 years
At a special meeting in Leicester, where over 420 Freemasons attended, Peter Charles Kinder, a Freemason for the last 46 years, has taken over as Provincial Grand Master, succeeding David Hagger as the organisation's thirteenth head since the combination of the counties of Leicestershire & Rutland in 1856.
On Friday 29th November 2019, Freemasons' Hall in Leicester was close to capacity as the UGLE's Deputy Grand Master Jonathan Spence and his team made their way from London to preside over the Installation of Peter Kinder as Provincial Grand Master of Leicestershire & Rutland.
Before the meeting, a lunch was held in both the Oliver and Holmes Dining Rooms to celebrate a new era in Freemasonry for Leicestershire & Rutland. At the meeting afterwards, Peter Kinder was announced as the new Provincial Grand Master, after which he proceeded in to announce his team for the coming year to help run, support, and manage the 11 Masonic Centres and 79 Lodges.
Peter was born and raised in Leicester, son of Ken Kinder, a sales and marketing professional at British United Shoe Machinery Limited in Leicester. Peter's mother, Kath, was born in Hertfordshire, where her father ran the family bakery business until she moved to Leicestershire after meeting Ken.
Peter completed his education by attending Southfields College in Leicester where he studied Boot and Shoe manufacturing, (BBSI Grad.) linking in with his occupation with the National and International Adhesive Manufactures Bostik Limited as a sales management trainee. Peter has stayed within the industry and is now Chief Executive Officer of Anglo Adhesives in Melton Mowbray.
Freemasonry runs in the family, the influences of his Father, Brother, God Father, and many friends led Peter to join the fraternity in 1973. When not working or carrying out his many duties for the Freemasons, Peter is a keen golfer. He was Captain of Rothley Park Golf Club in 1994. Moreover, he was also a very interested Rugby player at Stoneygate FC and now follows Leicester Tigers and Leicester City Football Club.
When asked about his goals for taking over as Provincial Grand Master, Peter said: 'Freemasonry is more relevant in today's society than ever before. The constant challenges that face us in our working and social lives, can be enriched by the work we as Freemasons do.
'My major objectives during my tenure as Provincial Grand Master is to build on the successes of the past. Encourage larger attendances at Lodges and further develop the Pathway project that will hopefully lead us to recruit and retain many high calibre members. Additionally, to ensure that our members take great enjoyment out of what we do and to bring Freemasonry to the forefront of the local communities that we serve.'
New & Young Masons Clubs Conference in Leicester is a tremendous success
In 2018, the Leicestershire & Rutland Light Blue Club successfully bid to host the 2019 New & Young Masons Clubs Conference. Beating competition from other clubs throughout the country, the Light Blue Club’s winning theme of 'Building Bonds’ was the foundation for months of hard work, culminating in the conference that was held at Freemasons’ Hall, Leicester on 28th September 2019
The New & Young Masons Club (NYMC) was created to bring together all of the Light Blue Clubs from around the country, to share ideas and best practices and to ensure their continued success. Representatives from 31 of these clubs descended on Freemasons’ Hall, Leicester, to enjoy an action packed and informative day, with friends, acquaintances, new members and a great line up of speakers.
After welcoming their guests, a tour was conducted by our Light Blue Club members of the magnificent building we have at London Road, culminating in a talk in the Holmes Lodge Room by Richard Barnett and a viewing of their museum.
By 10am, the 100 seats in the magnificent Holmes Lodge Room were filled as their Light Blue Club Chairman Bob Reay opened the conference. Bob gave a welcoming speech and introduced the Provincial Grand Master for Leicestershire & Rutland David Hagger, who thanked everyone for attending and introduced the day’s guest speakers. Next to take to the stage was the President of the Light Blue Club, Peter Kinder, who gave an insight into the origins of the Light Blue Club, along with his thoughts and aims for the day.
Samuel Harris of the Light Blue Club then took great pleasure in introducing the next two sets of speakers, with whom he had been liaising to secure their time for a ground breaking set of presentations. First to the stage was the Grand Master of the Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons, Christine Chapman, to give an insight into the history and background to Women’s Freemasonry in England.
There are two Grand Lodges of Women Freemasons in England, and the second presenter was Elaine Malone, Deputy Grand Secretary, accompanied by Mia Cameron-Dungey, from the Order of Women Freemasons. This presentation was very well received and gave the audience a better understanding of where the Order originated from, as well as an insight into their future plans.
The first ‘Break out session’, with the theme entitled The Foundation Stone, involved a move downstairs to the Oliver Dining Room, which was set up by the superb team at Devonshire Place. The round table discussions proved to be a huge success, with energy and enthusiasm for understanding what it is our New & Young Masons Clubs need to be successful.
After lunch, the team from Solomon, David Pratt, Provincial Grand Master of Yorkshire, West Riding, together with Dr. Craig Johnson and Ken Wootton, gave a valuable insight into the Learning & Development programme.
Breakout sessions two and three, ‘Raising a Superstructure’ and ‘Building Bonds’ were equally a success, with great feedback from all participants as the attendees worked towards sharing ideas and developing a mission statement.
Then in the Holmes Lodge Room. Focusing on the Future of Freemasonry and how we can all help to achieve this bright future, David conducted a captivating presentation, which was followed by a question and answer session before the day's proceedings were brought to a close. To round off an exhausting yet captivating day was Mitch Merrick-Thirlway, the Administrator of the NYMC, as it was down to him to announce the winners who would host the conference to held in 2022. And the winners were, the Fleet House Light Blues Club from the Province of Hertfordshire.
After such a superb day, of learning, listening, education, and sharing of ideas, many of the attendees stayed on to enjoy the hospitality of the Wyggeston Lodge No. 3448 to complete the day.
David Hagger said: ‘I would like to thank all of the organisers and members of our Light Blue Club for what has been an excellent day. I would also like to thank all of our guests and speakers for their valuable time and also to all of the members from up and down the country for their energy and enthusiasm. You are the future of Freemasonry and today has demonstrated what a bright future we have.’
Leicestershire & Rutland Freemasons pedal for PROSTaid to raise over £4,000
Cycling for charity is now common place within the Province of Leicestershire & Rutland, as shown by a team of intrepid riders from Knighton Lodge No. 4711 who donned their lycra to help raise over £4,000 for PROSTaid, a local charity supporting men and their families through diagnosis, treatment and recovery of prostate cancer
A team of six riders had been preparing for some months for the challenge of the Cycling Way of the Roses, taking them from Morecombe to Bridlington covering a total of 170 miles over three days, starting on the 13th September 2019.
The Knighton Lodge members were: Phillip Kent, Mark Tebbatt, Rajesh Solanki and Mark Nutting, who were joined by Xenia and Ross Kent for the intrepid adventure. Working to ensure their comfort and safety was the support team, consisting of the Lodge’s Master Dennis McCauley and his wife Christine, together with Paul Reynolds and Sarah Nutting.
The weather was kind but the going was tough – the finishing line was certainly a sight for sore eyes and weary limbs.
The tremendous effort raised a total of £4,200 for PROSTaid.
Leicestershire & Rutland Freemasons add their collection to a 'cabinet of curiosities'
As part of the celebrations of 25 years of Heritage Open Days, England’s largest festival of history and culture, Leicestershire and Rutland Freemasons were invited to supply curiosities from their extensive museum at Freemasons’ Hall in Leicester to form part of a ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ at their birthday party in London
The event was held at the exquisite Two Temple Place in London which is one of London’s architectural gems, an extraordinary late Victorian mansion built by William Waldorf Astor on the Embankment.
The items on display were a jelly mould emblazoned with a square and compasses and a set of light bulbs with the square and compasses as filaments. The jelly mould is an interesting relic of days gone by. One of the most enjoyable features of a night at the Masonic Lodge is to sit together with your fellow members and enjoy a good meal after the ceremony.
This jelly mould would enable the members to have a very interesting (and no doubt tasty) jelly put before them for their dessert with the various symbols so familiar to them adorning its surface. It is likely that this mould came from the latter half of the 19th century.
The Masonic light bulbs were (and are) very popular for lighting the stations of the three principal officers in American Lodges. The usual Masonic symbols of the square and compasses are often used as the shape of the filament of the bulb.
These bulbs are quite collectable and rare examples of the bulbs illustrating various American Masonic associations for men and women can fetch high premiums. These particular bulbs are of a more standard type.
Assistant Provincial Grand Master, Dr. Andy Green, who took the items to the event, said: 'Our masonic items certainly stood well in the Cabinet of Curiosities and evoked a lot of interest with those attending the reception.'
Freemasons’ Hall, Leicester, will be opening its doors on Saturday 21st September 2019 as part of the Heritage Open Days. More details can be found here.
East Midlands Freemasons get on their bikes to raise over £7,000 for charity
The sun was out and the sunblock was on, as 20 cyclists from the Provincial Grand Lodges of Leicestershire & Rutland, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire gathered in Leicester on Saturday 29th June 2019 for this year’s 83 mile Charity Cycle Ride – raising £7,000 in support of the Rainbows Children’s Hospice and the Masonic Charitable Foundation
To wish them good luck on their journey, Helen Lee-Smith, Head of Individual Giving from Rainbows, said: ‘Thank you so much to all of those taking part today, yet again the support from the Freemasons is essential to Rainbows Children’s Hospice.’
Also there to wave them off was the Provincial Grand Master of Leicestershire & Rutland Freemasons, David Hagger, who said: ‘We are all extremely proud of the work we do to support Rainbows and the Masonic Charitable Foundation and thank all of those riders for raising such a fantastic amount today.’
On the hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures well in excess of 33 degrees Celsius, 20 cyclists including Freemasons, friends and family set off from Freemasons’ Hall in Leicester early in the morning before the sun was at its strongest. The route took the four groups out from Leicester and on towards Loughborough before heading through Shepshed and onto Derby in the first leg of the journey of over 33 miles.
The first stop was at the Masonic Hall in Derby, where tea, coffee, bacon sandwiches and much needed water were in abundance. The break was very much appreciated as the day was beginning to warm up, however time was of the essence, and it was not long before the next leg out through Long Eaton and on to Nottingham.
By now the temperatures were soaring, but that did not stop the determined cyclists to battle the searing heat and traffic as they arrived at the Masonic Hall in Nottingham for a rest in the shade and to restock with supplies.
The afternoon sun meant that water stops were frequent, but with determination and hard work, the cyclists made their way from Nottingham back into Leicestershire; finally finishing at Freemasons’ Hall in Leicester at around 6pm.
Leicestershire & Rutland to host New and Young Masons Clubs Conference on 28 September
The Province of Leicestershire & Rutland has been awarded the prestigious honour of hosting the 2019 New and Young Masons Clubs Conference at Freemasons’ Hall, Leicester
The Light Blue Club for New and Young Masons within the Province of Leicestershire & Rutland is part of a larger New and Young Masons Clubs (NYMC) network which brings together ‘Light Blue’ and Young Masons’ Clubs from around the Constitution to share ideas and best practice.
The prestigious annual NYMC Conference, hosted this year by Leicestershire & Rutland’s Light Blue Club, will be held on 28 September 2019. This year’s theme is ‘Building Bonds’ and it will look at ways to increase and improve links between clubs across the country, including more inter-club social visits and sporting matches.
The conference also acts as a mechanism for building on the bonds these clubs have made with the Universities Scheme lodges within the respective Provinces.
During the morning session, there will be a talk on women’s Freemasonry by Christine Chapman, the Grand Master of the Honourable Fraternity Of Ancient Freemasons. To close the conference, UGLE Grand Secretary Dr David Staples will provide the keynote address to the members.
Find out more about the event here.
Tuba entertainment for Leicestershire & Rutland Freemasons
Leicestershire & Rutland Freemasons, from St. Mary's Lodge No. 7164, gathered to enjoy the talented renditions of a young tuba player, Olly Douglas
Olly is 14-years-old and plays for the National Youth Orchestra and Uppingham School Concert Band. He recently received a grant from the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) to support the purchase of a professional standard instrument and also to be provided expert tuition.
Olly’s father Stefan Douglas, a member of St. Mary's Lodge, based in in Melton Mowbray, asked Olly to play his tuba at the festive board as a thank you to the lodge and Freemasonry as a whole for the support he has received in developing his musical career. He was only too delighted to oblige and gave a flawless rendition of the Hindemith Tuba Sonata and then, to lighten the mood, the theme from The Muppets.
Stefan Douglas spoke over dinner about the importance of the Talent Aid programme within the MCF and how it supports many gifted and talented young adults. He also expressed his sincere gratitude to all Freemasons who support the MCF through their charitable donations.
The Master of St Mary’s Lodge, Michael Brooman, said: ‘Helping the members understand the local work of the MCF alongside their national work is vital to ensuring the ongoing support of the Foundation.’
In attendance was the Deputy Provincial Grand Master of Leicestershire & Rutland, Peter Kinder, and Tony Molyneux, who both supported Olly’s application.
Bikers and Freemasons come together in Leicestershire to help good causes
The pursuit of friendship has often brought people from all walks of life together and this is true for a group of friends in Leicester with a common interest in both motorbikes and Freemasonry
The East Midlands Chapter of the Widows Sons Masonic Bikers Association, who represent the Province of Leicestershire & Rutland, have been out and about to promote both Freemasonry and biking, as well as helping a number of local good causes.
Two such organisations who have benefited from a visit of the Widows Sons are the Melton Mowbray Scouts and the Peter Le Marchant Trust, both of who received generous donations of £200 each. Earlier this year, the Widows Sons also visited Devonshire Court, the retirement home in Oadby, Leicestershire, to distribute Easter Eggs and bring fun and entertainment to the residents.
And the Loughborough Bike & Trike Festival was another event where the Widows Sons visited to chat with visitors about all things bike related, to discuss where the Widows Sons originated and their connection to Freemasonry.
Local charities receive over £31,000 from Leicestershire & Rutland Freemasons
Local charities gathered at Freemasons’ Hall in Leicester on 6th April 2019 to tell their story and receive generous donations from lodges, chapters and the Leicestershire & Rutland Masonic Charity Association
The Provincial Grand Master of Leicestershire & Rutland David Hagger opened proceedings by welcoming everyone and introducing the assembled charities to the work of the Leicestershire & Rutland Masonic Charity Association in the community.
The first guest to be introduced was the Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Michael Kapur OBE, who was not only present to receive £1,000 for his Charity Award for Young People, but to also assist in presenting donations to other well deserving organisations. Michael said: ‘This award scheme helps to shine a light on our brave young people in Leicestershire.’
The Hinckley based SNIPS (Special Needs Integration Project) received £2,000 to aid their mission of providing Saturday sessions, Summer play schemes and residential breaks for children with special needs. Phil Hall of SNIPS said: ‘This donation will go towards supporting the children and help us achieve our funding targets.’
Holmes Lodge No. 4656 from Leicester donated £3,000, split between Wishes 4Kids, Jakin Pregnancy Care and Counselling and Alex’s Wishes.
The Rainbows Hospice for Children & Young People were represented by Gary Farnfield and Dee Sissons to receive a donation of £8,318. Gary said: ‘We would like to say a huge thank you to the Freemasons’ for their continued support of Rainbows.’
Noel Manby, the Grand Superintendent of the Leicestershire & Rutland Royal Arch Freemasons, was on hand to present £3,700 to local charities including Bloodwise, Hope Against Cancer, Mesothelioma UK, and Shopmobility Melton Mowbray.
To round off the event, David Hagger said: ‘Freemasons are proud to support you, the workers and volunteers who give up your time to help those in need within our local community.’
Leicestershire & Rutland Freemasons raise over £70,000 for charity at Sportman’s Dinner
Over 720 Leicestershire & Rutland Freemasons and guests attended their eagerly awaited Sportsman’s Dinner on 21st March 2019, with former England cricketer Phil Tufnell the guest speaker, and helped to raise over £70,000 to support the Leicestershire & Rutland 2022 Festival and the Masonic Charitable Foundation
The event was held at the Leicester Tigers rugby ground on Welford Road and hosted by Roger Dakin, former England Hockey goalkeeper, with attendees enjoying an evening of fun and entertainment in support of the 2022 Festival.
The evening began with convivial drinks served in the Legends VIP and Final Whistle bars before being seated ready for the entertainment to begin. Roger Dakin delighted the audience with his famed jokes and stories throughout the night.
Aside from an entertaining evening, the more serious side was to raise money for worthy causes, which began with silent auctions for many items of signed sporting memorabilia and relaxing events for family and friends.
A live auction was held, with lots including a holiday to Antigua, tickets to the Monaco Grand Prix and a painting by artist Ben Mosley, with former England Test Cricketer Ed Giddins stepping into the hot seat as the auctioneer.
England and Middlesex left-arm spin bowler Phil Tufnell then took to the stage to recount some of his more famed sporting events throughout the course of his career as a sportsman, and then subsequently his foray into television on shows such as Question of Sport, Strictly Come Dancing and his reign as King of the Jungle on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.
The evening was a huge success, with over £70,000 being raised, which included the proceeds of the live and silent auctions.
David Hagger, Provincial Grand Master of Leicestershire & Rutland, said: ‘I would like to praise and thank the organisers of this event, to raise over £70,000 in support of such worthy causes is a testimony to the generosity of all who attended.’
