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(by Tristan Harris, Bromsgrove Standard, 15th May, 2022)

 

Freemason lodges across Worcestershire have raised cash and organised events to support humanitarian relief for Ukraine, as well as offering places for refugee families. Nationwide, Freemason groups have raised more then £600,000 so far with specific aid for five charities which have accepted £100k between them to fund their vital work. They include UK for UNHCR Refugee Agency (emergency shelter and protection), UNICEF (health and emergency supplies), Plan International UK (child protection and education), British Red Cross (refugee support and resettlement and The Refugee Council (refugee support and advice). One Worcestershire lodge has literally taken to… read more:

 

 

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(by Jaimie Kay, LeedsLive, 15 May 2022)

 

Freemasonry is an old order, going back to the 1700s, and now LeedsLive has spoken to some members to lift the lid of the ‘secret’ organisation. Members of the ‘secret’ masonic order used to mainly be builders of churches and cathedrals – hence masonry, but since then, the organisation has changed quite significantly. The Leeds Lodge is one of the larger lodges in the county. Founded in September, 1947, they are well-established and based at Castle Grove Masonic Hall in Headingley. LeedsLive spoke to some Freemasons at The Lodge of Dawn, one of several masonic lodges in Leeds. It used to be that Freemasonry was very much a secret order, but… read more:

 

 

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(by Jacob Colley, cumbriacrack, 4th May 2022)

 

Freemasons in Cumbria have delivered 70 teddies to help comfort families with children in hospital. On May 1, Cumbria Freemasons delivered the teddies to the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle to be used to help comfort families with young children. A hospital visit can be a frightening experience for a young child, especially in an emergency situation. Teddies for Loving Care (TLC) is a way of providing much-needed comfort to children in A&E departments, helping to reduce the shock and distress of their experience. Every child that receives a teddy gets to take it home. TLC is locally managed by Cumbria Freemasons who also volunteer their time to run the… read more:

 

 

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(by Tanya Marschke, Central Western Daily, May 13 2022)

 

Orange Freemasons have stepped in to help out their flood-affected brothers in the northern rivers… read more:

 

 

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(by Dan Wilkins, Exmouth Journal, May 9, 2022)

 

A community group which gives men an opportunity to work on projects together has been boosted by a donation by Exmouth freemasons. The Sun Lodge has donated £300 to Exmouth Men’s Shed towards a CNC machine which uses computer software to complete 3D cutting tasks. The Men’s Shed was launched nine years ago by Open Door Exmouth and helps men to find new friends, develop new skills and enjoy friendly banter. The new piece of equipment will help to extend their skills through training and support. Freemasons Dave Greenaway and David Bassett visited the Men’s Shed to make the presentation and were given a tour by… read more:

 

 

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(by Tim Gavell, The Gazette, 11th May 2022)

 

The new Conference Centre and Empress Ballroom at Blackpool Winter Gardens was the venue for the 2022 Provincial Grand Lodge of West Lancashire Freemasons. The annual event brings together members from the 500 lodges that meet across the Province of West Lancashire, and was this year hosted by The Lancaster Group. It celebrates the work of the various lodges and individual efforts of members, while also serving an administrative function. Officers were appointed and invested to key positions in the operation of Freemasonry in West Lancashire and a banquet followed the… read more:

 

 

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(by Darren Toogood, islandecho, 6th May 2022)

 

The award-winning Vectis Radio 4Ps project has received a financial boost thanks to the generosity of local Freemasons. The project, which helps young people with additional needs improve their confidence and communication abilities by using radio, is a registered charity. After a recent visit, Island resident Tim Lewis was so impressed with the work the project and the station does for the local community that he arranged for a donation from his Masonic Lodge. The cheque for £250 from Vectensian Lodge, based in Ryde, was presented by Tim to Maggie Currie, one of the… read more:

 

 

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(by Vicente G.Olaya, El Pais, May 10, 2022)

 

A secret society created in Scotland in the 18th century, the Freemasons have spread across the world. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin even founded a Masonic lodge on the Moon. John Dickie, author of The Craft: How the Freemasons Made the Modern World, says that Freemasonry is best understood as a paradox: it is a secret society, but the secrets are clear; it adheres to Enlightenment values, but its members have committed great cruelty. Dickie, who is a professor of Italian Studies at University College London, says it is the ceremonial aspect of Masonry that unites the membership, whose rituals include… read more:

 

 

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(by Ruth Davies, Western Telegraph, 27th April 2022)

 

A £400 donation by Tenby Freemasons has given a kitchen boost to one of Pembrokeshire’s holiday homes for disabled children and their families. The Harriet Davis Trust was set up in memory of Harriet, who suffered from a rare degenerative metabolic disease. Although she was unable to speak and had lost most of her motor abilities, seaside holidays – in the company of family and friends – were a great joy to her. When Harriet died at the age of 11 in 1992, her parents, John and Kit, set up the Harriet Davis Trust as a tribute to… read more:

 

 

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(by Derick Okubasu, Kenyans.co.ke, 3 May 2022)

 

Freemasons in the United Kingdom are helping five teenagers raise Ksh1.4 million (10,000 pounds) to facilitate the schooling of poor children in Kenya. According to Portsmouth, a British publication, the freemasons facilitated two of the five teenagers with a hall in Horndean through which they hosted fundraising on Tuesday, May 3. The duo, Mia Rattley and Tom Jones were given the hall free of charge. The teenagers, who include Taylor Masterman, Leila Dixon and Xander Harris, noted that they were raising the funds to build school facilities and help coach the youth in… read more:

 

 

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(by Lynn Martin, BoothBay Register, May 7, 2022)

 

This year’s Boothbay Region High School Alumni Banquet will be a bit different. The interest was low from the 2022 graduates to attend the traditional banquet, so the Alumni Association, Bayview and Seaside Masonic Lodges teamed up to offer the community the first of its kind … an Alumni/Masonic Cookout! The event will be held Sunday, June 5 from noon to 2 p.m. (stay longer if the weather is nice!) at Barrett’s Park, Lobster Cove Road, Boothbay Harbor. Should the weather be bad, the event will be canceled but the Masons will host the graduates at the Masonic Hall in East Boothbay on Tuesday, June 7 as they have done in the past. Notification of cancellation of the picnic will be on Facebook and on the Boothbay Register website. The same traditions will occur — the Masons giving a history of the lodges and… read more:

 

 

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(by Bill Lowrie, St Albert Today, May 06, 2022)

 

The Balmoral #185 Masonic Lodge made $10,000 donations to two St. Albert organizations on Wednesday. Lodge principal officers and members presented two donations of $10,000 each to the St. Albert Food Bank and the Sturgeon Hospital Foundation on May 4. Each organization was represented by their executive directors: Susan Krescy of the St. Albert Food Bank, and Katrina Black of the Sturgeon Hospital Foundation. These donations will provide support to the ongoing work these organizations do in the community. Balmoral Masonic Lodge has been in St. Albert for 60 years since being founded. During that time, it has met in various churches and… read more:

 

 

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(by Priscilla Montgomery Jensen, The Wall Street Journal, May 1, 2022)

 

For generations, residents of Alexandria, Va., have taken their bearings from the imposing, stepped “lighthouse” modeled after the original in their namesake Egyptian city. It’s high on Shuter’s Hill, not far from the Potomac; everyone in the area agrees it’s the best place for sledding after a decent snowfall. But while many are aware that the structure commemorates Virginia’s most famous son, fewer know it as the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, a “temple” dedicated to enshrining Washington’s association with Freemasonry in memoriam perpetuam, and to promoting the Masons’ shared values of “liberty, justice, equality, and charity.” Preparing for the Memorial’s 2023 centenary, its director of archives and exhibits, Mark A. Tabbert, realized that, despite a significant survival of Masonic Washingtoniana—even the minutes of his 1755 induction survive—“no comprehensive analysis” of his relationship with Masonry had yet been written. At the suggestion of a colleague, Mr. Tabbert set about assembling one. His intent, he says in the preface to “A Deserving Brother: George Washington and Freemasonry,” is “to present all known physical evidence of George Washington’s membership in, and… read more:

 

 

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(by Lewis Clarke, DevonLive, 2nd April 2022)

 

Freemasons have donated thousands to help past and present soldiers. ABF, The Soldiers’ Charity is the Army’s national charity, for soldiers, past and present, and their families for life which the Devonshire Freemasons have donated £6,000 towards. Last year they supporting 60,000 people in 63 countries around the world. They award grants to individuals and families, and fund organisations that support soldiers, former soldiers, and their families. When they hear of a person or family in need, they aim to respond within 48 hours. ABF in Devon supported around 82 individuals with funds of £73K distributed. Alan Gorczyca of Devon’s ABF said: “We are extremely grateful for the kind donation of £6,000 from the Devonshire Freemasons. It will be used within the county to… read more:

 

 

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(by editorial board, Burnham-On-Sea.com, May 1, 2022)

 

Burnham-On-Sea Freemasons have this week donated £1,000 of food supplies from Tesco to the town’s Foodbank amid growing demand for the service. The Fremasons collected the food on Saturday (April 30th), as pictured here, before delivering it to the Highbridge and Burnham Foodbank team for distribution. Maxine Bashford, who leads the Burnham Foodbank, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “Our Foodbank is hugely grateful for the amazing donation of food received from the Freemasons.” “In each of the last four months we have given out more food… read more:

 

 

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(by Special correspondent, The Hindu, May 02, 2022)

 

Divine service, interactive session to mark sesquicentennial celebrations today Freemasons, the oldest secular fraternal organisation, will hold sesquicentennial (150 years) celebrations of one of its local lodges at the Goshamahal Baradari Masonic Building here on Monday. Called May Lodge No. 19, it is the oldest one in the twin cities consecrated on May 2, 1872. A divine service and interactive session will be held to mark the occasion. Long term service jewels will be presented to Shorabji N. Chenoy and Minoo R. Pilcher for completing 60 years of membership in May Lodge on the occasion, while the 25 years service jewel would be given to Suresh Mohan Singh and G.K. Mehan, said grand master Anish Kumar Sharma, head of Freemasonary in the country on Sunday. During his maiden visit to the city after taking over as… read more:

 

 

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(by John Davidson, John O’Groat Journal & Caithness Journal, 01 May 2022)

 

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s Wick Youth Volunteer Scheme has received a £100 donation from the Thurso masonic lodge, Lodge St Peters Operative 284. The cheque was handed over by lodge treasurer Doug Treasurer and past master James Moodie to volunteer instructor Colin Gunn, who is also the watch commander at the Wick Commmunity Fire Station. Following delays due to Covid restrictions, the group got under way at the end of September, last year. The main objective of the Youth Volunteer Scheme is to provide a safe, welcoming, enjoyable and fun environment where young people can learn as individuals, develop positive relationships and actively work together for a safer Scotland. The scheme provides a… read more:

 

 

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(by Rod Thompson, Newcastle Weekly, April 19, 2022)

 

The generosity of the Lower Hunter will result in more than 100 bags of school supplies making their way to the Northern Rivers. After witnessing the devastating floods of 2022 throughout the region, the founders of The Backpack Venture put a call out to the community to help collect items for families in the Greater Lismore area. And, the team at LJ Hooker Cessnock – led by Bryce and Mellissa Gibson – answered the SOS. The pair lent their premises as a drop-off point for donations, as well as rallying support from local residents for the worthy cause. “Mellissa and I recently assisted The Backpack Venture with their back-to-school drive in January, so we didn’t think twice about helping out again,” Mr Gibson said. “Especially, after seeing the utter devastation caused by the floods.” But… read more:

 

 

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(by Lewis Clarke, DevonLive, 26 April 2022)

 

Hospiscare have received an £1,000 boost in Exmouth thanks to the Freemasons. This year the Freemasons, as part of their annual support of hospices throughout the country assistant provincial Grand Master of Devonshire Andrew Vodden together with Reuben Ayres their charity steward presented a certificate denoting the £1,000 given by the Devonshire Freemasons and the Masonic Charitable Foundation to Toni Hiscock of High View Gardens Hospiscare in Exmouth. The Masonic Charitable Foundation will give grants totalling £600,000 this year to hospices in England & Wales including almost £10,000 to the seven hospices here in Devon as part of the £15 million given since 1984. This includes £300,000 which will be distributed to each hospice that receives less than 60% funding from the NHS. A further £300,000 will be… read more:

 

 

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(by Dan Wilkins, Exmouth Journal, April 28, 2022)

 

Members of Exmouth’s freemason lodges attended the launch event for the Beach Wheelchair Project which makes it easier for people with physical disabilities to access the beach. In early 2020 the freemasons of Exmouth donated £1,500 to the town council project – around two years later the project was launched with representatives of the Sun Lodge, Rolle Lodge, Per Mare Per Terram Lodge, The Sun Chapter, Amity Lodge of MMM and Bishop Surtees Chapter Rose Croix all present. The Beach Wheelchair project is run from a new eco-friendly unit on Exmouth’s seafront with access across the road onto the beach. There are seven beach wheelchairs, two with floats for use in the sea, two for users to swim from and keep alongside, two for… read more:

 

 

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