bury district newsletter - pglel · bury district newsletter ... pilkington lodge 6522 thurs 22nd...

Province of East Lancashire

Bury District Newsletter

March 2012 The EL 2015 Festival The total donated to date to the Festival is

£888,288.13

For all Festival, Provincial and District News visit

www.pglel.co.uk

What’s On In The District Page 8

Our Chairman Writes… Page 3

The Royal Arch Page 9

Building of The Temple Page 5

Festival Update Page 7

Sedgley Lodge Page 4

On a wet Wednesday morning in February, over 1000 brethren from this and many other Provinces met at Blackburn to witness a very special ceremony. The installation of RWBro Sir David Trippier as the Provincial Grand Master for the Provincial Grand Lodge of East Lancashire by the Pro Grand Master, Peter Geoffrey Lowndes.

A full team of Officers from the United Grand Lodge of England had travelled up from London for the ceremony including the Pro Grand Master, Grand Director of Ceremonies, three Deputy Directors of Ceremonies, Deputy Grand Chaplain, and the Grand Tyler.

Also present were a host of Provincial Grand Masters, Deputy Provincial Grand Masters and Assistant Provincial Grand Masters from many other Provinces, both near and far.

At 11:15 precisely WBro Derek Nelson Thornhill, Deputy Provincial Grand Master in Charge, along with the senior officers of the Provincial Grand Lodge of East Lancashire entered the hall in processional order and the special meeting of Provincial Grand Lodge was opened. The Deputy Provincial Grand Master was then saluted by the brethren present.

On a report the Grand Director of Ceremonies, VWBro Oliver Lodge TD, was admitted and under his direction the Most Worshipful Pro Grand Master, Peter Geoffrey Lowndes and the Officers of Grand Lodge were received. The Pro Grand Master took the chair of the meeting and after the appropriate salutations he addressed the brethren on the objects of the meeting. He then appointed RWBro Tom Lloyd, Provincial Grand Master from Staffordshire , a personal guest of Sir David and RWBro John Clayton, Provincial Grand Master of Yorkshire West Riding to act as Senior and Junior Wardens and asked them and the Deputy Grand Chaplain to take their positions in the lodge.

The Grand Director of Ceremonies then formed a deputation to introduce the Provincial Grand Master Designate to the meeting. Sir David Trippier then entered the Lodge in a procession of 6 Brethren, one representing his own lodge and five from amongst the oldest lodges in the Province.

The Provincial Grand Master was then invested and installed in to his office by the Pro Grand

(Continued on page 2)

Investiture of Sir David Trippier, RD,JP,DL,


Lodge/Chapter Date Activity Hall Contact Duke of Lancaster 4207 Wed 7th March Lecture Ashday Lea David Russell 01706 873663 Cribden Lodge 7285 Tues 13th March Initiation Ashday Lea David Taylor 01205 533406 Concord 1534 Thu 15th March Old English Night Radcliffe Brian Marsden 01204 592339 Grants Lodge 8825 Mon 19th March Wine Tasting Ashday Lea Ian Rogerson 01706 217087 Fairway 6693 Tues 20th March Installation Bury Steve McDermott 0161 969 1987 Pilkington Lodge 6522 Thurs 22nd March Personal 50th Radcliffe Anthony Wildin 0161 764 6739 Knowsley Lodge 4661 Wed 28th March Personal 50th Bury Mike Church-Taylor 01706 648757 Secretaries/Scribe Es If you would like your Lodge/Chapter Activities to be included in future months please send details as soon as they are available to WBro Gerry Russell ([email protected])

Who’s Doing What in March

The Installation of Sir David Trippier (continued) Master according to custom, after which the Grand Director of Ceremonies proclaimed RWBro Sir David Trippier as the RW Provincial Grand Master for the Masonic Province of East Lancashire and called on the brethren to salute him. Sir David responded by thanking the brethren for their salutations and said he was so proud to serve them.

The RW Provincial Grand Master then re-appointed WBro Derek Thornhill as his Deputy Provincial Grand Master and also re-appointed his Assistant Provincial Grand Masters.

The RW Provincial Grand Master then addressed the brethren, speaking about his love for the Craft and his love for his Lancastrian roots. He set out his aims for the future of the province and making recruiting new members a priority he set a target of increasing the number of brethren by 10 per cent in the next 3 years.

The Provincial Grand Lodge was then closed in due form. The brethren processed out under the direction of the Grand Director of Ceremonies where they retired to a buffet luncheon.

Dining at Ashday Lea As well as the facilities at Ashday Lea being available for Private Events, such as Weddings, Birthdays, Conferences, Funerals, Exhibitions, etc, a Full Sunday Lunch is available on every 2nd Sunday in the month. Lunch at £12.00 per person is served between 12.30 and 2.00 pm and usually consists of a choice of four starters, two mains and four sweets.

**Sunday, March 18th, a Special Mother’s Day Lunch**

There is a Licensed Bar and a Large Private Car Park For Bookings please telephone 07766860469 or 01282 420655


Our Chairman Writes

Brethren, could I thank all of you who attended the Installation of the Right Worshipful Provincial Grand Master at Blackburn, the Bury District seemed to be very well represented. It may or may not have escaped you attention but we have lost two lodges in our District this month (March), Starkie Lodge No. 1634 at Ashday Lea and Sedgley Lodge No. 4361 at Radcliffe. Hopefully the members of these lodges have or will find new lodges soon and I am sure we wish them all well. This brings me round to recruitment and retention. Initiatives have been mentioned (see the new PGM’s address at Prov. Grand Lodge) in an attempt to boost our numbers and we must all be pro-active in our efforts to look after the current members we have and to try and encourage the right people to join this wonderful organisation of ours. With this in mind our District Mentor, WBro Jeremy Aston, is holding two Mentors Meetings, one on Thursday 29th March, at Ashday Lea & another on Friday 30th March, at Bury Masonic Hall. I would ask as many Mentors as possible to attend and if not could someone be nominated to attend, preferably the Master or DC of the lodge. Finally could I urge you to look at the diary dates in this newsletter and the forthcoming events. Lodges, Chapters and Special events, such as the Big Band Night in July, need our support and I would request that you give them your best support. John Griffin, District Chairman

Charity News At a recent meeting of the Charity Stewards Committee it was reported that the level of individual donations to the EL2015 Festival was significantly less than had been expected. Although the level of donations from lodges and chapters was very pleasing, personal commitments were disappointing. The charity stewards were asked to encourage the brethren of their lodges /chapters to make a regular personal contribution, dependant, of course, on their individual circumstances. There was also a request that lodges/chapters should consider, when making donations, to give the EL2015 Festival priority, with the ELMC second and non-Masonic charities third. To this end it has been decided to postpone the annual ‘Giving Evening’ in Bury District for the remainder of the Festival period. Unfortunately the Country Fair planned to be held at Hewlett Court has had to be postponed until next year due to the shortage of time to prepare a first class event, however the team set up to organise this event will continue in their work. WBro Stuart Ashworth is organising an evening with the Saddleworth Male Voice Choir on October 13th for which posters and details will soon be available. Lodge and Chapter officers are reminded that grants from the ELMC Community Fund are available for Community Charity Projects where Freemasons are actively involved. Application Forms are available on the website or from your Charity Steward. The level of Grants from the Community Fund has recently reached a massive £219,076 since it’s inception. Please see the ELMC website at www.ELMC.co.uk for more information on the work of the ELMC.

REMINDER The next Meeting of the District Representatives will be on April 2nd at 7.30 pm at Ashday Lea, Rawtenstall. Please consider the house rule by wearing a tie.

www.pglel.co.uk The website is constantly being updated with all the

latest news and information in the Province. You can also follow us on twitter. @pglel

It is always a sad occasion when a Lodge meets for the last time but the brethren who attended the closing meeting of Sedgley Lodge cannot have failed to be impressed by the dignified and honourable manner in which the closing ceremony was conducted. After opening the Lodge in due form the Master, Bro Peter J Tomlinson, invited the Secretary, WBro Bryan Southern, to read a dispensation from the Provincial Grand Master permitting the change of meeting date. Following the normal business of the lodge Bro Tomlinson was pleased to hand cheque donations to the ELMC and the EL2015 Festival to the APGM, WBro Philip Mountford, on behalf of the members of the lodge. WBro Michael Atkins was then called upon to give an address on the history of the lodge which it was agreed was most interesting and informative. The lodge had been consecrated on March 30th 1922 when the petition for it’s formation had been supported by it’s ‘mother’ lodge, Concord 1534. In the first ten years there were many initiates and the lodge quickly developed in numbers to outgrow it’s first home resulting in a move to Bridge Street. Subsequently the lodge moved to the Boars Head and eventually, along with Concord Lodge, moved to Radcliffe Masonic Hall. After having been passed hand to hand by each member of the lodge the Warrant of the Lodge was finally handed to WBro Mountford for return to Grand Lodge. In his response WBro Mountford assured the brethren that the difficult decision to close was the right decision but added that he sincerely hoped that every brother would remain in the craft and would continue to enjoy their freemasonry. There followed an excellent Social Board where the emphasis was most definitely on celebrating the 90 years of Sedgley Lodge and it’s achievements. In his final response Bro Tomlinson paid special tribute to the brethren of the lodge who had supported him in this most difficult year of office.

The Small Print Bury District News is the newsletter of the brethren of Bury District in the Province of East Lancashire and is edited and printed by Gerry Russell, District Communications Officer. All editorial content is based on the personal opinions of the editor and is not intended to represent or reflect the opinions or feelings of the members of the District in general or any individual member. All content is the property of the editor and must not be copied, transmitted, reprinted or published in any format without the written permission of the editor. The editor does not necessarily concur with any opinions or content expressed in any letter or article submitted for publication.


Sedgley Lodge No 4361

The Brethren of Sedgley Lodge with the APGM, WBro Philip Mountford, as the Warrant is handed back

The APGM, WBro Philip Mountford, takes wine with the WM, Bro Peter Tomlinson

The Brethren of Sedgley Lodge with their guests at the Social Board

The Building of King Solomon’s Temple


WBro Steve Pollitt

The Brethren of Concord Lodge and their guests had an excellent evening when they received WBro Jimmy Rogers and WBro Jeffrey Smith from the Cleveleys Lodge of Mark Master Masons No 1176, who were to demonstrate 'The Building of King Solomon's Temple'. Although one or two brethren had seen the Building of the Temple before, especially when it was last at Concord Lodge in March 2001, this demonstration is well worth seeing over and over again.

The demonstration included Bible readings which emphasised the link between Biblical and Masonic terms, the story of the three temples that were built and the relationship to the present day site of the original temple. Reference was also made to the historical links between present day religions including the origins of both Muslim and Christian ceremonies.

The various accounts of the safe keeping of the Ten Commandments and the Ark of the Covenant made interesting listening. When discussing the present location of the Ark of the Covenant, Jimmy Rogers assured the brethren that Harrison Ford’s mantelpiece was not one of them! He did however include a reference to Rosslyn Chapel, but that maybe just down to Dan Brown.

While Jeffrey Smith read the Bible passages, Jimmy Rogers gave a most informative, instructive and in many places humourous description as the thirtieth scale model rose from it's foundations to be completed by its enormous tower, complete with the pillars of Boas and Jachin. The presentation was nothing short of excellent and earned much praise from lodge members and visitors alike.

The demonstration concluded with the completed temple being spectacularly illuminated in a darkened lodge room to the admiration of all present.

(If any Lodge would like to book this demonstration I can pass on the contact details, Editor)


The Future of Freemasonry

In this newsletter you will read about the closure of a lodge and, sadly, more are soon to follow, so surely it must be imperative that we all come together to market our organisation and to encourage men of quality and calibre to join us. Many readers will have read, or will have heard of, the interview with the Manchester Evening News by VWBro Nigel Brown, the Grand Secretary. This interview was given as a part of his national tour to promote the publication on March 9th of an independent report by the Social Issues Research Centre entitled ‘The Future of Freemasonry’. This report, commissioned by the United Grand Lodge of England, is a very comprehensive document stretching to some 23 pages and has now been issued to both the national and local news media. In his foreword to the report Nigel Brown writes, ’Modern Freemasons are keen to dispel the myths and misconceptions that have long surrounded the organisation. In order to do this, it was clear we needed to enlist the help of an independent body to embark upon an impartial assessment. In doing so, we anticipated shaping a discussion that would not only offer an open and transparent account of Freemasonry to those outside the organisation, but also provide a fresh viewpoint to those within it.’ This report, as it gets circulated, will no doubt raise many eyebrows and it is inevitable that it will have it’s critics but as Nigel Brown also says, ‘As we look to the next three hundred years, this report will form an intrinsic part of our discussions into how best Freemasonry can evolve whilst retaining the distinctive character and ideals that have attracted members for centuries, and will hopefully do so for centuries to come.’ Out of the report come several key findings including: -While half of those questioned said they did not know what Freemasonry is all about, more than one in three (35%) were aware of its charitable role. -Nearly half (49%) wanted to know more about Freemasonry, while a quarter of male respondents (26%) would consider joining. Of these, 68% were attracted to the idea of belonging to a group and making new friends and 58% would like to do more in the community. It is to be hoped that this report, supported by Nigel Brown’s tour and press interviews, will help to lift the veil of myths and mistrust that is common place in today’s society. As Nigel says: ‘There are some extraordinary myths about masons and it’s really important to get rid of them. I’m very keen we are seen as a transparent, open organisation’ In our own province of East Lancashire Sir David Trippier, in his installation address, made reference to a new report entitled Marketing, Recruitment and Retention which aims to achieve the goal of seeing a 10% increase in recruitment and a 20% increase in retention by the year 2015. Is this possible? To quote from Sir David: ‘Fundamentally it requires that each and every one of us is an Ambassador for the Craft. Not only to realise our ambition for new members, but to persuade the outside world that through the way we behave AND our significant charitable giving to non-Masonic charities, Masonry is an enormous force for good and a respected voluntary organisation whose ideals could and should be embraced by all those who believe in tolerance, kindness and integrity in a world today which badly needs tolerance, kindness and integrity so very much.’ The Grand Master said, “Talking openly about Freemasonry, as appropriate, is core to my philosophy, central to our communications strategy and essential to the survival of Freemasonry as a respected and relevant membership organisation”

VW Bro Nigel Brown, Grand Secretary


Brethren and Companions The current Festival total as at 5th March 2012 was £888,288.13. In the same period I’m pleased to report our Area had donated £147,928.37. Your continued support of the Festival is appreciated in providing much needed care for our elderly Freemasons and their dependants. The RMBI now accommodates over 1000 residents in 17 care homes around the country. In addition, a number of other people living in the community receive pastoral care from the Care Advice Team, making a total of over 3000 people who now benefit from the RMBI of which two thirds are woman. It’s a fact that people are living longer. In 1973, the average age of a new admission in an RMBI home was 64. From 1973 to now the average age of new admissions has risen to just under 90 and with two out of three people demonstrating some form of Dementia. In the next proceeding 5 years, the number of specialist Dementia beds will increase to 600 at a cost £20 million. As well as our own Provincial website which has a vast amount of information on the Festival and the RMBI. The RMBI website http://www.rmbi.org.uk/pages/rmbi-news.html includes their latest newsletter with articles from residents and staff as well as a section on Ecclesholme. Festivals like ours help the RMBI provide a wide range of care and support for our elderly Freemasons and their dependants. Please try to support the Festival. By taking out a regular payment promise each month no matter how big or small really does make a difference. We only have a few months left before the summer recess so could I once again remind you of a few events that will be taking place over the coming months in aid of the Festival. On Saturday 14th July a ‘Big Band Night’, in celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of HM The Queen, has been arranged by Bury District Communications Officer Gerry Russell. This will be held at Radcliffe Civic Suite with Smithills School Senior Big Band performing immediately prior to their American tour. Tickets are £15 to include a hot supper. A stage performance of ‘The Calendar Girls is being arranged by Bolton District Chairman Peter Faulkner. This will be held on Friday 14th September at Bolton Little Theatre. On Sunday 30th September we will be having our ‘Walk the Province’ starting at Moses Gate Country Park. The walk will be along the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal and cover a distance of 3 miles (5 miles for the more adventurous) with refreshments afterwards at Radcliffe Masonic Hall. A Western Area Quiz Night is to be arranged; hopefully teams of 6 from each Lodge and Chapter will take part with the winning team competing against the winners from other Areas. Could you please contact me if you are involved with arranging quiz nights and would like to assist.

If you require more information on future events or have any questions or concerns on the Festival, please contact me either by email: [email protected] or Tel: 07811 380502.

Festival Update from Steve Pollitt - Our Area Festival Manager

Graham Rawlinson and Paul Waring are attempting to walk two 1/2 marathons in Berne, Switzerland on 19th and 20th May for the Festival

You can sponsor them by going to http://www.justgiving.com/Graham-Rawlinson

What’s On In The District

Saturday March 24th ‘Let’s Talk Masonry’ Helmsley House Salford Masonic Hall Friday May 18th Bury District Dinner Bury Masonic Hall All Masons Welcome

Saturday July 14th Big Band Night To Celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of HM Queen Elizabeth II and in support of EL2015 Festival Smithills School Senior Big Band Radcliffe Civic Suite

Friday September 14th ‘Calendar Girls’ Bolton Little Theatre

Sunday September 30th ‘Walk The Province’ Moses Gate Country Park

Saturday October 13th Saddleworth Male Voice Choir St John’s Church Walmersley


The Diamond Jubilee

Sir David Trippier, our new Provincial Grand Master, has expressed a desire that every District in the Province should promote an event to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. To achieve this aim in Bury District it has been decided that the Big Band Night scheduled for July 14th will be promoted as such an event.

This should be an excellent evening with the fantastic young musicians of Smithills School so do please give the District, and the Festival, your support at this event. Tickets are now on sale so why not reserve yours by calling Gerry Russell on 07764826233, email: [email protected] or Steve Pollitt on 07811 380502, email: [email protected]. Otherwise send a cheque for £15 for each person, made out to Concord Lodge Social Fund to G.Russell, 16 Great Stone Close, Egerton, Bolton, BL7 9UY and your tickets will be sent by return

On Monday March 5th the Meeting between the District Officers from Bolton and Bury and the APGM, WBro Philip Mountford, and the APGP, EComp David Thornton, was kindly hosted by Bury District Assistant Secretary, WBro David Taylor, at Ashday Lea. At this meeting our Deputy Chairman, WBro Mike Gibbons, was able to give assurances that the scheme to build a new Masonic Hall at Radcliffe was still very much ongoing. Many of the planning obstacles had now been overcome but the biggest remaining problem was to obtain the necessary level of income from the sale of the remaining halls, especially in the current financial climate. This is a major aspect of the funding for the new hall.

Bolton & Bury at Ashday Lea


Provincial Grand Chapter 22nd February 2012 Following the special meeting of Provincial Grand Lodge and a luncheon in the Windsor Suite nearly 800 Companions came together for the meeting of Provincial Grand Chapter. This figure represents nearly forty percent of the membership of the Royal Arch Province.

Provincial Grand Chapter was opened by the Most Excellent Pro First Grand Principal, Peter Geoffrey Lowndes, assisted by Officers of Supreme Grand Chapter. The ME Pro First Grand Principal then welcomed the Companions and stated the object of the meeting was to install Excellent Companion Sir David Trippier as The Most Excellent Grand Superintendent in and over the Province of East Lancashire.

The Grand Director of Ceremonies submitted the Grand Superintendent designate’s Patent of Appointment to the ME Pro First Grand Principal, for inspection. The ME Pro First Grand Principal, having examined the Patent then directed the Grand Director of Ceremonies to form a deputation to introduce the Grand Superintendent designate.

Excellent Companion Sir David Trippier then entered the Chapter accompanied by the deputation of First Principals from some of the oldest Chapters in the Province. The ME Pro First Grand Principal, directed the Grand Scribe Ezra to read the Patent of Appointment, after which the ME Pro First Grand Principal installed and invested Sir David as the ME Grand Superintendent in and over the Province of East Lancashire.

The ME Grand Superintendent then appointed and invested the Second and Third Provincial Grand Principals, Excellent Companions Wesley Marchant and Reverend Donald Pryce. The Grand Director of Ceremonies then proclaimed the Grand Superintendent and the other two Provincial Grand Principals.

The ME Grand Superintendent then appointed and invested Excellent Companion William Porter as the Deputy Grand Superintendent. The Deputy Grand Director of Ceremonies then proclaimed the Deputy Grand Superintendent

The appointment of the Assistants to the Provincial Grand Principals was then confirmed as was the remaining Provincial Officers appointments.

The ME Grand Superintendent then addressed the meeting encouraging more Freemasons to join the Holy Royal Arch and closed by saying “Let us not be like porridge — grey, stiff and difficult to stir, let us be like cornflakes: fresh, crisp and ready to serve!”.

The ME Pro First Principal then retired in procession under the direction of the Grand Director of Ceremonies. The meeting continued with the business of Provincial Grand Chapter.

The Royal Arch

Message from EComp Roy Fairhurst, District Officer Royal Arch As you will be aware, at the present time, there is a retention and recruitment initiative in place. May I remind the Lodges that when they have a newly raised brother who is about to receive his Grand Lodge Certificate and the personal letter from the Most Excellent Grand Superintendent which accompanies it, I would be willing to present this to him. I would also be prepared so give a short introduction to Royal Arch Freemasonry, with a view to encouraging more Craft Masons to “Complete their journey in Freemasonry”.

bury district newsletter - pglel · bury district newsletter ... pilkington lodge 6522 thurs 22nd...

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