Daniel Saunders has become the newest member of the Lodge of Tranquillity No 3877 in a flawless and sincere initiation ceremony performed by WM David Boyes, group vice chairman Mike Cunliffe was also in attendance to witness the proceedings.

David Boyes (left) welcomes Daniel Saunders.

The lodge was opened by David, who conducted the normal business of the lodge after which, the ceremony of initiation commenced.

Having been prepared for the ceremony by veteran tyler Tom Lunt, Doug Lace, the inner guard, initially challenged Daniel on entry before he was received into the lodge and guided throughout the initiation ceremony by junior deacon Roy Brewis assisted by Alan Routledge senior deacon, who is Daniels work colleague and proposer.

The charge was delivered with sincerity by senior warden Alan Carter, a fine explanation of the working tools of the first degree was given by junior warden Ian McGovern. This concluded the ceremony of initiation.

Before the meeting was closed, the lodge secretary John Coppell was pleased to announce that two members of the lodge would be receiving promotion at the next meeting of Provincial Grand Lodge, Fred Hulse would receive the rarely conferred rank of Past Provincial Senior Grand Warden and David Boyes would receive the high rank of Past Provincial Grand Superintendent of Works, this was received with rapturous applause.

The lodge was then closed and everyone then retired to the festive board, where Mike Cunliffe welcomed Daniel to the Woolton Group and gave him a welcome pack. In his capacity as group mentor, David Boyes gave Christopher a copy of the initiation ceremony, and wished him well, hoping that he will enjoy his time in Freemasonry.

Article and photographs by Doug Lace.

Pictured left to right, are: Alan Routledge, David Boyes, Daniel Saunders, Mike Cunliffe and Roy Brewis.

Bookings are now being taken for the Annual Charity Stewards Dinner and Cabaret which is once again being held at Preston Masonic Hall. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Masonic Charitable Foundation 2021 Festival.

Early booking is advisable as this event had repeatedly sold out well in advance each year. Booking forms can be downloaded here or obtained from your Group Charity Steward.

The next  WLFC Annual Charity Dinner and Cabaret will be held on 17 June 2017 at the Floral Hall, Southport.

The event, organised by the West Lancashire Freemasons’ Charity will with the kind permission of the Provincial Grand Master this year be hosted by the Liverpool and Gladstone Groups.

It is an opportunity to enjoy good food and first rate entertainment, with the added bonus that the evening highlights the good work of the West Lancashire Freemasons’ Charity.

As always it is our intention that the music should appeal to a broad spectrum of tastes. entertainers who will, appeal to lovers of good music, in the form of the excellent “Wayfarers Barbershop and Acapella Chorus” and for those who enjoy what has become a happy tradition of ending the evening by dancing in the aisles, “The Rockets” a sensational band who deliver a mix of songs covering the 1950’s and 1960’s; the band who are regulars at the famous Cavern Club in Liverpool will round off the evening.We shall once again be using the excellent facilities provided by the Floral Hall, Southport. To add to your comfort, and enjoyment of the evening, new round table layouts have been introduced, and for the ticket price is just £35.

Accommodation is limited however, and I would urge you to book early to avoid disappointment.

Brief details are as follows:

Venue: The Floral Hall, Southport

Saturday 17 June 2017 – Reception 4.45 pm. for Dinner at 5.30 pm. – Carriages 10.30 pm.

Dress: Lounge suits

Tickets: £35 each

Menu
Starter – Fan of Melon on a bed of rocket with a Raspberry Coulis
Main Course – Seared Chicken Breast with a Chasseur Sauce, Seasonal Potatoes and Vegetables
Vegetarian Option available – Mediterranean Roasted Vegetables
Dessert – Trio of Chocolate Torte with Fresh Cream

Download the booking form for up to five couples here. The completed form, together with a post dated cheque (6th April 2016) made payable to the West Lancashire Freemasons Charity, should be sent to the

Committee Secretary WBro Joe Williams, 7, Elton Avenue, Blundellsands, Liverpool, L23 8UN.

Alternatively, we again offer the convenience of booking by credit card or debit card.

I look forward to welcoming you to Southport for what should be a very happy celebration highlighting the good work of our own West Lancashire Freemasons’ Charity.

Kindest regards,

Andrew Whittle

Chairman – Organising Committee

The Provincial Grand Master Tony Harrison said that he was both grateful for and moved by the wonderful support that was shown at the first of the church services of thanksgiving, marking the tercentenary of United Grand Lodge which took place at the Lancaster Priory. The historic event was very well attended by West Lancashire Freemasons from across the north, west and centre of the Province.

The Provincial Grand Master Tony Harrison, in the processional at Lancaster Priory.

Gale force winds and heavy rain did not deter the hundreds of attendees who packed the 11th century church for this, the first Provincial service of thanksgiving. The service is to be repeated shortly at St Elphin’s Church, Warrington for brethren and their families in the south of the Province to attend

Tony Harrison and his wife Maureen were joined by the Deputy Provincial Grand Master Philip Gunning and Assistant Provincial Grand Masters, Tony Bent, Harry Cox, David Grainger, David Winder, Derek Parkinson, Kevin Poynton, Stewart Seddon and Robert Wright, many of whom were accompanied by their ladies. It was also wonderful to see Peter Hosker, PPrGM together with Tom Blackburn and Howard Jones both of whom are PPrDGM’s of the Province, joining many of their friends and colleagues.

A broad range of Masons from grand officers to Entered Apprentices took part in the service that was a combination of celebration and thanks. The choir and clergy processed into the church and were followed by the PrGM who was preceded by a full Provincial retinue including the Provincial sword bearer and standard bearers, together with both Provincial wardens. The processional hymn of ‘Praise my Soul the King of Heaven’ was sung with overwhelming gusto and provided a rousing start to the service.

The congregation were welcomed very warmly by the Rev Chris Newlands, Vicar of Lancaster who said how ‘sincerely pleased he was that the Freemasons had chosen Lancaster Priory as the venue for their service of thanksgiving’.

Acting Provincial officers gather before the service.

Following the bidding prayer, the choir sang Psalm 150 which was followed by a reading from ‘Chronicles’ by Jason Benn, a Fellowcraft from Baldwin Lodge No 1398 which detailed the prayer by Solomon at the building of the Temple. Another inspiring and uplifting hymn, to the familiar tune of ‘Cwm Rhondda’ followed with the congregation rising superbly to the task in rendering, ‘Guide me O’ thou Great Redeemer’ with a passion that would have brought a tear to the eye of many a Welshman.

A second reading from ‘Luke’, concerning the story of the ‘Good Samaritan’ was given by Stephen Fisher, an Entered Apprentice from Great Eccleston Lodge No 8895. This reading was to be reflected on in greater detail during the Oration.

Tony Bent, who has been responsible for the organisation and promotion of the Tercentenary celebrations within the Province, then gave an inspiring and thought provoking presentation on the work of Freemasonry within the community.  He highlighted the ‘quiet and unassuming manner’ in which Freemasonry operated as a force for good and charitable works, reflecting that we had been, in the past perhaps ‘too quiet and self-effacing’ about our work. He further suggested that Masons were not just generous in their donations of financial assistance but were repeatedly as philanthropic in the gift of their time.

In his concluding remarks, he reminded the congregation that Freemasonry had always and should continue to be acutely aware of its roots in the local community and the role it can and should play in supporting that communal foundation. He ended by suggesting that although it was tempting and indeed understandable that we could reflect with pride on the past 300 years, it was equally important that we looked to the future and renewed our commitment to maintaining and promulgating the principals of Freemasonry.

Pictured from left to right, are: Stephen Fisher, Tony Bent and Jason Benn

Following a further appropriate and inspiring hymn led by the choir, the Provincial Grand Chaplain Rev Canon Godfrey Hirst ascended the pulpit to deliver his oration. Taking as the core of his text, both the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan’ and the very human need to ever be seeking ‘truth’, Godfrey delivered a resounding and uplifting homily in his inimitable and poignant style. He used many examples which highlighted the ‘principles and tenets’ of Freemasonry and reminded everyone that although the ‘Volume of the Sacred Law, would guide us to all truth’, we as ‘children of our Creator’ had a responsibility to ‘be diligent in determining fact from fake’ and implored that, ‘may the search for truth be the focus of our further endeavours’.

Rev Canon Godfrey Hirst PrGChap delivers his oration.

During the offertory, which was made to the benefit of the Priory Church, Masonic stewards assisted and the congregation sang ‘For all the Saints, who from their labour’s rest’. This was followed by prayers of thanksgiving, led by Godfrey, and culminating with the singing of that quintessential celebratory hymn ‘Jerusalem’ accompanied by further stirring and profoundly moving accompaniment from Steven Derringer PrGOrg.

In a final act of avowal and reaffirmation, Godfrey invited all Freemasons to stand and join him in a pledge of ‘Dedication to future endeavour’ which they all exceeded to in response to each enquiry of ‘Will you?’ with the resounding reply of, ‘We will, the Most High being our helper’.

Very appropriately the final hymn of the service was ‘Now the evening’s shadows closing’ followed by ‘The National Anthem’, prior to the recessional led by the choir and clergy, followed by the Provincial team.

Speaking after the service, Tony Harrison expressed his gratitude and thanks to the Rev Chris Williams and his team at the Priory for allowing the service to be held in the church. He also gratefully acknowledged the time and efforts employed in organising such a successful celebration that had been undertaken by Tony Bent and his team. He reflected on the magnificent support shown by the brethren and said: “It has been a wonderful and historic occasion and I am sure that the second service at St Elphin’s in Warrington will be supported in an equally generous manner by the brethren in the south of this great Province of West Lancashire.”

Impressive scenes within the Lancaster Priory at the Service of Thanksgiving.

The three principals of Red Triangle Chapter No 3874 were delighted to present a cheque for £150 as a donation to Zoë’s Place Baby Hospice, Liverpool. The chapter members are all very much aware of the tremendous work that the hospice does for babies and wanted to support their endeavours.

At Zoë’s Place, they care for babies from 0 – 5 years of age, all of whom have a life threatening or life limiting condition that demands 24-hour care.

Since 2013 the chapter have made an annual donation to the hospice. In essence some money that the members personally save is donated to add inestimably to the quality of lives of the children.

To find out more about Zoë’s Place, go to their website.

Article and photograph by Doug Lace.

Pictured from left to right, are: Harry White, Ian McGovern and Alan Routledge.

Once again heavy rain did not deter the 100s of attendees who packed into St Elphin’s Church, Warrington, the second Provincial service of thanksgiving to celebrate 300 years since the formation of the first grand lodge in the world at the Goose and Gridiron Tavern in St Paul’s Churchyard on 24 June 1717.

St Elphins Church.

St Elphin’s is the Parish Church for the town of Warrington, a place of worship has been present on the site of St Elphins Church since about 650AD, and the presence of a priest in Warrington was recorded in the Domesday Book. According to tradition the first church was built by Saint Oswald for his companion Elphin, who remained as the first priest there until his death in 679.

The earliest fabric in the present church is in the chancel and the crypt, which survive from the church built in 1354 by Sir William Boteler. The church was badly damaged by the Parliamentary forces in the Civil War. Following this the tower was rebuilt in 1696 and the nave in 1770. The south aisle was added in the early 19th century. Most of the fabric of the present church is the result of an extensive restoration between 1859 and 1867 by Frederick and Horace Francis. It was during this restoration that the spire was added.

The Provincial Grand Master Tony Harrison, in the procession into St Elphins Church.

The Provincial Grand Master Tony Harrison and his wife Maureen were joined by the Deputy Provincial Grand Master Philip Gunning and Assistant Provincial Grand Masters, Tony Bent, Mark Dimelow, Harry Cox, David Winder, John Hutton, Derek Parkinson, Kevin Poynton and Robert Wright, many of whom were accompanied by their ladies.

A broad range of Masons from grand officers to entered apprentices took part in the service that was a combination of celebration and thanks. The clergy processed into the church preceded by Mark Barton and Malcolm Bell both of whom are Provincial Deputy Grand Directors of Ceremonies, followed by the both Provincial wardens, the Assistant Provincial Grand Masters and the Provincial Grand Master who was preceded by the Provincial Grand Sword Bearer and followed the the Provincial Grand Standard Bearers. The processional hymn of ‘Praise my Soul the King of Heaven’ was sung with overwhelming gusto and provided a rousing start to the service.

The congregation were welcomed very warmly by the Lay Reader Lee Marsh who said how pleased he was to see so many Brethren and their families attending that service of thanksgiving.

Bro Richard Clatworthy.

Bro Clive Smith.

Following the bidding prayer, the choir sang Psalm 150 which was followed by a reading from ‘Chronicles’ by Richard Clatworthy, a Fellowcraft Freemason from Warrington Lodge  of Concord No 1250. Richaard delivered the reading with confidence. The reading detailed the prayer by Solomon at the building of the Temple.

Another inspiring and uplifting hymn, to the familiar tune of ‘Cwm Rhondda’ followed with the congregation rising superbly to the task in rendering, ‘Guide me O’ thou Great Redeemer’ with a passion that would have brought a tear to the eye of many a Welshman.

The second reading from ‘Luke Chapter 10 verses 25-37 The Good Samaritan’, concerning the story of the ‘Good Samaritan’ was given by Clive Smith, an Entered Apprentice from Hardshaw Lodge No 8722. This reading was reflected on in greater detail during the Oration.

WBro Tony Bent giving the brief view of Freemasonry in the Community.

Tony Bent, who has been responsible for the organisation and promotion of the Tercentenary celebrations within the Province. Delivered an inspiring and thought provoking presentation on the work of Freemasonry within the community.  He highlighted the ‘quiet and unassuming manner’ in which Freemasonry operated as a force for good and charitable works, reflecting that we had been, in the past perhaps ‘too quiet and self-effacing’ about our work. He further suggested that Masons were not just generous in their donations of financial assistance but were repeatedly as philanthropic in the gift of their time.

In his concluding remarks, he reminded the congregation that Freemasonry had always and should continue to be acutely aware of its roots in the local community and the role it can and should play in supporting that communal foundation. He ended by suggesting that although it was tempting and indeed understandable that we could reflect with pride on the past 300 years, it was equally important that we looked to the future and renewed our commitment to maintaining and promulgating the principles of Freemasonry.

Rev Canon Godfrey Hirst PrGChap delivers his oration.

Following a further appropriate and inspiring hymn led by the choir, the Provincial Grand Chaplain Rev Canon Godfrey Hirst ascended the pulpit to deliver his oration. Taking as the core of his text, both the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan’ and the very human need to ever be seeking ‘truth’, Godfrey delivered a resounding and uplifting homily in his inimitable and poignant style.

Godferey used many examples which highlighted the ‘principles and tenets’ of Freemasonry and reminded everyone that although the ‘Volume of the Sacred Law, would guide us to all truth’, we as ‘children of our Creator’ had a responsibility to ‘be diligent in determining fact from fake’ and implored that, ‘may the search for truth be the focus of our further endeavours’.

During the offertory, which was made to the benefit of St Elphin’s Church, Masonic stewards assisted and the congregation sang ‘For all the Saints, who from their labour’s rest’. This was followed by prayers of thanksgiving, led by Godfrey, and culminating with the singing of that quintessential celebratory hymn ‘Jerusalem’ accompanied by further stirring and profoundly moving accompaniment from Steven Derringer PrGOrg.

The congregation listen to the Oration.

In a final act of avowal and reaffirmation, Godfrey invited all Freemasons to stand and join him in a pledge of ‘Dedication to future endeavour’ which they all exceeded to in response to each enquiry of ‘Will you?’ with the resounding reply of, ‘We will, the Most High being our helper’.

Very appropriately the final hymn of the service was ‘Now the evening’s shadows closing’ followed by ‘The National Anthem’, prior to the recession led by the Provincial team followed by the clergy.

Speaking after the service, Tony Harrison expressed his gratitude and thanks to the magnificent support shown by the brethren and their families. Tony said: “It has been a wonderful and historic occasion and I am really grateful to the brethren for their support this afternoon.” He also acknowledged the time and efforts employed in organising such a successful celebration that had been undertaken by Tony Bent and his team.

The congregation sing the Hymn ‘During which a collection was taken on behalf of our hosts’.

Reader Lee Marsh, followed by Rev Canon Godfrey Hirst PrGChap and Tony Harrison in the recession.

The Woolton Group was honoured to receive a visit from the Deputy Provincial Grand Master, Philip Gunning accompanied by other distinguished members of the Province.

Pictured from left to right, are: Andy Whittle, Kevin Poynton, Philip Gunning, Sam Robinson, John Lee, Peter Taylor, Mike Cunliffe and Stephen Riley.

The masters and first principals of the Woolton Group met in the Royal Suite at Woolton Golf Club to welcome Philip and his team so that they could ask questions and discuss matters of interest with them. After a short while other brethren of the group also joined the assembly and the provincial team chatted to everyone. After the informal chat had concluded some 56 members adjourned to the dining room.

Andrew Whittle Woolton Group Chairman welcomed everyone and called upon the chaplain to offer grace. Following the meal, the group chairman proposed the ‘Loyal Toast’ and subsequent toasts. It was then an opportunity for a young Freemason Andrew Prowse, IPM of City Lodge No 2514 to propose the toast to the principal guest. In so doing Andrew thanked Phllip for all the hard work he does for the Province and reminded people that one of Philip’s passions was Rugby Union and asked if he would explain what the Italian team were up to in the recent match! Andrew also informed the brethren that Philip had been initiated into Anfield Lodge No 2215, which now meets at the Golf Club, in 1975.

In response to the toast to his health Phillip tackled the burning question first – that of the Italian team tactics recently displayed on the pitch and said that he was a former referee and not a coach! He thanked Andrew for the manner in which he had proposed the toast and went on to update the brethren of items appertaining to the Province. One such matter was that of the forthcoming introduction of new Data Protection legislation which would impact on secretaries. The Province had taken professional advice and would send out information to everyone in due course. Philip thanked his colleagues, Kevin Poynton and Sam Robinson for accompanying him on this occasion along with the Provincial Secretary Peter Taylor and the two Provincial Wardens.

John Lee (left) chats with David Boyes (centre) WM Lodge of Tranquillity No 3877 and Doug Lace, a member of the group publicity team

Philip was pleased to say that this Province was seen as a leading light by London and demonstrates much good practice. Other reminders of Provincial events included the forthcoming Church service at Warrington, the screening of the Freemasons documentary on April 17 which will be five one hour programmes, some of which was shot within the Province and the launch of the 2021 Festival in May. He thanked the masters and first principals for meeting with the team upstairs and said that there had been a good atmosphere. Finally, he wished to thank and congratulate Howard Griffiths for all the contributions he had made to the Garston Group and the help to the Provincial team. He wished Howard a long and happy retirement. In concluding his response Philip wished, in the words of the Provincial Grand Master Tony Harrison, that everyone would continue to enjoy their Masonry.

The toast to the Woolton Group of lodges and chapters was ably provided by the Provincial Senior Grand Warden John Lee. In opening he said he had been given a tremendous privilege and felt it was a fantastic honour to be asked to propose this toast. He went on to say that Freemasonry represents the world’s oldest and largest non-religious, non-political and charitable organisation, the members of which come from all walks of life. Change, he said must be embraced by us all and our ancient and honourable institution is having to continually alter too. He quoted Sir Winston Churchill “to improve is to change and to be perfect is to change often”. Happiness is not about getting everything you want, it’s about enjoying everything you have and he referred to the wonderful setting of the Golf Club and the facilities the Freemasons have within it brought about by the talented Group executive led by Kevin Poynton and Sam Robinson and reinforced by group chairman Andy Whittle along with the other group officers.

Left: Philip Gunning responds to the toast to grand officers. Right: Philip receives flowers for his wife

John went on to congratulate Gordon Sandford Provincial Grand Sword Bearer who has played such a positive part of the Provincial team, so much so that they have had to take out a restraining order against him! John thanked the Woolton Group for their hospitality and asked everyone to stand and drink a bumper toast to the Woolton Group of lodges and chapters.

In conclusion to the evening’s formalities, Andy Whittle thanked everyone for their support, reminding the brethren of the plethora of events that the Group is undertaking during the year; the London trip, black tie dinner and other events planned with the members of the Golf Club and in closing he presented the Deputy Provincial Grand Master with some flowers for his wife Ann and a bottle for his personal consumption.

An enjoyable evening was brought to a close by the acting tyler Stephen Riley, who is also the group secretary, who proposed the Tyler’s toast.

Story and pictures by Colin Roberts

City Lodge No 2514 meeting at Woolton Golf Club hosted a ‘Ladies, Gentlemen and brethren to dine’ event following their regular meeting. Worshipful master Ian Barton, who was installed in January, opened the lodge with confidence along with his regular officers. Dave Holland acted as junior warden. The usual opening business having been despatched the treasurer, Geoffrey Johnston, presented his accounts for the previous year which were accepted unanimously by those present. The lodge was closed in due form and the brethren retired to meet in the dining room with their wives, partners and friends both Masonic and non-Masonic.

Ian Barton and his wife Elisabeth welcomed everyone and the chaplain Tom Arnold said ‘grace’. The 41 diners were then treated to a sumptuous Chinese Banquet provided by the golf club caterers. During the meal raffle tickets were sold and they raised the sum of £129 for charity which the lodge will disburse during the year.

An excellent evening in good company, which had been organised by Stephen Riley, was had by all and they look forward to autumn when the lodge will hold a Sunday carvery luncheon.

Story and pictures by Colin Roberts.

Left: Ian and Elisabeth Barton (centre) with their guests. Right: The ladies gather prior to dinner.

The members and guests of Woolton Lodge of Unity No 1086 meeting at Woolton Golf Club assembled recently for the installation meeting. After a couple of difficult years, the lodge was pleased to be installing their senior warden, Robert John Martin as master elect and in the absence of the worshipful master Alan Riley welcomed the brethren and proceeded to open the lodge with Tommy Lunt acting junior deacon.

Howard Griffiths (left) congratulates Alan Riley.

Having dispatched the regular business, the director of ceremonies David Moore retired for a short while and on his return announced that the representative of the Provincial Grand Master, Tony was outside and seeking admission. Alan was pleased to welcome him. Howard Griffiths accompanied by grand officers David Withey, Roy Pine, Mike Cunliffe group vice chairman and three Provincial acting officers, Paul Copeland, Matt Wilson and Tom Arnold entered the lodge and Howard was warmly welcomed by Alan Riley.

In due course, Howard and his colleagues from grand lodge were saluted; David Newland took the salute for the Provincial officers. Alan Riley requested David Moore to occupy the chair of King Solomon and the lodge was adjourned to the second degree where David Newland was asked to assist by occupying the senior warden’s chair, Keith Close to occupy the junior warden’s chair and Peter Casey to remain as inner guard. Alan Riley was very pleased to present the master elect as they had both been former members of Allerton Lodge prior to amalgamation.

Robert Martin assented to the ancient charges and took his obligation after which the lodge was adjourned to the third degree and the officers of the lodge were thanked, by Alan Riley for the support they had given during the two previous years.

Norman Pollack assisted with the remainder of the ceremony and Robert John Martin was duly installed in the chair of King Solomon. The working tools in the third degree were presented by Chris Taplin; in the second degree by Norman Pollock and Michael Daly presented the first degree working tools. The newly installed master appointed and invested his officers. George Wilkie provided a very confident address to the master. Colin Cameron gave the address to the wardens; Barry Harnick the address to the deacons and Howard Griffiths gave the address to the brethren.

The ceremony of installation being concluded Howard Griffiths rose to convey the best wishes and congratulations to the master from the Provincial Grand Master Tony Harrison and said that if Tony had been present he would have undoubtedly also congratulated all the brethren who had taken part in the ceremony especially the young brethren.

At this point the master was pleased to present three cheques to Howard, £350 to the MCF 2021 Festival, £350 to the West Lancashire Freemasons’ Charity and £386 to the Friends of Tithebarn. Howard very sincerely thanked the lodge for its generous donations. After Howard and the grand officers had retired the lodge was duly closed and the 40 brethren retired to the dining to share good company and an enjoyable meal.

Story and pictures by Colin Roberts.

Pictured from left to right, are: Mike Cunliffe, Howard Griffiths, Roy Pine, David Withey, Tom Arnold, Matt Wilson and Paul Copeland.

The 157th ‘Grand Ball and Banquet’ which was held at the Macron Stadium at Bolton, was hailed yet again as an overwhelming success.  Almost 500 ‘party people’ joined the President of the event, Provincial Grand Master Tony Harrison and his wife Maureen in a great ‘night out’ that was both visually spectacular and, to quote one participant, ‘a cracking, good do!’ As usual, all the gentlemen wore full Craft or Royal Arch regalia, with masters and first principals proudly wearing the collars of office from their respective lodges and chapters.

Tony and Maureen (centre in both pictures) meet with masters, first principals and their ladies.

Left: John and Kathryn Lee. Right: Jonathon and Sarah Heaton

The Chairman and vice chairman of the Ball, John Lee and Jonathon Heaton who are respectively the Provincial Senior and Junior Grand Wardens, together with their wives Kathryn and Sarah joined Tony and Maureen in welcoming guests at the reception before the dinner. Present masters and first principals of lodges and chapters, together with their partners gathered in the Hall of Fame Suite where there was a very happy and lively atmosphere, mirrored by the many other guests who were enjoying a drink and chat in the adjoining Lion of Vienna Suite, in the company of the Assistant Provincial Grand Masters and Assistants to the Provincial Grand Principals.

Once all the guests had taken their places in the main dining suite, the principal guests and their ladies were formally introduced by Provincial Deputy Grand Director of Ceremonies Malcolm Bell and they processed into the hall to loud applause. A very appropriate and humorous toast was given by the Provincial Chaplain, Rev Canon Godfrey Hirst, prior to the banquet being served.  ‘Heathcote & Co’, the event caterers once again provided a four-course menu that met the high standards usually associated with the ‘Macron Convention Centre’ both in terms of quality and service.

They’re off! The highly popular ‘Grand March’ begins.

John Lee thanks everyone for their support.

With the diners happily relaxing for a short time after the excellent meal, the Grand Ball Chairman, John Lee welcomed everyone. He began by saying:” Can I extend to you all a very warm welcome to this the 157th Grand Ball, and of course, to this iconic venue here in Bolton. This is, without doubt, the premier social event of the Masonic calendar, so let me begin by thanking you all for making the effort, taking the time to be present and for parting with your hard- earned money to make this such a wonderful event and spectacle.”

He continued:” My thanks must rightly be extended to those brothers who have put this stunning event together. I refer to the organisational committee namely Andrew Wiltshire, Tony Bent, Peter Pemberton, Ian Walton and my vice chairman Jonathan Heaton. Furthermore, to the staff of the Macron for looking after our every need and also to those exceptionally hard working directors of ceremonies for steering us in the right direction under the watchful eye of our Deputy Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies Malcolm Bell. Please let us not forget the wonderful musical accompaniment provided by Ray Dainton during the meal we have so much enjoyed.

That meal has now been consumed so let us enjoy the ‘Grand March’ and our fabulous band ‘Groovething’, and more importantly, each other’s company. If the Great Architect of the Universe is watching from above, the very least we can do is entertain him or her. I trust you will all continue to have a fantastic evening and many thanks again for your unconditional support. Thank you.”

Chaos and precision…or perhaps, ‘that, which at first view, appears a paradox’

Malcolm Bell, the ‘the U turn hero’ receives grateful thanks.

With those inspiring words of encouragement fresh in everyone’s memory, the team of DC’s quickly oversaw the gathering of the distinguished guests onto the ‘starting grid’ of the ‘Grand March’ chequered pavement. As usual, Tony and Maureen were in ‘pole position’ and flanked by Philip and Anne Gunning on one side, with Danny and Kath Jones on the other. As the first musical notes rang out, the march began with literally hundreds of couples being led the length of the dance floor by those dual masters of choreographic intricacy, Neil MacSymons and Barrie Crossley. As the serried ranks advanced towards the stage area with the seemingly unstoppable force of a mini tsunami, out stepped the brave figure of Malcolm Bell who deftly authorised the use of a ‘legal U turn’, which action promptly saved the day!

It would prove almost impossible to describe the apparent combination of chaos and precision that typifies the ‘Grand March’ but it’s undoubtedly the most eagerly anticipated feature of this annual event. The row upon row of exuberant and laughing participants, once again proved the enjoyment and fun that this march adds to a great evening.

At the end of the march, or more accurately, when the majority felt unable to ‘march’ any further the exhilarated and noisy assembly returned to their tables and the brethren were able to remove their regalia. One wag was heard to remark that ‘the only way he was going to be restored to his personal comforts was if somebody brought him a settee to lay down on’!

The night then moved into top gear with the band providing a popular mix of music which enabled some of those on the dance floor to prove that, the Province of West Lancashire really has got talent! As the night all too quickly reached its climax, Jonathon Heaton thanked everyone for making the evening such a success and encouraged them to return in even greater numbers next year.  At the end of expressing further thanks to the many contributors to the Grand Ball’s organisation, he wished everyone a safe homeward journey.

The verdict was a ‘grand night out’; here’s the evidence.

On a cool, slightly damp, March morning, 45 Woolton Masons and their families gathered at Bryn Masonic Hall where arrangements had been made to leave our cars to join our Ogden’s coach for a weekend trip to London which had been organised by the group chairman Andrew Whittle. Unfortunately the weather was not too kind so a group photo was postponed until later in the day. The Woolton Group have organised several events to celebrate the ‘Tercentenary of Freemasonry’. Shortly after starting our journey the group chairman, ably assisted by his vice chairman Mike Cunliffe, served light refreshments to the travellers.

Andy Whittle, multi-tasking.

The weekend consisted of two nights at the lovely Guoman Tower Hotel overlooking the River Thames, right next to Tower Bridge with breakfast and a three-course dinner on Friday evening Located in a convenient area, this sprawling, modern 801 bedroomed hotel is a three minute walk from St. Katherine’s Docks (marina with shops) and a seven minute walk from both the Tower of London and Tower Hill tube station. After an uneventful journey, we arrived at the hotel mid-afternoon and waited on the coach while Andy checked in with reception. On his return he informed us that we had all been checked in and our rooms were ready. This gave us some free time to unpack and then explore the area before dinner at 7.30 pm. During dinner Stephen Riley informed us that Andy Whittle had just received notification of his appointment to grand rank in the Royal Arch and this was met with great acclaim and a short rendition of ‘for he’s a jolly good fellow’.

On Saturday morning, after a group photo, the coach took the majority of the party to Covent Garden where there was free time to explore the area and shops. Others had decided that having been to London before they would like to ‘do their own thing’; one couple even had time to visit the top of the Shard and partake in lunch. At 2pm the majority of the group, including the ladies, visited Freemasons’ Hall which is the headquarters of the United Grand Lodge of England and the principal meeting place for Masonic Lodges in London. Grand Lodge has been in Great Queen Street since 1775, the present hall being the third building on the site.

The group inside the Grand Temple.

What a magnificent building it is! The building houses 20 temples and judging by the many Masons entering and leaving there were several lodge meetings taking place. There were also many members of the general public from different nationalities visiting Freemasons Hall to look at the exhibitions. Our expert guide took us through the exhibition area to the Grand Officers’ changing room, showing us the portraits of the Grand Masters and then down the processional hallway to the entrance of the main temple where we were shown the magnificent bronze doors, each weighing one and a half tons, supported by five hinges on each side and that can be opened by pushing with a single finger. The inscriptions on the doors depict the story of Freemasonry.

Our guide opened the doors and what a sight was beholden. The temple is magnificent with one inch squares of Italian mosaic, probably the best example of such work in England, colourfully decorating the freeze. As we entered the temple the newly refurbished organ, started to play. The sound was exceptional and we paused to listen to the music for a few minutes. Our guide then explained the colourful mosaic pictures up on the frieze. Afterwards we were allowed to take some pictures as a memento of our visit. The tour lasted just on an hour and afterwards there was some time for some Masonic shopping before we boarded the coach to take us back to the hotel.

Some of the beautiful artwork.

On Saturday evening, Andy Whittle had arranged dinner for us on a ‘London Showboat Thames Cruise’ which included entertainment. The four-course meal, with wine, was delightful and throughout a young lady called Gerie entertained us with songs from the shows. Once we had eaten, Gerie performed for us again including the hit song “Big Spender”. Whether by coincidence or a prearranged set-up, Gerie started the song and immediately then sat on Mike Cunliffe’s knee! Not getting much out of Mike she turned her attention to Kevin Poynton! There were other guests on board with us some celebrating birthdays or special events. One couple got engaged.

The cruise lasted some four hours and we docked at 11pm to begin our coach journey back to the hotel. From the back of the coach the ‘Rose Choir’ continued to regale us with popular songs but they never did find ‘Molly Malone’.

Left: Tower of London. Right: The ‘Eye at Night’ from the river.

After a late breakfast, we left the hotel by coach at 10.30 am on Sunday morning to visit Camden Lock which hosts a large and varied market with artisan goods and a vast variety of different nationality foods stalls. At 2 pm we boarded a waterbus narrowboat which took us along the Regent canal waterways of London to Little Venice where we disembarked and met with our coach for a quiet return journey back to Bryn.

A visit to Freemason’s Hall is highly recommended to anyone who hasn’t been. The party would like to express their sincere thanks to group chairman Andy for organising a varied and interesting trip to London and there is little doubt that the social committee will organise another trip in the future – where to next time?

The group pictured by Tower Bridge.

The harrowing news of the humanitarian crisis developing in East Africa has elicited an immediate response from Freemasons in answer to the appeals for help. The MCF has issued the following press release:

“The Masonic Charitable Foundation has awarded a grant of £100,000 to support the East Africa food crisis appeal.  The MCF, which is funded by donations from Freemasons across England and Wales, was one of the first organisations to support the urgent appeal for famine relief. Over 20 million people across Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan and Somalia are on the brink of starvation.

A family effected by the crisis. Photo courtesy of Plan International

The MCF responded to the appeal within hours by giving £100,000 to Plan International at 4pm yesterday evening.  Since the launch of the appeal, the public and many other organisations have contributed to this crisis but a great deal more is needed.

David Innes, Chief Executive of the Masonic Charitable Foundation said: “The crisis in East Africa is one of the worst we have seen in many years and funds are needed now to provide lifesaving support to those affected.  The Masonic Charitable Foundation is proud to be one of the first organisations to support this urgent appeal by providing a £100,000 grant to Plan International UK on behalf of Freemasons across England and Wales.”

Tanya Barron, Chief Executive of Plan International UK, said: “We’re enormously grateful to the Freemasons for their very generous grant. More than 800,000 children under five are severely malnourished. This grant will help us reach affected children and their families with urgent support.”

David Winder, Assistant Provincial Grand Master with responsibility for the charity team within the Province commented: “Yet again, Freemasons have demonstrated their willingness and commitment to responding rapidly to assist in the relief of suffering and provide aid wherever and whenever it is needed”. He continued “All Masons within our Province can feel very proud that they are continuing, through their support of the 2021 Festival, to show that Freemasonry openly cares.”

The members of Tranquillity Lodge No 3877 held their annual ladies weekend at the Glendower Hotel at Lytham St Anne’s. Friday evening was an informal affair with a buffet style meal followed by an evening of fun and games with a quiz and bingo, and enjoying the company of friends old and new.

Pictured from left to right, are: George Panther, David Boyes, Sam Gorman and Ellie Boyes.

On Saturday, the Georgian Suite in the Glendower was the venue for the ladies evening where WM David Boyes accompanied by his partner and daughter Ellie, welcomed everyone to this auspicious occasion and hoped everyone would have an enjoyable evening.

The grace was offered by lodge chaplain Bill Martin and was followed by an excellent three course meal with coffee and mints, after which Bill returned thanks and David Boyes proposed the ‘Loyal Toast’.

Ian McGovern, who acted as director of ceremonies for the evening had the honour of proposing the toast to the wives and partners of the brethren. David then went around the room and gave a gift to each lady present.

The entertainment for the evening was by Billy Strand, a vocalist who had many of those attending up and dancing. During the evening a raffle was held and raised £450 which is to be divided between the two chosen charities which are, The Friends of Tithebarn and CLIC Sargent, a charity supporting children and young people with cancer.

David closed the evening by presenting bouquets of flowers to his daughter Ellie and Alison McGovern as a thank you for the work they had put in making the weekend a success. Finally, David presented Vinny Tuzio with a birthday card and gift to celebrate his 70th birthday.

Article by Doug Lace, photographs by Mark Lunt.

A wonderful weekend for Tranquillity Lodge members and their partners.

The brethren and guests of Old Lerpoolian lodge No 9720 met at Woolton Golf Club for their installation meeting. John McGibon worshipful master of the lodge along with his officers, including Peter Connolly acting as senior warden and Rick Thompson acting as inner guard, opened the lodge in the first degree and quickly despatched the usual business.

Pictured from left to right, are: Keith Sanders, Kevin Poynton and Clive Jeffries.

The lodge director of ceremonies Mike Mansfield-Corbett, retired from the lodge and on his return announced that Kevin Poynton, Assistant Provincial Grand Master stood outside and demanded admission, John said that they would be pleased to receive him. Kevin, accompanied by two grand lodge officers Clive Jeffries and Keith Sanders together with acting provincial officers Gordon Sandford and Tom Arnold, as well as the group vice chairman Mike Cunliffe were led into the lodge by two entered apprentices and two fellowcraft Freemasons. Kevin was introduced to John who wished him an enjoyable evening before offering Kevin the gavel of the lodge which was returned with alacrity.

Mike then informed the brethren that having been re-elected he then proceeded to proclaim John as worshipful master for the ensuing year. As the majority of officers were also retaining their positions they too were re-appointed by John. Mike informed John that that concluded the ceremony of installation which prompted Kevin to rise and convey greetings and best wishes from the Provincial Grand Master, Tony Harrison. Kevin said that John had brought lustre to the lodge during the year and wished him another enjoyable year in office along with his officers. John then rose and presented two cheques to Kevin the first for the 2021 Festival and the second for the Friends of Tithebarn both in the sum of £300 each. Kevin thanked the lodge for their generous donations reminding us that the money had come from the brethren willingly and not through collection boxes and he thanked everyone on behalf of the recipients.

Kevin Poynton.

The next order of business was to pass brother Nick Honess. The lodge deacons Fred Hulse and Clive Duckett attended upon Nick whilst he answered the usual questions and then retired from the lodge with the other entered apprentices. The lodge was then opened to the second degree.

Once prepared Nick was re-admitted in to the lodge where he took his obligation and was duly passed to the second degree. The working tools were presented by a young fellowcraft John McMullan and after the ceremony had been concluded and Nick restored himself to his former comfort the WM congratulated him and informed him that an explanation of the tracing board would be delivered at some future meeting. The lodge was then closed to the first degree and the entered apprentices readmitted in to the lodge.

Toast to “the last four founders”.

On the first rising the secretary informed the brethren of the communications from grand lodge when the director of ceremonies formed the recession. After further communications the lodge was duly closed so that the brethren could make their way to the festive board for the evening meal. The three course meal consisted of soup of the day, roast chicken, cherry pie and custard followed by tea or coffee. Wine was served by the stewards throughout the meal.

Granville Jeffries asked the worshipful master to rise along with Clive Jeffries and Keith Sanders to drink a toast to “the last four founders”. Instead of the usual song after the toast to “absent friends” the school anthem was sung in Latin. At the end of the meal Kevin was presented with some flowers for his wife Sue and Mike Cunliffe with flowers for his wife Felicity.

Article and pictures by Colin Roberts.

Lodge members at installation ceremony.

The Masonic Charitable Foundation has committed an additional £3 million to be awarded in the form of 300 grants (the MCF Community Awards 2017) to local and regional charities across the Provinces and Metropolitan Grand Lodge in 2017.

We are delighted to inform you that West Lancashire has been allocated eight grants of amounts ranging between £2,000 and £25,000, totalling £79,000.

Through these grants, it is hoped that the core charitable aims of relieving sickness and poverty, advancing education and supporting the most disadvantaged in our communities will be achieved.

The Awards are also intended to raise the profile of the Foundation within the Masonic, non-Masonic and charity sector communities, whilst at the same time acknowledging and celebrating the 300th anniversary of Grand Lodge.

For the first time in the history of the Masonic charities, it is proposed to reach out directly to the wider non-Masonic population to ask them how they would like the Masonic community to support people in need. Every charity nominated will receive a grant but the amount of the grant given to each charity will be decided by way of a public vote, with the most popular charity receiving the largest grant.

In this way, we hope to reach as many people as possible, who may be unfamiliar with our work and with Freemasonry more generally, and through these Awards, we can promote the often, unreported generosity of Freemasons to the general public, thereby helping to generate a positive perception of the Craft and of the tireless work that all the members in our Province do to help non-Masons in need.

Voting will take place in spring 2017 and votes can be made on line, by telephone or by post which will allow the public, including the Provincial Masonic community and their families, to vote for the charity they most want to support.

The eight charities nominated by West Lancashire and approved by the MCF are:

League of Welldoers, Liverpool

Sefton Women and Children’s Aid, Bootle

St Helens Young Carer’s, St Helens

Headway Blackpool Wyre & Fylde, Blackpool

Salford Women’s Aid (Swinton), Swinton

Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide, Leigh

Wargrave House School, Newton le Willows

Sefton Children’s Trust, Formby

Click on the links to learn more about each charity

The winners will be announced in the summer which will give time to incorporate some of the winning charities into the Grand Lodge Tercentenary celebrations in October.

In addition to supporting good causes, the MCF also intend to use the Awards as a mechanism for promoting a positive image of Freemasonry, working with the charities that have been shortlisted to raise awareness of the Awards and the public voting opportunity.

The voting website will include links that will invite the public to find out more about the Foundation and Freemasonry, both nationally and locally.

If the Awards are successful in raising the profile of our charitable work and Freemasonry in general, something similar may be repeated in future years.

A new range of Provincial Gloves have been designed for use in lodges and chapters.

The gloves are £10 per pair and are available in two sizes: medium and large and they prominently feature the Provincial Crest and the Red Rose of Lancashire.

The gloves and all the other products are available to order from the Provincial shop www.westlancsfreemasons.org.uk/provincial-shop/

All proceeds from the products sold in the Provincial Shop will go to the West Lancashire Masonic Charitable Foundation 2021 Festival.

The new Provincial Gloves can be worn to Craft and Royal Arch meetings however, they cannot be worn when attending Craft and Royal Arch meetings in other Provinces or in Grand Lodge or Supreme Grand Chapter.

As a publicity officer one of the problems we regularly encounter is finding a suitable USP for the story.
On this occasion there were several suggestions from the hierarchy as our group secretary had arrived sporting a very stylish blazer so one caption might have read “Group Secretary prepares for boating on the lake!” However, this was not to be. The Woolton Group had organised another of their twice annual Sunday carvery lunches and 56 people attended on a glorious day at the golf club.

After the acting director of ceremonies, Steve Riley had welcomed everyone he invited vice-chairman Mike Cunliffe to offer grace. During the excellent meal Mike sold raffle tickets the proceeds of which would go towards the group’s tercentenary collection for Tithebarn. At the start of the season our group chairman Andy Whittle decided that the proceeds of group event raffles would go towards the building work at Tithebarn. One of the members of the Woolton Group Fred Hulse works tirelessly for Tithebarn as project manager and for his efforts, not only at Tithebarn, he had been awarded the prestigious rank of Past Provincial Senior Grand Warden which he would receive at Provincial Grand Lodge meeting in May.

Once the meal was ended Andy thanked everyone for their support and more importantly informed us that one of our members was celebrating her 82nd birthday; this was Shirley Mayers, accompanied by her daughter Heather and son-in-law Phil who are great supporters of Masonic functions at Woolton Golf Club. To a resounding chorus of Happy Birthday the catering staff paraded in a sparkling cake to Shirley’s delight and she was presented with a birthday card which had been signed by everyone at the function.

Andy announced that the raffle had raised the sum of £250 and this was greeted with great acclaim and he and his wife Amanda had bought Easter Eggs for all the ladies present. Mike Cunliffe was asked to collect the basket of eggs and present them to each lady. Everyone had a lovely meal with great company and whilst people could still enjoy what was left of the lovely day made their way home.

Story and pictures by Colin Roberts.

Anfield Lodge No 2215 was honoured to play host to the “Timeline Pageant’ played by Masons from the St. Helens and Prescot Group. The WM Douglas Holgate opened the lodge and offered the gavel to Assistant Provincial Grand Master Kevin Poynton who returned it with alacrity. The secretary then read out a dispensation from the Provincial Grand Master stating that Freemasons, on this occasion, would be permitted to wear their regalia in the presence of non-Masons. The minutes of the last regular meeting were confirmed, alms were collected and the lodge was then closed in due form.

Kevin Poynton with Douglas Holgate (right)

This was the cue for the DC to call the ladies and guests into the lodge room which had been prepared by Tommy Lunt who had worked tirelessly to make changes to the lodge room so that extra chairs could be brought in to accommodate the 100 plus people wishing to watch the ‘Pageant’.

The pageant took the form of a ‘timeline’ depicting the evolution of the United Grand Lodge of England, showing the turbulent time between 1646 and 1813. The Woolton Group had arranged for the pageant to be staged at Anfield Lodge as part the the group’s tercentenary celebrations, having already had a weekend in London and this event was shortly to be followed by a ‘Black Tie’ dinner where again in excess of 100 people are due to attend. On this occasion, the group was also extremely pleased to welcome a group of lady Freemasons from Liverpool to witness the pageant.

The Grand Lodge is formed.

There were several grand officers in attendance, including Kevin Poynton, Sam Robinson, Dave Anderton, Peter Connolly and Andy Whittle.

The pageant project started out some years ago as an idea for something to do at a meeting, when the oldest lodge in the Province, the Lodge of Loyalty No 686 had nothing to do. After some initial thoughts, the idea of the pageant was formed. Frank Davies, the most senior member of the team mentioned what he had in mind and so the pageant as we see it today was formed. At its conception, the players never expected to be invited to so many venues during the Tercentenary Year. To date, they have performed the pageant over 25 times.

The layout of the room having been adapted for the pageant and all the guests having taken their seats, it was announced that the Herald, played by Dave Burgess, was about to enter the room. The Herald read the story line from a pedestal whilst the members of the team introduced themselves as the characters being portrayed, often with much humour and audience participation.

Here is a chronological listing of how the ‘storyline’ was presented by the team.

1646 – Elias Ashmole becomes the first recorded speculative Freemason.

1717 – the first Grand Lodge was formed and Anthony Sayer becomes the first Master of the New Grand Lodge.

1723 – James Anderson has his second draft of Constitutions accepted and printed, by Grand Lodge.

1730 – Samuel Pritchard sells his copies of ‘Masonry Dissected’ all across Britain and into Europe.

1746 – Grand Lodge issues an edict banning all public processions of Masons in regalia, unless approved by the Grand Master.

1748 – Laurence Dermott arrives from Ireland.

1751 – Irish Lodges form the ‘Most Ancient Fraternity of Free and Accepted Freemasons’, according to the Old Institutions (The Antients Grand Lodge).

1752 – Laurence Dermott is appointed Secretary of the Antients Grand Lodge.

1753 – Lodge of Loyalty No 86 receives its Deputation to constitute a lodge in Prescot and so becomes the oldest lodge in our Province. Prescot and Hesketh were named after Masons!

1789 – William Preston, after being expelled from Grand Lodge twelve years earlier, was re-admitted. He sets up a legacy in his will and we know this today as the Prestonian Lectures. There are three each year, one in London and two in the Provinces.

1790 – Duke of Sussex attends Grand Lodge and demands an end to the “wretched squabbling”.

1809 – Sussex receives an update on unification

1811 – Sussex forms Lodge of Promulgation ready for unification.

1813 – The Dukes of Sussex and Kent declare that “Pure Antient Masonry consists of three degrees and no more, namely; The Entered Apprentice, the Fellowcraft and the Master Mason including the Holy Royal Arch” and they shake hands across the altar and Sussex takes his seat as the first Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England.

Left: 1717 – The Dukes of Sussex and Kent reach agreement. Right: 2017 – The ‘Dukes’ flank WM Douglas Holgate.

This concluded the presentation which had been received exceedingly well by the audience who had at times, joined in! After the players had posed for photos with the master of Anfield Lodge, grand officers and the lady Freemasons, everyone retired to the dining room to enjoy what has become a favourite at the Golf Club, a Chinese Banquet. During the evening brethren sold raffle tickets, the proceeds of which were split; half to the Pageant team and half to the Woolton Group towards their contribution to the MCF 2021 Festival. The raffle raised the magnificent sum of £475.

Story and photographs by Colin Roberts.

The ‘players’ with their appreciative audience.

The meeting of Provincial Grand Lodge this year was, as ever, a magnificent and memorable event. The new venue of the Opera House at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool lent itself perfectly to this colourful spectacle, with the Provincial Grand Master Tony Harrison literally taking centre stage together with his principal officers.

The procession into the theatre of grand and Provincial grand officers from West Lancashire and other Provinces was a visual feast and masterpiece of choreography much admired by all who attended. Once the very large contingent of visiting dignitaries were seated, Tony opened Provincial Grand Lodge and asked the brethren to stand in silence as a mark of respect for ‘those brethren who had departed this mortal life and been called to higher service’ since the last meeting.

Provincial Grand Lodge is opened at the Opera House, Blackpool.

He then proceeded to introduce and welcome a very large contingent of guests from other Provinces, together with the leaders of other Masonic Orders who were attending. At the conclusion of which, they were applauded in a truly traditional West Lancashire manner. Following the approval of the minutes of the previous meeting, Tony addressed and reappointed Philip Gunning as his deputy. He then continued by announcing that John Hutton was retiring as APrGM and thanked him profusely for his many years of service in high office.

David Walmsley (left) with Stuart Boyd.

As a consequence of John’s retirement, Tony then proceeded to invest David John Walmsley as Assistant Provincial Grand Master, with responsibility for the Eccles and District and South Eastern Groups. David was attended on by his ‘chain bearer’, Stuart Boyd.  The other APrGM’s, who were all remaining in office were then thanked by Tony for their continuing work and support.

Congratulations were then given to those brethren who had recently received appointment to or promotion in grand rank. The brethren so honoured were: Malcolm Bell, Mark Matthews, Joseph Hall, Colin Jenkins, John Turpin and Keith Beardmore, all of whom had received the rank of PAGDC. Stewart Seddon had been promoted to PSGD and Anthony John Edden, Geoffrey Bent and Keith Kemp had been elevated to PJGD.

This was followed by details of changes in office of group chairman and vice chairmen resulting from retirements. These were; retiring as group chairmen. From the Garston Group, Howard Griffiths. From the Eccles and District Group, David Walmsley. From the South Eastern Group, Michael Adams. From the Liverpool Group, Robert Povall. Retiring vice chairman. From the Garston Group, John Murphy. From the Eccles and District Group, Stuart Boyd. From the South Eastern Group, David Durling. From the Ormskirk and Bootle Group, John Marsden and Stephen Brereton.

The group appointments were then announced and were;

To be Group Chairman:

of the Garston Group, John Murphy

of the Eccles and District Group, Stuart Boyd

of the South Eastern Group, David Durling

of the Liverpool Group, Mark Matthews

To be Group Vice-Chairman:

of the Garston Group, David Atkinson

of the Eccles and District Group, Patrick Walsh

of the South Eastern Group, Gareth Jones

of the Ormskirk and Bootle Group, Graham Chambers

Tony once again expressed his gratitude for the service given by each retiree and wished the new appointees well in the discharge of their new offices. He continued by confirming that he was pleased to reappoint Mark Matthews and Derek Parkinson to represent the Province as members of the Masonic Charitable Foundation.

James Newman, Deputy President of the MCF

The Provincial Grand Treasurer Neil Lathom presented the accounts and David Winder proposed and Derek Parkinson seconded their acceptance. A vote of thanks to the treasurer was proposed by Harry Cox and applause promptly followed. It was confirmed that no other nominations for the office of treasurer had been received and Neil was therefore reappointed to the office. The wisdom and subsequent approval of his reappointment was humorously validated, when he announced that he did not propose increasing the Provincial dues for the ensuing year.

The PrGM then moved on to announce the launch of the West Lancashire 2021 Festival in support of the Masonic Charitable Foundation. Tony began his introduction by saying: “Brethren, today is a great day for the Province of West Lancashire and I am so proud to be here as your Provincial Grand Master and to launch this Festival for the Masonic Charitable Foundation. Before doing so however, I once again welcome to our meeting James Newman, the Deputy President of the MCF and Les Hutchinson, the Chief Operating Officer will now give us all a brief insight into the new Masonic Charitable Foundation.”

James and Les then gave extensive details regarding both the conceptualisation and creation of the MCF and illustrated its mission and operation by giving details of case studies, highlighting how the work of the charity had such a positive impact on not just Freemasons and their dependents but also the whole community. At the conclusion of their address, Tony continued, by saying: “I am delighted that this Province was the first to be asked to undertake a Festival for the MCF. We have a fine heritage of giving and supporting charitable causes both Masonic and within the community and for those who find themselves in need. After all, we never know when we may need that assistance and support for ourselves or our families and our dependants.

Brethren, are you aware that the Province of West Lancashire receives over £1,000,000 in support of our brethren, their families and dependants every year from MCF? Therefore, there are over one million very good reasons why you should pledge your assistance to the Festival. You never know when you may need support.

The Festival banner, spanning the stage of the Opera House.

I would ask that during the short four years of this Festival that you give your fullest support to the West Lancashire 2021 MCF Festival by affording it your priority when giving any donations personally, through your groups, your lodges and your chapters. Fully utilise the relief chest, white envelopes, within lodge and chapter and include gift aid where appropriate. I would encourage groups, lodges and chapters to raise funds for the Festival through organising functions and events and to aim to become, where possible, patrons of it.

I am delighted to report that during this Tercentenary year, there have been a great number of lodges and chapters that have responded to my request for a donation, and my APrGM, Tony Bent and his committee have worked tirelessly in promoting this initiative and I’m sure Tony is anxious to share the results of the generosity of the contributing lodges and chapters.”

Tony Bent then gave details that 233 lodges have donated £300 each and 52 chapters have donated £150, accruing to a grand total of £77,700, all in support of the Festival. This was he said, in addition to many lodges and chapters becoming ‘Patrons’ and ‘Grand Patrons’ of the Festival.

The PrGM then thanked Tony Bent for the wonderful total and continued, by saying: “I am most grateful to the entire charity team for their organisation, planning and enthusiasm, which has been so evident, since the MCF requested the Festival in West Lancashire.  There are 8,700 Freemasons in West Lancashire.  Brethren, I thank most sincerely, the 2,000 of you who have pledged their support and have achieved a magnificent total of £1,000,000 to launch our Festival. Brethren, take out a pledge in support of the Festival and wear the bespoke Festival Jewel, which is adorned with the Province of West Lancashire Coat of Arms, with pride.”

Tony concluded his launch appeal by saying: “We have made an excellent start to this Festival and by working together we can all ‘make that difference’. Finally, can I say, please enjoy fund raising for the Festival in the knowledge that you will, in the process be helping those in need.     And I urge you to ‘Wear your Stewards Jewel with Pride’. I now formally launch the West Lancashire 2021 MCF Festival.”

A collection was then taken in support of the Festival which raised the wonderful total of £5,372.

David Asbridge PrSGW (left) and Peter Allen PrJGW.

The meeting continued with the appointment and investiture of the acting Provincial grand officers for the coming year and before commencing, Tony had words of appreciation to express for the dedication and support of the outgoing officers, especially the retiring Provincial Senior and Junior Grand Wardens, John Lee and Jonathan Heaton.

As in the previous year, the appointments and promotions were split into two separate stages with 150 first and acting rank appointments made, followed by 200 promotions. In the interval, Tony gave his annual address to Provincial Grand Lodge.

In his opening remarks, he said: “Brethren, may I start by thanking you all for your attendance here this afternoon, it really does make such a difference when we see so many of you sharing the enjoyment of the day. I hope the venue and all the arrangements are to your liking and convenience. Who would have thought it? Me, live on stage in Blackpool.  My deputy suggested that I should not process into Provincial Grand Lodge but should rise up through the floor and appear in a puff of smoke! and to think I have just re-appointed him!

It never ceases to amaze me, the reception I receive when I visit your lodges and chapters.  Your welcome is, I assure you, gratefully received and serves as the tonic that inspires me to go further and meet as many brethren as I possibly can.  I too share the delight in meeting you all and visiting your Lodges and I know that my deputy and assistants do likewise.

This past year has seen the start of the Tercentenary celebrations and I have been astonished by the many different ways you have thought up, to celebrate this landmark in English Freemasonry.

The two services of thanksgiving held in the Lancaster Priory and in St Elphins Church, Warrington were very well supported by you and your families and represented all that is good in Freemasonry.

As I mentioned earlier, much work has been undertaken for the many celebratory events throughout the Province by Tony Bent and the members of the Tercentenary committee, consisting of Chris Ayres, Duncan Smith, Joe Hall, Jonathan Heaton, Andy Whittle, Andy Wiltshire, Chris Butterfield and Mark Holloway and I thank them all.

It is so good that many of you will be attending the Royal Albert Hall in October and the dinner that follows in Battersea Evolution. Details have been circulated regarding our own celebration which is to take place in November of this year at the Hilton Hotel, Blackpool, when we shall have the company of the Assistant Grand Master, Sir David Wootton. We have, I believe, taken over the entire Hotel, so I expect it to be packed to the rafters or possibly higher.

The Festival, which I have launched today has already received outstanding support from almost every lodge in the Province and I look forward to your continuing efforts throughout the Festival period.

Dining in the elegant Empress Ballroom.

My Provincial cabinet are continuing to plan for the future and to make sure that the Province runs efficiently and effectively.  We are committed to making sure that we keep costs down as much as possible and support the administration of your lodges in the best way we can. To that end, I thank our PrG Secretary and his staff Andrew, Diana, Violet and also, Arend, together with the other volunteers, for all the hard work they do in keeping this Province running so smoothly.

The launch last year of the Masonic Trout and Salmon Fishing Charity has been a resounding success under the Chairmanship of my PrGDC Keith Kemp and his team. This registered charity gives disadvantaged and under-privileged children the opportunity of a day’s fishing under the watchful eye of their carers’ and members of West Lancashire. At the beginning of just this week, another two days of fishing took place which proved to be a wonderful occasion for the children, and to see the joy and laughter on their young faces made it all worthwhile.

My sincere thanks to Keith and all those who contributed to its success. Long may it continue.

It is pleasing to see so many of you today wearing the Royal Arch jewel, although I suspect some of you have forgotten to put it on. However, we do have some 8,700 brethren in the Province and 4,000 are not currently in the Holy Royal Arch. So, to those brethren I would ask that you seriously consider taking that further step along your Masonic journey.

To those brethren that I have appointed to their first Provincial rank and to those who I am about to promote, I wish you well in the future and good health to go with it.  To those brethren who have today retired from office, I thank you for your outstanding contribution over the years and trust that you will enjoy your retirement.

On behalf of us all, I must thank Keith Kemp, the Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies and all his team for the excellent ceremonial work undertaken here today, together with Provincial Organist Stephen Derringer, for his musical arrangements during this meeting and what a difference it’s made having use of the Wurlitzer Organ.

My thanks are also given Neil Pedder, Chairman of the Widnes Group and all his team of stewards who have worked so hard to ensure our safety and comfort throughout the day.

Finally, brethren I wish you and your families all the very best, I hope you enjoy your summer break and I look forward to seeing each and every one of you in the future, thank you for your support today and please continue to enjoy your Freemasonry. May God, bless you all.”

Prior to the closure of the meeting, it was reported that 1,425 had attended the meeting and that the next meeting would be held at Blackpool on 9 May 2018 and be hosted by the Leyland Group.

The rendition of the National Anthem, to the accompaniment of the ‘Mighty Wurlitzer’ had the chandeliers vibrating in harmony and was a wonderful climax to a splendid and memorable occasion.

The celebrants banquet which followed was held in the adjoining Empress Ballroom and the proximity of the venue was much appreciated by the attendees, with over 700 dining.  The proposal of the toast to the PrGM was made by Tony Bent in an impressively oratorical style and very well received by all present.  The toast to those appointed and promoted was given by Robert Wright in a very appropriate manner and responded to by the newly appointed Provincial Senior Grand Warden David Asbridge, who paid tribute to the many Masons who had assisted both him and his fellow appointees on their journey through the Craft.

Happy celebrants with their guests from around the Province.

After serving four years as the Provincial Grand Almoner, Ernie Greenhalgh retired at the meeting of Provincial Grand Lodge on Wednesday 10 May 2017.

Pictured from left to right, are: Tony and Maureen Harrison, Ernie and Sheila Greenhalgh and Eric Hart MBE.

During his four years in office, Ernie has worked tirelessly to implement a new system of Care in the Province, which he developed with the senior officers of what is now called the Masonic Charitable Foundation.

Sheila and Ernie Greenhalgh.

Ernie has travelled approximately 78,000 miles since he was notified about becoming Provincial Grand Almoner. He has made 103 presentations across the Province and in 35 visits to London he has built up a significant list of contacts.

Ernie was the representative for the Province on the Samaritan Fund, which is now closed due to the creation of the MCF.  Ernie is a member of the training sub-committee and the pilot committee for the new care system.

He has conducted three training days for the new PrGA’s for the Provinces of Essex, Sussex and Cheshire. Ernie has also attended three two-day almoner conferences and five group PrGA’s meetings.

In the last three months Ernie has been carrying out testing on the new IT system on behalf of the MCF (The new IT system links the care system into the new games computer system in London) prior the system going live in all Provinces and Districts around the world.

Ernie’s longest visits to clients have taken him to Glasgow and Worcestershire because due to client confidentiality no other person could be involved in the applications.

Pictured from left to right, are: David Randerson, Stewart Seddon, David Winder, Tony Harrison, Ernie Greenhalgh, Harry Cox, Eric Hart MBE and Paul Broadley.

He has also spent 32 days since coming into office organising and developing training for the Provincial Care team, that apart from running a Care structure for the Province!

The retirement dinner was held at Brookfeild Hall in Westhoughton and was attended by brethren from across the Province, including three APrGMs and the Provincial Grand Master Tony Harrison and his wife Maureen.

The brethren enjoy the meal.

After the four course meal, the Provincial Grand Almoner proposed the toast to the Provincial Grand Master Tony Harrison.

Eric is pictured proposing the toast to the Provincial Grand Master Tony Harrison.

Tony thanked Eric for his toast and then proposed the toast to Ernie. He spoke about Ernie’s long membership starting with his recollection of the day that Ernie was initiated into Sandylands Lodge No 5702 in Morecambe May 1988. Tony said: “There were many of Ernie’s personal friends there on that occasion too.”

Tony continued: “Ernie fulfilled his Masonic duties to the full, as he has done throughout his entire Masonic journey. He had a very successful year as WM in 1999, installing his successor who was in office for only two months, then sadly passed to the Grand Lodge above, Ernie ended up back in the hot seat for his second year.

Ernie became the Local Care Officer in 2009 for the Lancaster and District Group, then in 2011 he was appointed as the Regional Care Officer for Furness and South Lakeland, Lancaster and Preston.

In 2013, the Province advertised for a Provincial Grand Almoner to succeed Roy Pyne and there were many applicants for the role, Ernie was appointed his successor and the rest as they say is history!

Tony proposes the toast to Ernie.

In 2007, Ernie received his first appointment in Provincial Grand Lodge as the acting Provincial Junior Grand Deacon. Ernie was promoted to PPrJGW in October 2012 and at PrGL I was delighted to be able to promote him to Past Provincial Senior Grand Warden, for which we all congratulate him. Right from the start of Ernie being the PrGA he wanted to make his mark and he certainly has done that!

As you all know he changed the entire Care system within the Province, making some sweeping changes and we now have in place a Care Structure which is being sought after by MCF and will be the corner stone of Care in this and all the other Provinces for a long time to come.

James Newman, Deputy President of the MCF.

The Deputy President of the MCF, James Newman said in the PrGL meeting in Blackpool that Ernie has made an enormous contribution to the development of the new Care System and he is a great asset to the MCF in their efforts to roll out the new system to the other Provinces and Districts.”

Concluding his speech Tony asked all the brethren to stand and congratulate Ernie on his achievements as the Provincial Grand Almoner of West Lancashire and wish him a long, happy but most of all a healthy retirement to enjoy more time with Shelia.

Finally Tony said: “I also hope that you will find some time to continue enjoying your Freemasonry. Tony then presented Ernie with a Karcher power washer and a £50 B&Q voucher from the Care team.

In response Ernie said: “It is not very often that I am at a loss for words, but today is one of those occasions. When I was asked if I would like a retirement dinner, I expected it to be with my team and perhaps four or five special friends.

Ernie responds to the Toast to his long and happy retirement.

Eric had other ideas and now I am overwhelmed at the number of people who wanted to share this dinner with my wife and I. To hear some of the comments made while gratifying, are also slightly embarrassing as contra to the general belief I only like publicity for the project to highlight and galvanise people into doing what is right at that time.

Pictured from left to right, are: David Randerson, Stewart Seddon, David Winder and Harry Cox.

It would be remiss of me not to start by thanking my wife and family, who over the last five years or so have taken a back seat while I have wrestled with different ways to improve the system of ‘Care’.

To my team, I am grateful for the work you have all carried out together with your belief and support which has made the new system so beneficial to the people who need our help.

I don’t pretend it has all been plain sailing believe it or not the most difficult day was not in presenting the blueprint to the cabinet, but having to explain it to my team, where I receive a mixed bag on that night because the two-tier management structure was dismantled. Under the new system all team members where on the same level. The majority were prepared to give the system time to prove it was the way forward, to which I will always be grateful.

Ernie (right) thanks Harry for all his help and support.

Over the next 12 to 18 months it is crucial the team focuses on getting almoners to make house calls to all the people we have discussed at our various meetings. Although the whole team should be involved, the Pastoral Care Officers in particular have to make sure this change in direction for almoners happens.

Let me give you an example: We in the Care structure are very like a company that has a block of core business, in our case that is the people who have the opportunity to re-apply for a further grant. However, a number of these will during the year die reducing our core business, plus some will find improvement in their circumstances and no longer need our help.

We therefore need to attract new business, 20% comes from our publicity which transmits through the London freephone number but the other 80% has to come from our lodges and this can only be achieved by the almoners making regular home visits.

One thing above all else has made me proud of our team, is the way London has recognised West Lancashire as the benchmark for other Provinces to achieve.”

Ernie continued: “Having had the opportunity to work with Harry Cox, a person with the highest integrity, I am only sorry our time was relatively short. I remember early on asking Harry: “What do you know about care?”, to which his answer was: “Very little” but he was willing to learn!

Tony (right) presents Ernie with his gifts.

Unfortunately, not many people understand the dedication and workload involved when you become a member of the Provincial Care Team. I think Harry now understands just how much the Care team are involved, devoting so much of their time to assist people in need.

I thank you Harry for your understanding especially when things have at times been difficult, but above all I value your friendship.

My message to almoners, the opportunity is there in your new role to become a vital part of the system which has never been more important.

We are asking you to concentrate on learning about the people you visit, you need to listen, ask questions and what could be more enjoyable than spending time with someone having a cup of tea, talking about everyday things and using your eyes to spot potential difficulties that person might have. If in doubt, report back to one of the Care team who will with tact put the wheels in motion. The role of almoner has never been as important in the overall scheme of things as it is today.”

Sheila (left) and Maureen are pictured with their bouquets of flowers.

Ernie concluded by wishing Eric Hart all the best as he looks forward to the challenges ahead and saying: “It is gratifying to know the team are all together giving you their support, certainly in the first 12 months when it is so important to know you have a stable team as you get accustomed to your new role. I am delighted to announce that since Wednesday, Tony has made a further appointment to the Provincial Care Team, Eric now has a deputy Paul Broadley to assist him in the overall running of the Care system.

I wish you Eric and Paul every success in your new roles as Provincial and Deputy Provincial Grand Almoner’s. I am sure you will form a formidable partnership taking the Care team forward in the Province.”

Eric Hart then presented Maureen and Sheila with Flowers to thank them for attending the dinner.