Arrow Lodge recently had a very successful stand at the Kington Agricultural show. Lots of people came by to chat, and some signed up for further chats with a view to joining. The weather was fine for most of the day but, like a family camping trip, the weather broke just before we were about to pack up and the heavens opened! A very damp gazebo had to dry off inside later.
Thanks to the team that helped in setting up and those who helped throughout the day.
Herefordshire Freemasons were well represented, when a contingent of Brethren travelled to Freemasons’ Hall in London’s Covent Garden to attend the Quarterly Communication in September.
Quarterly Communication is an opportunity to see United Grand Lodge of England at work, hear about the direction of Freemasonry and meet Brethren from across the country.
It was a memorable day in the magnificent Grand Temple, followed by an excellent meal at a local restaurant in Covent Garden.
Our last golf match of the season was held on 19 of August 2026, at Bromsgrove Golf Centre, against the local Provinces of Shropshire and Worcestershire.
The course was very dry and a real challenge for all taking part. The outcome was very close with Herefordshire scoring 224 points against Shropshire’s 221 so a win and retention of the trophy for us, not so against Worcestershire who had a score of 227 and retained that game trophy and that of Shropshire.
Top scorers for Hereford were Cain Wellings, Vice Captain, with 34 points; David Griffiths, Captain, with 33, and Des Watkins with 32.
A big thank you to our team of eight this year and we’ll look forward to a larger attendance next year when we are the hosts. The match will be held at Burghill Valley on Wednesday 4 August 2027 11am tee.
Ten golfers took part in the Annual Provincial Championships and Open at Leominster Golf Club on Sunday 6 September, followed by Sunday lunch including wives and partners.
The course played well, though the greens were a challenge and difficult to read. It was a good day, with everyone enjoying the occasion to get out and play on a Sunday and, unlike previous years, it wasn’t raining.
A good thing about this Open was that the wives, partners and friends are invited to attend, so we had eighteen in attendance for the meal.
There were three trophies up for grabs:
We only had one guest so Sabatio the hairdresser was the winner of Best Guest. Thank you for your support.
Big thanks to Andrew and Hannah for their support taking pictures on the day.
I will be looking at some away days locally, so will circulate when we can get a good deal and before the winter sets in.
Finally, many thanks to all members who have supported this section during the year and look forward to 2027.
Dave Gwynne
Club Secretary
Survivors of the catastrophic floods in Nepal will be receiving vital emergency supplies thanks to a £50,000 grant from Herefordshire Freemasons along with other Freemasons from across the country, to the British Red Cross, who are supporting the Nepal Red Cross’ relief efforts on the ground.
The grant will be spent on shelters, water purification equipment and other relief items such as blankets, stretchers and first aid kits.
The deluge, which began on the morning of 26 August, saw a series of flash floods and debris flows along the China–Nepal border which struck dozens of settlements along a 45 mile stretch of the Trishuli River.
At least 1,259 deaths and 5,083 missing persons were confirmed in Nepal with an additional 21 dead and 541 missing in neighbouring Tibet. The flood carried the bodies of some victims 150 miles away into neighbouring India.
Hundreds of people remain missing or out of contact, many have been injured, and the death toll continues to rise. In mere moments, people have lost everything. Families in Rasuwa have seen homes, livelihoods, roads, bridges and public services washed away within hours. Surrounding areas have also faced destruction while communities remain on high alert. People are traumatised and await news of their loved one’s safety. Communications disruptions and washed-out access routes mean that it is still hard to understand the full scale of the disaster.
The Nepal Red Cross Society has supplied a generator to Dhunche – Rasuwa district’s administrative headquarters and an area badly hit by the floods – so that hundreds of people could charge their phones. This is crucial in helping survivors contact family members.
The Freemasons’ Charity is funded by Freemasons, their families and friends, from across England and Wales.
Rajesh Srivastava,head of Southeast Asia Region, from the Red Cross, said:
“This generous support from the Freemasons comes at a moment when families in Nepal have lost homes, loved ones and the means to earn a living. It will help our teams and the Nepal Red Cross Society get essential shelter, clean water and relief items to people who have nothing left – and support longer term recovery so communities can rebuild their livelihoods. We’re deeply grateful for this contribution at such a critical time.”
Michael Holland the Head of Herefordshire Freemasons said:
“The disaster in Nepal has seen many survivors losing everything, facing the immediate future with nothing but the clothes on their backs. The Freemasons’ Charity is sending immediate emergency funding to the Red Cross who have their workers on the ground helping those most in need.”
Delphis Lodge, based in Hereford, recently donated £2000 to the Hereford Veterans Support Centre (HVSC) based in Widemarsh Street in Hereford.
The picture shows the Lodge Charity Steward, David Knowles, and the Worshipful Master, James Taylor, himself a veteran, with Emma O’Hare of HVSC.
The Manager of HVSC, Sean Gane, commented:
“We are very grateful to Delphis Lodge for their generous donation as this will enable us to continue our work across Herefordshire. All donation money stays in the county and is used for the Armed Forces community – this includes veterans, partners and children. Not one pound is used for wages as this is all grant funded.”
The money will be used towards some of the current HVSC initiatives that include, in no particular order:
James Taylor from Delphis Lodge commented:
“It is great to continue to assist HVSC in their great work in supporting the veteran community across Herefordshire. We have several veterans in our Lodges across the Herefordshire Province who are proud supporters of the Armed Forces Covenant.”
This donation is just one of the ways Herefordshire Freemasons are supporting our Armed Forces veterans across Herefordshire. We recently donated to Orchestra of the Swan for the weekly Muse workshops at the Courtyard Theatre and have also continued with the fortnightly Services Breakfast Club in partnership with Ledbury Rugby Club, read more here.
