Province of Herefordshire

Author: Marc

  • Donation to Herefordshire Veterans Support Centre

    Donation to Herefordshire Veterans Support Centre

    Herefordshire Freemasons recently made a donation to Herefordshire Veterans Support Centre (HVSC) which was match funded by the Masonic Charitable Foundation.

    Herefordshire has a large community of former military service personnel. Estimates show that as much as 25% of the county’s population has connections with the military. Being exposed to events and challenges that can make them more vulnerable to loneliness, social isolation is a common issue affecting the Armed Forces community.

    The HVSC was set up to provide a one stop shop of support and a friendly listening ear for anyone in the Armed Forces community in Herefordshire that may be experiencing issues or requiring support in other areas of life or work.

    Samantha Lewis the Chair of the Trustees wrote.

    “As you may be aware, it has been an exciting 12 months for the HVSC. Our new premises was officially opened by His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh in October. Since then, we have seen an increase in individuals accessing the support that we offer, increasing from approximately 44 a month to over 200. This means that funding like that provided by the Masonic Charitable Foundation and the Herefordshire Freemasons is now more important than ever, ensuring that we can provide whatever support is needed to our Armed Forces Community.“ “As well as working closely with community partners and signposting to other support networks across the county, we are also offering more groups and activities, such as a new weekly brunch for spouses of serving personnel, funded trips to veterans and range of other initiatives.” “Many thanks once again for your continued support.”

  • Celebrating the life and times of a Well Known Freemason.

    Celebrating the life and times of a Well Known Freemason.

    W Bro Geoff Wilding writes: 

    Two Lodges recently celebrated Burns night.

    The 25th January, a great night for Scots around the world to celebrate the life and work of their national poet, and Freemason, Robbie Burns, and I was lucky enough to receive an invitation to attend Vaga Lodge last evening, which this year happened to fall on the night of the ‘Bard’.

    The Initiation of Bro David McIntyre under the skilful guidance of W Bro Kip Waistell, the acting WM, was an excellent ceremony, however, on this occasion it was the after proceedings that stole the show.

    Led by W Bro Johnnie Walker, wearing his Glengarry side cap, closely followed by W Bro Kip, of Clan Moncrieff, in a kilt and playing the bagpipes, the “Great chieftain o’ the pudding race” was paraded around the dining room before the newly-made Initiate gave the traditional address to the haggis. Quite an introduction to his Masonic career. 

    Hereford based Coningsby Lodge had their Burns Night Celebration on 4th February The event was well supported with forty-three Masons present, plus twenty-four Ladies and seven Gentlemen, including the Provincial Junior Grand Warden, Deputy Provincial Grand Master Designate, Worshipful Brother Stuart Jones and his wife, Wendy.

    Led by the piper, Simon Addison in full Highland dress, the haggis was paraded by Brother Quinn escorting Brother Jackson, who then gave a dramatic address to the haggis, which was highly acclaimed by the assembled diners.

    Following Terry’s excellent dinner of haggis, tatties and neeps, venison bourguignon and cranachan, the Worshipful Master Jason Payne firstly gave a factual but humorous toast to the Immortal Bard. This included a rendition of “Adieu! a heart-warm, fond adieu!”, written by Burns in 1786 as a farewell to the Brethren of St James’s Lodge, Tarbolton, as he planned to leave Scotland. He then thanked those present for their attendance and proposed a toast to them, to which his wife Debbie responded. Finally, he invited all to rise and sing “Auld Lang Syne” having first given a translation into modern English, which brought to an end a most enjoyable evening, during which £308 was raised for the Master’s Charities, Little Princesses and George’s Fund.

  • Echo Aprons Donation

    Echo Aprons Donation

    Royal Edward Lodge based in Leominster, with matched finding from the Hereford Masonic Charity Association, recently donated £1,000 to ECHO, a charity that helps adults with learning difficulties.  

    ECHO is an independent, Herefordshire-based charity with 230 members and over 150 volunteers. Their main office is in Leominster, but their projects run in many different community-based venues.

    Most of their activities are suitable for people with moderate or severe learning difficulties, but they will try to support anyone who wishes to take part in their activities, including those with mental health difficulties or physical or sensory impairments.

    The donation was used to purchase forty-eight aprons of different colours for different types of activities.  Each had “Generously donated by Herefordshire Freemasons” embroidered on them.

    Nic Bullock, Deputy Chief Officer of ECHO, thanked Tim Bridgland Taylor, the Provincial Grand Charity Steward for Herefordshire Freemasons, saying.

    “I want to thank you personally and your organisation for your continued generosity in supporting the work of ECHO. On receipt, I’ll share our plans on how your matched funding will be of significant benefit to our disabled participants.”

    – Nic Bullock, Deputy Chief Officer of ECHO

    Further details about Echo can be found on their website here: www.echoherefordshire.co.uk

  • Herefordshire Freemasons donate a hoist to Hereford based charity Shaftesbury.

    Herefordshire Freemasons donate a hoist to Hereford based charity Shaftesbury.

    In 2024, Shaftesbury was chosen as the new name for disability charity Livability, in honour of their renowned Victorian founder, the seventh Earl of Shaftesbury. 

    Based in Wall Street, Hereford, Shaftesbury is a disability charity that works with the people they support to promote inclusion, independence and opportunity, enabling them to make their own choices by co-producing care plans and service delivery options.

    Utilising state-of-the-art equipment, facilities and highly trained staff they specialise in supporting people with cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and acquired brain injury or stroke. The service takes a person-centred, flexible approach creating care and support plans that meet personal goals and needs. 

    Personal choice about how residents live is top of the list for people at Wall Street, with active support from staff. Hoists are vital tools in achieving this, providing safe and secure mobility for individuals with disabilities. By supporting the Hoist Appeal, Herefordshire Freemasons have helped to transform lives.

    The charity is funded through donations and Herefordshire Freemasons have donated £1,200 through the Herefordshire Masonic Charitable Association to purchase a hoist to assist staff with the mobility, to be sourced with the assistance of TPG Disabled Aids.

    The Head of Freemasonry in Herefordshire, Michael Holland, and the Provincial Grand Charity Steward Tim Bridgland-Taylor visited Shaftesbury’s Hereford based residential home in January, to see how the donation was enabling Shaftesbury to support people with disabilities in Hereford. 

    During a tour of the facilities, they saw first-hand how the new hoist was being used and had a chance to talk to staff and residents.

    Georgia Loyd, the Registered Manager, said about the donation of the hoist:

    “The donated hoist is invaluable, as this promotes the inclusion, and improves the lives, of the people we support.  This means they can lead a fulfilling and high-quality life”. 

    The people we support who were pictured were Steve, Matthew and Helen, and staff members were Georgia (Registered Manager), John and Dylan (Enabling Support Workers). 

  • Installation Meeting Surprise

    Installation Meeting Surprise

    It was a foggy night in Ledbury, which added to the atmosphere and theatre of the occasion, as Eastnor Lodge held their annual Installation Ceremony. The Worshipful Master was proclaimed for a further year and expertly installed his officers. 
    A knock at the door! 

    The Provincial Grand Secretary entered the room and declared that the Head of Freemasonry in Herefordshire, RW Bro Michael Holland, was outside and wanted to come in. An unusual occurrence as the Deputy Head of Freemasonry in Herefordshire, VW Bro Graham King, and the Provincial team were already in attendance. He entered and the meeting continued with several puzzled faces around the room.  

    The scene was set!  

    At the appropriate time the RW Bro Michael Holland rose to make an announcement. 

    After serving for over five years as Deputy Provincial Grand Master, VW Bro Graham King is to retire on 19th March 2025. RW Bro Michael Holland went on to record his most sincere thanks to VW Bro King for the significant contribution he has made during his tenure, not only tothis Province but to the Craft and the Royal Arch in general. He also expressed his thanks to Graham’s wife, Jacky, for her much appreciated support throughout this period.

    He then went on to announce that W Bro J Stuart Jones, Provincial Junior Grand Warden, has accepted his invitation to become Deputy Provincial Grand Master and he will be appointed, invested and installed at the March meeting of Eastnor Lodge.

    He also announced that W Bro Andrew Moore, Provincial Grand Communications Officer, has accepted his invitation to succeed W BroJones, and he will be appointed and invested as Provincial Junior Grand Warden at the same meeting.

    At the meal afterwards, VW Bro Graham King won the top prize in the raffle, a fitting climax to an evening full of theatre and surprises. Further details of the March meeting and the significant contribution that Graham has made will be published shortly.