We enjoyed great support for the inaugural Provincial Carol Service at St Martin’s Church in Hereford in December.
Thank you to Reverend Dowdeswell and all that attended. We enjoyed some hearty carol singing and three readings from W Bro Bryan Wood, Bro Dave Hulme and the RW Provincial Grand Master RW Bro Michael T Holland. This was followed by refreshments and a chance to catch up with friends and family.
Thank you to all those that organised the event, helped out and for the refreshments afterwards.
We are already looking forward to next year’s event!
Two members of the Provincial Team have recently been diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. This was thankfully picked up early via a PSA test and, following surgery, they are now on the path to full recovery.
You can see Stuart’s story in the September edition of The Craftsmen here:
All men aged 40 years and over are recommended to have a regular PSA test. A PSA test is a blood test to help check for prostate conditions such as Prostate Cancer or an enlarged prostate.
Did You Know? 1 in 8 men will suffer from Prostate Cancer 52,000 men a year are diagnosed with the condition 12,000 men per annum in the UK will die from Prostate Cancer There are not always obvious symptoms A simple blood test can help early detection, which increases survival rates
Raising Awareness
As well as the Craftsmen article in September, Stuart is the subject of a UGLE CraftCast episode that can now be listened to here.
In this heart-warming episode, the hosts meet with Stuart Jones, well known to us as our Provincial Grand Junior Warden and Prostate Cancer survivor.
Stuart was listening to an episode earlier this year in Season 2, featuring Frank Tiller. This inspired him to take his own health more seriously. That decision led to the early detection of his aggressive Prostate Cancer, which was successfully treated before it could spread.
Now on the road to recovery, Stuart joins the CraftCast Team to talk about the importance of regular PSA testing, his journey through treatment, and how he’s paying it forward by raising awareness in our community.
This led to the Province setting up a local PSA Testing Day in November at the Masonic Hall in Hereford. A local campaign was run to raise awareness and book appointments for the event.
PSA Testing Day
Herefordshire Freemasons partnered with Graham Fulford Trust who run PSA Testing events. We jointly ran a very successful testing event on 16th November. The cost of the test was subsidised by the HMCA so the cost was only £10 per person.
Over 120 men were tested. A large percentage of attendees were not Freemasons, emphasising our commitment to local community support.
We intend to run a similar event next year as part of an ongoing commitment.
Ongoing Support
Some of the tests from the day came back requiring follow up by the patient and they have been contacted directly by the Graham Fulford Trust.
We are therefore raising awareness of the Herefordshire Prostate Cancer Support Group who can offer ongoing support while men go through the next part of their journey. They have regular meetings to offer support, raise awareness and strive for improvement of health service activities.
Freemasons from across Herefordshire have played key roles in co-ordinating elements of the 2024 Poppy Appeal
An urgent call for help was received from the Royal British Legion part way through October.
“Could you help with the distribution of Poppy boxes and collection tins in Hereford?”
An urgent appeal was made to the members of Herefordshire Freemasons which was answered
Poppy boxes and collection tins needed to be delivered to several local schools and business establishments in North Hereford. An urgent appeal was made to the members of Herefordshire Freemasons which was answered by several willing volunteers including military veterans within the Freemason community.
The various boxes and collection tins were collected and distributed ready for the appeal and then picked up and delivered to the TA Centre for counting afterwards.
Eastnor Lodge were already helping in Ledbury by taking on responsibility for running the appeal locally.
Time was tight but the team worked together to co-ordinate ordering poppies/school kits, wreaths and many items based on historic sales information. Once they had been delivered it was then a case of sorting ready to be taken to local schools, homes and shops.
On 18th October over 60 boxes and tins were delivered around the town and outlying villages. Notices were sent to the other 30 groups who wanted wreaths and other items. The following week was spent co-ordinating collection points in superstores and the High Street, with volunteers who included several Lodge members, plus some training on using the card machines!
The poppies were out, and collectors were collecting! The Appeal was officially launched on 24th October.
After the two-week appeal across Ledbury, the Lodge members and their partners, together with local volunteers, began collecting the tins from shops, schools and other venues across the town. This took a couple of days, but then counting could begin.
With two teams of five and the use of the conference room at the Feathers Hotel, together with two coin-counting machines, the monies from over sixty tins and buckets were counted. The total, including donations via card machines and QR codes, was up by forty percent on last year.
Thank you to the public of Ledbury for their generosity, and the Lodge members and their partners who gave up their time to make this first year of help a great success.
