Province of Herefordshire

Category: News

  • 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.

  • Provincial Carol Service

    Provincial Carol Service

    Provincial Carol Service

    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!

  • Christmas Greetings

    Christmas Greetings

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  • Prostate Cancer, Know the Facts and Act!

    Prostate Cancer, Know the Facts and Act!

    Background

    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:

    View the CRAFTSMAN

    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.

    Listen to the episode

    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.

    Visit the site