Province of Herefordshire

Category: Service

News relating to charity and service in herefordshire and beyond

  • Taurus Monster Mash Raises £822 for Charity

    Taurus Monster Mash Raises £822 for Charity

    The Widows Sons MBA Taurus Chapter certainly knows how to put on a good evening, and this year’s Monster Mash Halloween Party proved to be another fantastic success!

    With some wonderful fancy dress costumes, plenty of laughter, music and great company, the evening brought together members, friends, families and supporters for a night of fun and fundraising.

    The event was another opportunity for the Taurus Chapter to demonstrate that the Widows Sons are about far more than motorcycles. Friendship, brotherhood, community spirit and charitable giving remain at the heart of everything the Chapter does.

    Thanks to the generosity of everyone who attended, supported the raffle and contributed throughout the evening, an impressive £822 was raised, which will be shared between Hope Support Services and the Taurus Charity Chest.

    Hope Support Services is a wonderful charity supporting children and young people who have a loved one with a serious illness, providing much-needed emotional and practical support during incredibly difficult times.

    The Taurus Charity Chest enables the Chapter to continue supporting local charities, community initiatives and other worthwhile causes throughout the year.

    A tremendous amount of work goes into organising events such as these, and special thanks must go to everyone who helped with the planning, preparation, setting up and running of the evening. Their hard work, together with the fantastic support of everyone who attended, made the event such a success.

    The Monster Mash follows a growing number of successful fundraising and social events organised by Taurus, helping to strengthen friendships both within Freemasonry and the wider community.

    With another successful evening behind them, the Taurus Chapter is already looking forward to its next gathering.

    A huge thank you to everyone who supported the Monster Mash. Your generosity makes a real difference!

    Widows Sons MBA – Taurus Chapter, Herefordshire

  • National Freemasons’ Service of Remembrance

    National Freemasons’ Service of Remembrance

    Nineteen members of Herefordshire Freemasons joined Freemasons from across the
    country to attend the National Freemasons’ Service of Remembrance at the Royal British
    Legion National Remembrance Gardens on Saturday 31 st October. This annual event is to
    honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.
    Organised by Derbyshire Freemasons, the event remembered the many Freemasons who
    answered the call of duty, and all those whose lives have been affected by conflict.
    The service was a deeply moving and special occasion, made even more memorable by
    catching up with so many friends from across the country.
    There were Addresses frow RW Bro John P Thompson, Assistant Grand Master, and Mrs
    Linda Atkins DL, National Chair of the Royal British Legion. Music was provided by the Army
    Cadets Band of Derbyshire – The Mercian Regiment and the bugler for the Last Post was W
    Bro Adrian Harper.
    The service and Act of Remembrance was conducted by W Bro Steve Fraser-Burton,
    Provincial Grand Chaplain, Major late Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters.
    The week before the service, members of Taurus Chapter of the Widows Sons MBA
    gathered at the War Memorial in St Peter’s Square, Hereford, for a very special handover.
    This was to hand over the Herefordshire Freemasons’ remembrance wreath, which Taurus
    had been entrusted to transport to the National Memorial Arboretum, ready for the Annual
    Remembrance Service.


    The wreath was handed over by the Head of Herefordshire Freemasons, RW Bro Michael
    Holland, who is also an Honorary Member of Taurus, along with Deputy Head of
    Freemasonry in Herefordshire, VW Bro Stuart Jones.
    At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.

  • 26th September – Another ‘Typical Day’ for Herefordshire Freemasons

    26th September – Another ‘Typical Day’ for Herefordshire Freemasons

    Just “another typical day” in the life of Herefordshire Freemasons. Many Companions attended the Annual Meeting of the Gloucester and Herefordshire Royal Arch in Gloucester during the day. The ceremony saw the new Third Provincial Grand Principal, E Comp David Hedley (top right in picture) invested and also E Comp Tony Allcock (bottom right in picture) invested as the new Assistant to the Principals who will be covering all of the Herefordshire Royal Arch Chapters.  Congratulations to them and all who received preferment on the day.

    Further details on the Royal Arch Provincial Website here

    It was also the first Installation Ceremony of the new Masonic Season at Vaga Lodge in Hereford in the evening. The Head of Herefordshire Freemasons and the Provincial Team were at the Installation ceremony. A great ceremony and festive board afterwards which was well attended by members, visitors and the Provincial Team. We wish the new Worshipful Master and his officers a productive and enjoyable year.

    Meanwhile the Deputy Head of Herefordshire Freemasons represented us at the Arrive Alive Charity Gala, just one of the charities we have supported this year.

    All of our core values in one day, Integrity, Friendship, Respect and Service.

  • Nepal flood disaster victims receive £50,000 from Herefordshire Freemasons

    Nepal flood disaster victims receive £50,000 from Herefordshire Freemasons

    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 Assist Hereford Veterans Support Centre

    Delphis Lodge Assist Hereford Veterans Support Centre


    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:

    • ‘Starter packs’ – if someone is found accommodation we help with basics including washing powder, toothpaste, shampoo, washing up liquid, etc
    • Brunch – weekly free sandwich, cake, tea and coffee
    • Out-reach ‘coffee mornings’
    • Day trips – we arrange minibus trips to places such as the National Memorial Arboretum
    • Volunteer expenses for our growing request for county wide social support
    • Emergency second-hand mobiles

    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.