Herefordshire Freemasons have been supplying Teddies For Loving Care (TLC) teddies to Hereford Hospital’s A and E department for some time. The teddies were recently extended for use in the ENT medical facility in the hospital.  

TLC delivers very special bears to hospitals, bringing relief and a smile to children in distress.

The cuddly bears are used by medical staff to calm children down, reward them for being brave or to demonstrate procedures. Often the bears distract poorly children so nurses and doctors can get their jobs done quickly and efficiently.

The TLC teddy has become an invaluable tool for medical professionals and a real comfort for children, helping to reduce the shock and distress of their experience. Every child that receives a teddy gets to take it home.

Paul Finlay looks after the TLC bears for the Province of Herefordshire and thought they should have an outing. He says:

“We wanted to celebrate our 25^th Anniversary and as we were feeling very ‘bullish’, we decided to ‘hoof around’ and take the ‘bull by the horns’ and share it with our world-famous Herefordshire bull, based in High Town, Hereford. Here they are having a fantastic Teddy Bear’s Picnic!!”

Dean Waterfield Lodge No. 8089, based in Hereford, recently donated £1,000 to the Orchestra of the Swan, a leading chamber orchestra based in the Midlands. The donation will go towards the weekly Café Muse sessions, which are a fun and friendly place where participants with mild to moderate dementia, and their family members are supported to live independently within Herefordshire. Each session is themed, with participants invited to explore musical instruments, rediscover musical skills, sing along, dance, share their memories, discuss current affairs, and most importantly, enjoy a free group lunch!

 The Orchestra run two cafés in the region, in Hereford and Warwick. The weekly Café Muse session in Hereford is aimed specifically for Armed Forces Veterans and their families in Herefordshire and takes place at the Nell Gwynne Studio at The Courtyard, Hereford. The team in Hereford includes two specialist facilitators, a Registered Mental Health Nurse working with Veterans, and a SSAFA caseworker. The Orchestra are signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and have achieved Bronze Employment Recognition Scheme status, the first orchestra in the UK to do so.

“A huge thank you to Dean Waterfield Lodge No. 8089 for their generous donation towards Café Muse Hereford.
 The donation was presented by Stuart Powell following the completion of his year as Worshipful Master of the Lodge. Support like this makes a real difference, helping us reach more people through the power of music.
Thank you for your generosity and for supporting our work.”

Claire Atteck, Head of Operations and Finance at the Orchestra of the Swan

The partnership between Eastnor Lodge and Ledbury Rugby Football Club is celebrating the continued growth of its Services Breakfast Club, which brings together veterans and members of the Blue Light Services in a welcoming and informal setting. 

With attendance continuing to rise, the club has become an increasingly valued meeting point for people to share experiences, build friendships and maintain the sense of camaraderie associated with service life.

Ledbury RFC says the partnership is about more than simply supporting a breakfast gathering for the local Armed Forces and Blue Light communities. It represents a shared commitment to bringing people together, recognising the contributions of veterans and other service personnel, and creating opportunities for community connection.

The strengthened relationship between Ledbury RFC and Eastnor Lodge Freemasons demonstrates what can be achieved when local organisations work together to support the wider community.

The Services Breakfast Club meets on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 9:00am, and new members are always welcome.

Vitruvian and Ariconium Lodges as well as Vitruvian Chapter from Ross-on-Wye worked together to provide funding of £1,500 for Ross Community First Responders (CFRs) which will be used towards the ongoing costs of uniforms, medical equipment and vehicle costs. This is just one example of the local support given by Herefordshire Lodges to their local CFRs.

The Community First Responders across Herefordshire are a focus charity this year for Herefordshire Freemasons who have already donated two vehicles through the Arrive Alive charity as well as 100 bleed kits that the Herefordshire based CFRs have installed in defibrillators across the county.

Last Sunday saw the formal handover of first aid equipment to the Hereford and Worcester Army Cadet Force (ACF) at the county Training Centre in Besford, Worcestershire. This was a joint initiative between the Freemasons of Herefordshire and Worcestershire, who funded the equipment through a grant to the Hereford and Worcester Army Cadet Force Charitable Trust. The equipment will ensure all cadets have access to realistic, high-quality, and hands-on first aid training resources.  

The equipment consists of resuscitation dolls/CPR manikins and anti-choking training aid vests, that will improve the realism and quality of First Aid training. The manikins will be distributed to detachments across Herefordshire and Worcestershire ensuring every cadet has access to practical CPR training. The choking vests will be held centrally for use during collective training events and instructor courses. There are around seven hundred cadets across Herefordshire and Worcestershire supported by around one hundred and thirty adult volunteers, who can all take advantage of the new equipment.

First aid is a lifelong skill with real world relevance. Cadets can progress on to First Aid at Work qualifications. The importance of this training was demonstrated last year when a cadet received an award for providing life-saving assistance at a road traffic accident.

The handover event was attended by the Heads of Freemasonry in Herefordshire, Michael Holland, and Worcestershire, Stephen Wyer, accompanied by their Deputies. They were greeted by the Chair of Hereford and Worcester Army Cadet Charitable Trust, Col (retd) D Head MC, and Lieutenant Colonel Gary Newbrook, the Deputy Commandant of the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Army Cadets.

Following a demonstration of the equipment by the cadets and adult volunteers, the formal presentation took place where Col Head spoke about the useful skills learned in the cadets that can be transferred to everyday lives and help the community at large.

Col Head said:

“Your generosity is deeply valued. Your support strengthens a local youth organisation rooted in service, discipline and community. Most importantly it helps young people access experiences that can shape their confidence, character and future opportunity.”

The Head of Freemasonry in Herefordshire commented:

“We are delighted, in conjunction with the Freemasons of Worcestershire, to provide training aids that will help the ACF Cadets gain knowledge and hands-on experience, which will enable them to build confidence and develop transferable skills that can be applied in future employment opportunities, everyday life and service within the community.”

The formal presentation of the equipment is the culmination of the aligned vision of Freemasonry, the ACF Trust, and the Army Cadet Force, and is one of the highlights of the celebration of Armed Forces Week in Herefordshire and Worcestershire.