Provincial Meeting and Festival Launch, March 23rd, 2024
One Organisation - Craft and Chapter regalia at the Especial Meeting of Provincial Grand Lodge
An entirely new format for the Provincial Grand Lodge meeting at Harper Adams University College was acclaimed a great success at the end of March. With the Provincial Grand Chapter deferred until the end of April, space was made for a Business meeting in the morning, the traditional (and always excellent) luncheon and an Especial Meeting in the afternoon which included a welcome to many Distinguished Guests, including representatives from many charities supported recently.
The Investiture of the Officers went off with its usual pageantry before the Provincial Grand Master’s Address introduced the Launch of the 2030 Festival on behalf of the MCF, in the presence of VWBro Les Hutchinson and WBro Paul Crockett of the MCF, who had driven from Suffolk’s Festival Launch the previous evening.
No Organist - for the afternoon, music was supplied by an excellent brass quintet led by Steven Pritchard-Jones. AV led the agenda, with slides on the main screen and no less than five videos which held the attention of the Ladies, Gentlemen and Brethren present (though not, I fear, of Eric the Guide Dog)…
The last of the videos was a spoof on “Murder on the Orient Express”, with Jamie Chaplin as Poirot and other Brethren (especially members of the Festival Committee) in costume. Poirot discovered not a ghastly murder, but rather the Festival target - which is set at £1,000,000. With six years to raise the money, it is hoped that Shropshire will once again step up to the (foot-?)plate and cement its reputation as one of the great benefactor Provinces.
Below please find a Letter of Thanks from the Provincial Grand Master:
Sunday, 24 March 2024
Dear Brethren,
I would like to thank you all for the tremendous support you gave to the launch of our Festival 2030 at Harper Adams University on Saturday, March 23rd.
I don’t think it could have gone much better. From the feedback I received from our Masonic friends in North Wales, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Monmouthshire, Worcestershire and beyond, there is no doubt that the afternoon was enjoyed by everyone. The representatives of seventeen Shropshire charities you have supported were equally impressed. And, blessed relief, the technology behaved.
There wasn’t a free place at the beautiful fillet steak luncheon nor were there more than one or two vacant seats in the hall. Your support was magnificent.
My grateful thanks go to WBro Jeremy Lund, DepPrGM and his Committee for planning and executing the meeting so well.
Many thanks to Alan Quinlan for preventing a tech melt-down and ensuring the microphones worked.
A huge thanks to Steve Pritchard-Jones, Provincial Grand Organist for his bringing together five musicians who played superbly well.
Thanks to Alan Tipton for putting up all the informational posters, to Audley Lodge for their security function, especially Bill Jones who was stewarding the car park from the early hours and to Jonathan Greatorex for taking the official photographs. Thank you, Kay and John Weaver for running the shop in the Union Bar.
The Provincial Grand Stewards, looking so smart in their red aprons did a wonderful job, guiding, shepherding, making sure our visitors were well received and accommodated.
To the Provincial Grand Secretary who has put in so much work, planning and arranging the day; to the Provincial Grand Treasurer who has to balance the books, to the Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies who works so hard, I extend my admiration and thanks.
And finally, to you, Brethren for your fantastic support for the Festival and for the Fellowship we share as we work like bees in a hive to produce the sweet honey of charity.
With my very best wishes
Roger
Provincial Grand Master and Grand Superintendent.