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W.Bro. Tony Jarvis, a well-travelled Freemason since 1978 joined St Martin’s Lodge No.3431 at a recent meeting at Freemasons' Hall Leicester. Tony’s has attained the Chair of King Solomon in many Lodges overseas, for example in Scotland as a member of Acacia Lodge No.1582. In the Netherlands Israel Lodge No.132, and in Ireland St Patrick Lodge No.517, as well as closer to home New Sarum Lodge No.7626 in England On retiring from his career as a Financial Adviser, and returning from South Africa to the UK, Tony has joined his own brother, Ivan Jarvis, himself a member of St Martins Lodge for over 50 years. At the St Martin's Lodge Installation in March, the newly installed Master, W.Bro. Michael Holden, invested Tony as Junior Warden of the Lodge for the coming year.

With only 8 weeks to go before the consecration of the new Hinckley Lodge of Installed Masters No. 9972, work has begun to gather together the Lodge Furniture & Regalia. One such aspect of any regular Lodge, are the gavels placed on the desks of the Master, Senior Warden, and Junior Warden. The Hinckley Lodge of Installed Masters is most grateful to one of the Lodge Founders, W.Bro. Bob Packer who has produced a beautiful set of three gavels, inlaid with the emblems of the three main officers of the Lodge and embellished in gold leaf. These will sit with great pride on the pedestals in the Lodge room during the ceremonies. The Consecration of the Lodge is due to take place on Thursday 23rd May and will be performed by the Provincial Grand Master and the Provincial Officers.  This will be the first Lodge Consecration in the Province for 12 years and will be open to all Master Masons who may wish to witness a unique ceremony.

At a meeting in Lutterworth of the Wiclif Lodge No.3078 on the 13th March 2019, the Provincial Grand Master of Leicestershire & Rutland Freemasons, David Hagger, was in attendance to present a certificate in recognition of 50 years in Masonry to the Lodge Secretary, Malcolm Longley.  Unbeknown to the Provincial Grand Master, the two Lodges who meet in Lutterworth, the Edwards Sherrier Lodge, and the Wiclif Lodge, had arranged a surprise presentation of a cheque totaling £10,000 from Lutterworth Freemasons to the 2022 Festival Appeal, raising money for the Masonic Charitable Foundation. The cheque presentation was made by Clive Weston who was representing Lutterworth Freemasons, which will go towards the target of raising £1.8m by 2022.  David Hagger said, "What a wonderful surprise to receive this most generous donation towards our appeal, a fantastic example of the generosity of our members". The money was raised by the members, friends, and families of Lutterworth Freemasons from events and fundraising activities on behalf of both Lodges and the Sherricliff fund. About the Masonic Charitable Foundation: The Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) is one of the largest grant-making charities in the country. Funded entirely through the generosity of Freemasons and their families, the MCF awards millions of pounds each year to local and national charities that help vulnerable people, advance medical research and provide opportunities for young people. The MCF also helps to fund vital services such as hospices and air ambulances and regularly contributes to worldwide appeals for disaster relief.  In total, MCF support helps to improve the lives of thousands of people every year in England, Wales and internationally. As well as providing grants to charities, the MCF supports Masonic families with a financial, health or family need. Visit www.mcf.org.uk

“If Music be the Food of Love” was the title of a concert given in the Carillon Rooms at Loughborough Masonic Hall on the 16th February.  “Concorde”,  a small group of singers based in the East Midlands, presented an evening of songs inspired by love in a wide variety of styles to celebrate Valentine’s Day. A packed audience was enthralled by a programme of songs from Musicals, Shows and many popular and jazz classics, many being especially arranged for the group by one of its singers, David Toft. Solo items from within the group made up the rest of what was a most enjoyable concert. As a result of the evening £1,000 was raised towards the cost of installing a toilet for the disabled at Loughborough Masonic Hall, a facility which will make it even more attractive in its increasing popularity as a venue for public and private events. A Christmas concert by the same group is planned for December 14th which again will raise money for Masonic Charities.

On Monday 18th February, The Lodge of the Golden Fleece No.2081 held their 134th installation meeting, where W.Bro. David Walker installed the Master Elect Bro. Sebastian Maley into the chair of King Solomon. The Lodge was pleased to receive the Provincial Junior Grand Warden W.Bro. Paul A Beachell who was accompanied by W.Bro. John TS Edmond, Provincial Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies. The new Master of the Lodge, W.Bro. Sebastian Maley was pleased to appoint his officers, where Bro. David Williams and Bro. Samuel Harris were both appointed as Senior and Junior Warden respectively. Also present at the Installation ceremony was the 2022 Festival Chairman W.Bro. Dale Page who said “what a superb evening, and such a great pleasure to see the Master and his Wardens all proudly wearing their festival jewels”

On Monday 18th February 2019, The Framland Hundred Lodge No.9453 held its 116th Meeting and the first meeting of the New Year with the newly installed Master, W.Bro. Martin Smith at the helm. The meeting was well attended by members and visitors to welcome into Freemasonry Mr Edward Hrynewiecki. Also present at the meeting was W.Bro. John Torley Past Grand Steward, a visitor from the Grand Lodge of Ireland. As the installation of W.Bro. Martin was in December 2018, this was the first meeting for the new officers who showed such enthusiasm and professionalism with which they conducted the Ceremony.  Three of the brethren who had recently been raised to the degree of a Master Mason during the latter half of 2018, Bro. Mark Yeoman, Bro. Daniel Newham, and Bro. Richard Senior were all invested as Stewards of the Lodge, their first role in office. The meeting was very much a family affair with Bro. Stephen Newham as Senior Warden witnessing his son, Bro. Daniel Newham, and also his son-in-law Bro. Richard Senior receive their Grand Lodge certificates, skillfully presented by W.Bro. Keith Harkness PAGDC, his first ever Triple Presentation of the Certificate. The meeting concluded with the proposal of a new candidate for Initiation, the third in the last twelve months. The Lodge now has enough work for over three years and a current membership of 34 which is as it was when the Lodge was formed in May 1992. Retiring to the dining hall to enjoy an excellent Festive Board, the Brethren were well served by the new Lodge Stewards. In the absence of the usual guest singer, a new star was born when W.Bro. Andrew Gill (Director of Ceremonies) then sang the Entered Apprentice Song with W.Bro. David Pratt presenting the Masonic Chain to our newly made Bro. Edward Hrynewiecki who expressed his thanks to all present for a very memorable evening.

Leicestershire & Rutland Light Blues RFC accepted an invitation to participate in the inaugural match of the Province of West Lancashire’s new Masonic Rugby Team. After much planning between the Light Blues RFC and WLFRFC, the two sides met on the 9th February 2019. Wigan, a town more familiar with Rugby League, was to be the battleground and despite stormy conditions throughout the night, the sun was shining and the Wigan RUFC pitch was in excellent condition. A 200-strong crowd was expected, and both teams were ready to compete for the Freemasons Rugby Challenge Cup, a cup donated by both clubs to encourage the development of Provincial Masonic rugby teams, and, of course, healthy fraternal rivalry. Both sides began the match with enthusiasm and, with ‘brotherly love’ being temporarily put to one side, in true rugby spirit! Despite it being their first match (and for some of their players, their first ever game), West Lancashire were competitive with resilient defence and probing attacks, but the first half finished with Leicestershire & Rutland having a narrow lead 10-13 due to their well drilled and efficient playing style. Whilst West Lancashire fielded an all-masonic team, part of the ethos of Leicestershire Light Blues RFC, who have been established for a number of years, is to work as a recruiting platform and a conduit into Freemasonry. The fresh (and younger) legs of the Leicestershire & Rutland brethren and gentlemen proved decisive and, after a hard-fought second half, the Leicestershire & Rutland team were victorious with a 30 points to 10 victory. The Freemasons Rugby Challenge Cup was presented to the Light Blues RFC Captain Bro. Andrew "Jock" Keenan by the WLFRFC Honorary Patron, Right Worshipful Bro. Tony Harrison, Provincial Grand Master of the Province of West Lancashire, for a well-deserved victory. WLFRFC Honorary President, linesman and Deputy Grand Superintendent from the Royal Arch Province of West Lancashire Comp. Dr Paul Renton presented Man-of-the-Match awards to West Lancs’ Hooker, Bro. Mark Brant, and to Leicestershire & Rutland’s Fly Half, Bro. Ollie Stanley. Fundraising on the day raised £960 which included a generous donation of £103 by the Leicestershire and Rutland Brethren. WLFRFC Chairman & Founder Bro. Garry Hacking, praised the generosity and support of all who attended the match from both Provinces and thanked W.Bro. Daniel Quelch and W.Bro. Andrew Keenan for their guidance, advice, and help in setting up the West Lancashire team. The day ended in a traditional Rugby manner, with lots of cheer, laughter, song, and beer.

On the evening of 26th February, a most enjoyable Burns Night Celebration was held by St. Mary's Lodge No.7164, organised by the Master, W.Bro. Michael Brooman and his wife Samantha with assistance from their friends and family. The evening was well attended with 65 members of the local Lodges meeting in Melton Mowbray, friends and family. The chosen Charity for the evening was ProstAid, for which over £600 was raised by the raffle, and a Burns Night themed game of "Neeps and Tatties" great fun was had by all!  A most enjoyable meal, featuring, of course, a haggis, which was duly piped around the dining room, and then eloquently addressed by Bro. Martin Fairbairn. For Whisky connoisseurs there were a number of varieties doing the rounds. After the meal, poems were read by W.Bro. William Hutchison, W.Bro. David Wall and others.  The Master then gave a speech on behalf of the gentlemen present and his wife Samantha responded for the Ladies.  One of the Lodge members, Bro. Paul Wright was celebrating his birthday and much to his surprise was presented with a birthday cake tomuch applause. Finally, the Master gave a short speech and thanked all those who had helped with the organisation of the evening. Bro. Raymond de Barry Blanchard responded on behalf of all of the guests.  As mementos of the evening, each couple was invited take home a docorative candle and some shortbread, and also a Whisky glass and a small bottle with a tot of Whisky. A most enjoyable evening which left everyone saying, "Roll on next year!"

On Wednesday 13th February 2019, W.Bro. Paul Simpson, the Immediate Past Master of St. Wilfrid's Lodge was given the honour to once again take a seat in King Solomon’s chair to raise his son, Bro. William Simpson. The Master of the Lodge W.Bro. Richard Shepherd was delighted to make way for W.Bro. Paul on this once in a lifetime experience.  W.Bro. Paul accepted this kind gesture and proceeded to raise his son to the sublime degree of a Master Mason in what was an emotional ceremony. W.Bro. Paul said “I was very honoured to be given the opportunity to raise William and would like to thank the Master, Wardens, and Brethren of St Wilfrid’s Lodge for enabling me to conduct the ceremony. It was a very proud moment for both William and myself”. Bro. William now lives in Liverpool having graduated from Liverpool John Moore’s University in July 2018. He now works as part of the Media Management team for Lime Pictures who produce T.V. shows such as Channel 4's “Hollyoaks”. The Lodge was furthered honoured with the presence of their mother Lodge, St Peter’s Lodge No.1330 who supported the evening in great numbers as per usual. To round off an excellent evening and continuing the theme of "keeping it in the family", W.Bro. Paul was also able to welcome as his guest, W.Bro. Alf Edwards of  St. Kenelm Lodge in Worcestershire, who will become W.Bro Paul’s father in law when he marries his daughter, Mrs Denise Line on Saturday May 4th 2019 at Hothorpe Hall.

The first ever meeting of the Burbach Lodge No.8699 was held on Tuesday 13th April 1976 at the Masonic Hall in Hinckley.  Now some 300 meetings later, on the 8th January 2019 the Lodge gathered to celebrate this landmark achievement. The Master of the Lodge, W.Bro. Michael Kennedy began the evening’s celebrations by welcoming the Provincial Grand Master, R.W.Bro. David Hagger together with the Provincial Team to Hinckley, making for a very well attended meeting with nearly ninety brethren in attendance. R.W.Bro. David began with an explanation of the Lodge shield and the origins of the name, which is deep-rooted in history, having been derived from the words “BUR” meaning thistle, and “BACH”, meaning a lake or stream, both symbols being present on the Lodge shield. There is also a symbol showing a Maltese cross. This refers to the fact that Burbach Lodge, along with Sparkenhoe Lodge No.8063 and St Simon & St Jude Lodge No.8729 are daughter Lodges of the Knights of Malta Lodge No.50, all of whom meet at the Masonic Hall in Hinckley. The first ever summons circulated for the April 1976 meeting was read out by one of the founding members, W.Bro. Clive Kidd, followed by a brief history of the Lodge by W.Bro. Alan James. It was then the turn of W.Bro. Michael Kennedy to lead his team in the raising of Bro.Nick Bryan to the degree of a Fellowcraft, before retiring for a hearty festive board. R.W.Bro. David Hagger said: “The work that has gone into this celebration is a testament to the energy and enthusiasm within this Lodge, which will put Freemasonry in good stead for another forty-three years in Hinckley!”

On Monday 18th March 2019, Granite Chapter No.2028 was honoured to receive many distinguished guests at the installation of Excellent Companion Daniel Hayward as MEZ for the ensuing year. The Chapter at first was pleased to receive the Most Excellent Grand Superintendent, Noel Manby together with his Provincial team. With E.Comp. Daniel being a member of the committee of the Universities Scheme, he was also pleased to have present at his installation the Past Third Grand Principal, Most Excellent Companion Sir David Hugh Wootton as President of the Scheme, and also the Chairman, E.Comp. Mark Greenburgh. The Holmes Lodge room at Freemasons' Hall Leicester was in full splendour with the Royal Arch banners ready for the evening. All were treated to a superb Installation ceremony as E.Comp Don Salt handed over the running of the Chapter to E.Comp. Daniel and his new team. The Charter was expertly presented by the Most Excellent Grand Superintendent before everyone retired to enjoy a fantastic festive board, where E.Comp Noel presented the Past Third Grand Principal with a bottle of Burleigh’s Tigers Gin sporting the full colours of the Leicester Tigers, a particularly hard task for E.Comp Noel being a staunch Northampton Saints fan!

On Thursday 21st February 2019, E.Comp. Noel Manby, accompanied by the Provincial Grand Lodge Officers of the year made another visit to one of the Provincial Centres, this time to visit the St. Peter’s Chapter No.1330 in Market Harborough. St. Peter’s Chapter was consecrated in the Assembly Rooms in Market Harborough, on Wednesday 8th March 1939 and was led by the then Grand Superintendent, E.Comp. Sir Frederick Oliver, supported by 20 Founder members, most of whom were already Companions at the Vale of Catmos Chapter. Nearly 80 years later, on the occasion of the recent Provincial visit, the MEZ E Comp. Andrew Moore assisted by members of the Chapter exalted Bro. Craig Sutherland, a member of the St. Wilfrid’s Lodge No.8350. After the ceremony at a very enjoyable Festive Board the renowned St Peter’s raffle took place for the Chapter Discretionary Fund which raised £285.