To see just how much Dave Baldwin, a member of East Barnet Lodge, was prepared to do for the Freemasons' Grand Charity in the final days of the festival, go to http://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/hertfordshiremercury-news-video/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=420134
If the link does not work then go to http://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk and look at video news.
We made it!
The Province of Hertfordshire met the challenge and raised the sum of £3,110,000 for the 2009 Festival in aid of the Freemasons’ Grand Charity.
The figure was announced at the banquet marking the culmination of the festival in London on June 13.
There was praise – and thanks – for the 6,200 members of craft lodges in the province, and for other orders, who contributed to the final total – from the President of the Grand Charity, Grahame Elliott and the Pro Grand Master, M W Bro Peter Lowndes.
More than 500 people attended the event which for many years seemed a goal in the distant future.
Just a few short weeks earlier it seemed possible that the economic downturn with its subsequent slashing of interest rates could scupper our £3 million target, but a flurry of activity and cheques arriving up the last minute meant that those worries were unfounded.
At the end of the day there were 83 Grand Patrons (lodges donating over £15,000), 41 patrons (donating between £10,000 and £15,000) and 57 vice patrons who donated between £5,000 and £10,000.
The accounts also show that £165,000 came from Royal Arch Chapters and £28,000 from Mark Master Masons. £31,000 came from Knights Templar, Royal and Select Masters, Operatives and other orders, and from LoIs and luncheon clubs. And £83,000 was donated from outside Hertfordshire.
And more good news: a few more cheques are still expected - which can only add to the great total raised.
Our Provincial Grand Master, R W Bro Colin Harris, expressed his gratitude to the brethren and lodges which had either directly or in various and ingenious ways raised money for the cause and he said he was particularly in awe of those lodges and their charity stewards whose overall contribution had been in a real sense outstanding!
The full list of lodges and their status will be published soon on the website, but there will be no league tables.
Welcome to the website of Hertfordshire Freemasonry.
The United Grand Lodge of England was founded in 1717; it now presides over some 300,000 Masons in England and Wales. Outside London, this large organisation operates at the County level – we call them Provinces. Hertfordshire is about the tenth largest of these with over 7000 members belonging to its 200+ Lodges.
What appears in the press about Freemasonry rarely veers towards fact. Freemasonry is open to men of all religious persuasions; it expects of its members an approach to life which emphasises thoughtfulness for others, kindness in the community, honesty in business, courtesy in society, and fairness in all things. It encourages and practises concern for people, care for the less fortunate and help for those in need.
We never ask the public to contribute to our charitable giving but rely entirely on our members, supported of course by their families. I am told that only the Lottery routinely gives more than we do. And we give to non-Masonic charities as well as those we run to help our members and families in hard times.
I hope that you enjoy browsing the pages on this site.
Colin Harris
It is a regulation of Grand Lodge which is incorporated into The Provincial By- Laws [No 20] that approaches should normally be made through the Provincial Grand Secretary, or by writing to me directly c/o The Provincial Office, Fleet House, 10 Parkway, Porters Wood, St Albans, Herts AL3 6PA.
However, if a direct approach is appropriate as it is for the Secretary of a Lodge I am about to visit (or have just visited), the following routes are available: