I have completed all my activities and events for May and therefore I have decided to write my diary a little earlier than usual. This is, in fact, my last monthly diary until September 2010.

During the month of May, the Province of West Lancashire completed its 2010 Festival with joy and rejoicing. The Festival was launched by my predecessor, Colin Wright, at Provincial Grand Lodge in Blackpool on 23 May 2005. On 8 May 2010, I handed over a cheque to the Masonic Samaritan Fund for £5,418,004, representing the result of all our hard work and generous giving over five energetic years. This was one of our finest hours and showed off West Lancashire at its very best. I was particularly pleased that Julie and the ladies could join us and share in the celebrations. After all, the ladies do so much to support and encourage us in our Freemasonry that their attendance seemed entirely appropriate.

The Festival was, of course, held over two days, 7 and 8 May. On the Friday night, at the Pre-Festival Dinner, our celebrations began in earnest at the Hilton Hotel, Blackpool. The dinner was attended by the Festival Event Committee, the Festival Appeal Committee, the Festival Office Team and many other workers. I was personally able to salute, congratulate and thank all those who had taken part. The evening’s celebrations were just wonderful and I do not believe that the Houghton Weavers have ever played to such an enthusiatic and happy audience.

The Festival has been carefully recorded in the West Lancashire Freemason and a copy of the newsletter has already been sent to every brother in the Province. I suggest that it is the best magazine ever produced. The many stories and photographs can be read with much pleasure and satisfaction and indeed kept as a reminder of our Festival. I am indebted to Derek Hunt, the editor, and his team for their skill and expertise in producing the newsletter. As the Provincial Publicity Officer, Derek has made such a difference to our publicity and communications, including our website, and I offer my sincere thanks for all that he has done and continues to do. A special word of thanks also goes to George Thornton, our photographer, who produces some breathtaking photographs, including the middle page spread of the newsletter. This is not a photograph to be attempted with a ‘Brownie’ camera!

The Website is also vibrant, with pictures and articles in respect of our Festival - it is brilliant. Again, I must thank Derek Hunt and his team for all their good work. Also, our webmaster Chris Butterfield ‘has delivered the goods’ in a splendid and timely manner, as he always does, and I hope that as many brethren and visitors will visit and enjoy our website.        

On 20 May, Julie and I attended the Final 2010 Festival Stewards’ Dinner at Leyland. The event was held on a beautiful spring evening at Leyland Masonic Hall and the ladies joined us. I was able to anounce that I had received a letter from the Masonic Samaritan Fund President Hugh Stubbs, who expressed his sincere thanks and appreciation for both the Festival total and the Festival celebrations. He was clearly thrilled by what we had achieved in West Lancashire. I associated myself with those remarks, repeating my great pleasure at the commitment and support that have been readily given by so many. It was a lovely evening on which to wind up our Festival, each of us relaxing in the knowledge of a job so very well done!

Although I tried to leave the first two weeks of May relatively free, so as to concentrate on the Festival, I did attend, on 4 May, the Provincial Grand Lodge of Yorkshire West Riding, held at the Royal Hall Harrogate. This is a substantial Province with 209 lodges and 81 chapters. I was particularly impressed when the Provicial Grand Master ‘called off’ and then presented cheques amounting to £100,000 to non-masonic causes from his own community fund. In Freemasonry, it seems to me that, increasingly, there is now a significant move towards charitable giving which is roughly divided equally between Masonic causes and non-Masonic causes. This is, of course, the policy of the Grand Charity. And I just love it, when I hear the Pro Grand Master say that Freemasonry is currently the second largest charitable giver to non-Masonic causes behind the National Lottery.

On 14 May, I attended the Liobians Masonic Association Dinner as its guest speaker. This is an association of Freemasons who attended the Liverpool Institute High School for Boys, which sadly closed in 1985. Fortunately, it has since re-opened as the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts. The Founder President of the Association is Cyril McGibbon, who was in fact appointed as an Assistant Provincial Grand Master as long ago as 1973. I have always admired Cyril for his considerable contribution to Freemasonry and many other causes, but most of all for his incredible memory. In replying to the toast to the visitors, during which my community work was referred to, I gave a brief picture of my eight years of regeneration work in Preston. It was good to tell the story, because it reminded me of a most satisfying time in my life which I greatly enjoyed.

The brethren of West Lancashire and their ladies are fully entitled to a bumper holiday and a well earned rest, and perhaps we will all happily contemplate on what has been a wonderful Masonic year and a truly fantastic 2010 Festival. I hope that you all enjoy the summer and come back in the autumn fully refreshed and ready for another Masonic season. Thank you, West Lancashire.  

 

Peter Hosker

 

 

This was the superb view I had after taking my seat in the Guild Hall, Preston to open the 2010 Festival meeting. It was wonderful to see so many brethren from all parts of the Province and their ladies. Lined up in front of me are my Deputy Provincial Grand Master, all of my Assistant Provincial Grand Masters along with our Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies. It is a sight I will remember forever.

 

 

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