On Wednesday 2 October, the annual Student Freshers’ Fair was held in the Sports Hall at Lancaster University and attended by the local Universities’ Scheme Lodge, City of Lancaster, Lodge No 281. It was one of the busiest and most successful ever, with an estimated total footfall of around 10,000.
The fair, open between 10:30am and 4:00pm, was extremely busy and resulted in 11 very firm and enthusiastic enquiries from male students with contact details forms confidently filled in. A text or phone call, plus an invite to visit Rowley Court Masonic Hall in the very near future, now beckons! In previous years, this has been a very successful means of recruitment.
There were also several other ‘nibbles’ and expressions of interest. Both the men’s and women’s representatives expressed great satisfaction at both the general interest shown for Freemasonry, the quality of questions asked and the overall ambience and vibrancy of the event.
The Freemasons’ stall was staffed by Brenda Dobson and Laura Aimson from the local HFAF branch of Women’s Freemasonry, plus the team from City of Lancaster Lodge, Universities’ Scheme Lodge; Connor Isted, the Lancaster and District Group Coordinator, Lee Fisher, the lodge secretary and Jack Baxter the assistant secretary who monitors Universities’ Scheme Student Migration, plus overall recruitment and membership for the lodge. Also present were the local Assistant Provincial Grand Master Peter Schofield and the West Lancashire Provincial Universities’ Scheme Officer John Stanley.