The Furness and South Lakeland Group held its bi-annual dinner at Fairfield Masonic Hall in Barrow with 90 brethren in attendance. Prior to the dinner, principal guest, Deputy Provincial Grand Master Frank Umbers held an informal ‘meet and greet’ in the lodge room upstairs for masters and immediate past masters of lodges along with first principals and immediate past first principals of chapters.
On a top table that read like a “who’s who” of both group and Province, age mingled with youth, old boys sat cheek by jowl with new boys and conversation flowed like fine wine. Group chairman Chris Gray, in the company of vice chairman Harry Chatfield and group secretary Tony Jackson, welcomed all of the guests for the evening, including Assistant Provincial Grand Master Peter Schofield, Past Assistant Provincial Grand Master Dave Grainger, Provincial Grand Secretary Peter Taylor and Provincial Senior Grand Warden Mark Humphrey with Provincial Junior Grand Warden Mike Silver.
As a bi-annual event, rotating with the Lancaster and District Group, a special welcome was extended to several members of the visiting group, including chairman Chris Larder, vice chairman Daniel Crossley, secretary Lee Fisher, Neil McGill and Scott Devine.
After toast number five, that to the health of the Deputy Provincial Grand Master, ably proposed by Jason Priss of Dalton-in-Furness Lodge No 6828, Frank Umbers rose to reply and with his customary good humour and glint of a smile. Frank opened his response with gratitude for the invitation and his pleasure to be back in the Furness and South Lakeland Group. He made special mention of the two tables of brethren of the Cavendish Club, Furness and South Lakeland Group’s light blues club and expressed a hope for the Cavendish Club to go from strength to strength.
Frank went on to mention how useful and informative the ‘meet and greet’ had been. He thanked the more senior members of the group for their company, naming Rowly Saunders, a past group chairman and his successor Alan Jones, with a broad smile. Officers of Supreme Grand Chapter Barrie Crossley, Gary Rogerson and Chris Band were also acknowledged, as well as Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies Barry Fitzgerald and Assistant to the Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies Phil Renney who were thanked for their hard work keeping everyone in line throughout the season. Frank’s praise also extended to the group executive, as Chris and Harry are new to their roles he urged the brethren of the group to support them 100% in their efforts and endeavours.
As expected, in his reply, Frank also promoted the new Portal membership website, launched from UGLE and commended it to all present. He spoke about the relative successes of the Membership Challenge and the recovery, albeit slow, in numbers and urged everyone to look amongst their families, friends and work colleagues for good men to become Masons. Community engagement was also touched upon as a key part of the lives of many Freemasons.
Another encouraging fact was that in two short years, the Craft has gone from 16.4% of initiates leaving the Craft in their first year to less than 1%, a testament to the good work being done by membership officers, mentors, and of course, proposers and seconders of new brethren. In closing, Frank described the Furness and South Lakeland Group as well-managed, forward-thinking and an integral part of the great Province of West Lancashire.
It was then the turn of Provincial Junior Grand Warden Mike Silver to speak. In his warm proposition of the toast to the Furness and South Lakeland Group, Mike was able to highlight the many facets of the group, the group executive and committee, its halls, the history dating back to the 1860s and its members, notable for many very high-ranking brethren.
Group chairman Chris Gray responded, thanking Mike for his toast. He also thanked his group officers and was fulsome in his accolade for the Furness and South Lakeland Group Boxing Committee, one of the pillars of fundraising in the area. Chris also congratulated recipients of acting Provincial rank, first appointments and promotions at the forthcoming Provincial Grand Lodge on 9 May at Blackpool. The ‘breakfast club’ also got a mention, a fine body of brethren who attend Fairfield Hall every morning, preparing the lodge room and laying out furniture for functions both Masonic and public. Chris then presented a cheque for £1,000.00 for the West Lancashire Freemasons’ Charity to Frank. Gifts of flowers were given to Gary Rogerson, Peter Schofield, and to principal guest Frank Umbers. A further encouraging fact mentioned by Chris Gray was that 30% of attendees on the night were light blues, another feather in the group’s cap.
