On a fine but chilly Sunday in November, the Bedford Hotel in St Annes on Sea was host to a memorable Lodge of Triumph No 1061 Ladies and Gents social event organised by the ever-excellent Edward Rhodes. The bar area was filled, as were the guests’ glasses. Laughter and joy were in the air and it was most pleasing to witness partners’, wives’ and guests’ eyes light up at seeing familiar faces and engage in cheerful conversation.
It is clear that these social events do more than just raise money for charity; they are an opportunity for those who support Masonry in the background to step into the light and play an active role in the calendar. This was even more prominent witnessing David Eastwood and his wife Sue, William Buchanan senior and his wife Sue, sat at the table with their children; immediate past master William Buchanan and his wife, Laura and their five-month- old daughter, Ava. A truly inspiring generational legacy.
As everyone were seated, the sumptuous feast was served. With starters ranging from seafood platters, liver pate and melon; Mains included a festive roast beef dinner, pork or chicken dinner and for those cheeky enough to ask, an extra Yorkshire pudding or two. Desserts on offer for those with a sweet tooth included black forest trifle, locally produced ice cream and a traditional Christmas pudding with brandy sauce.
As with all occasions, the thoughts of helping others and raising money for charity is never far from the minds of all who attended. The afternoon’s entertainment got underway with Edward Rhode’s now-famous ‘stand-up bingo’. With everyone on their feet, numbers are called in a traditional fashion – if a number is called on your card, you must sit down. The last person standing was the first to scoop a prize and this went to Hazel Whattam. Indeed, there was a healthy array of prizes donated by the attending guests and this brought a level of excitement as the raffle draw was close at hand.
WM Mike Boxall drew the first number and the prizes cascaded to well-deserving winners. The prizes were paraded by the ever-entertaining Peter Grihault in his Santa Squad sweater, who never fails to leave everyone with a smile on their face and he was assisted by the newest fellowcraft on the block, Jack Todd. Guests were proud to do their bit for charity, whilst winning a cheeky prize or two. The winners came in thick and fast and eventually, the main prize, which was gift wrapped and a genuine mystery, was won by Graham Whattam and his wife Hazel. The guests in the room felt unsurprised, as this added to the five prizes they had already picked up during the afternoon. Lady luck shone on them all afternoon.
Once the raffle was completed, Mike Boxall gave a thoughtful speech. He began by thanking all for attending and then went on to give special thanks to Edward Rhodes for organising the event. This message was even more poignant as he gave a special mention to almoner, Graham Smith’s wife, Denise, who continues to be active for Masonic events and who organised all raffle tickets and gave a generous donation to support the occasion.
Finally, Mike reminisced about his year in office as WM and thanked all those who have supported him and with his typical hearty and jovial style, asked who had done the seating plan. For the next event at the Bedford Hotel, he requested to be sat on table four – by far the luckiest table of the afternoon. Mike has a comedic sophistication that leaves guests with a wide smile on their face. He then went on to promote the Lodge of Triumph Lodge Christmas Ladies and Gents to Dine meeting on Thursday Dec 11 at St Annes Palace. There will be a brass band playing and as is always the case, the food on offer will be of excellent quality and the company will be second-to-none. With that in mind, Mike wished everyone a very merry Christmas and the murmurings of the guests reinforced that this was another successful social event under the belt of Mike Boxall during his year as WM.