Not many new Masons have the opportunity to travel to the United Grand Lodge in Queen Street, London, so early in their Masonic careers, which made this event even more especially meaningful to all the newer brethren who took the time to travel down to London.
The occasion marked the 20th official anniversary of the University Scheme, and was hosted in the beautiful Temple No 10. Many of the university lodges, such as those at Oxford and Cambridge, are considerably older than the scheme itself.
Travelling from Lime Street required a very early start for the first of the two installation ceremonies, which was for David Kenneth Williamson Lodge No 9938 at 10:30am. Once the ceremony concluded, there was a lecture on the progress of the scheme, followed by a tour of the Grand Temple and an opportunity to explore the shop. The morning was quite busy and full of activities.
A champagne reception was followed by a hearty lunch. This was quickly followed by the installation meeting of the lodge, set up to support graduates and alumni of the Open University, Omnium Lodge No 1005, based at Christleton, near Chester. After that, everyone returned to enjoy a delightful buffet and networking session at the magnificent Goose and Grid Iron. This event brought together both lodges and many guests from the academic community.
The installations received strong support from various Provinces, including West Lancashire and the Mersey Valley Group. Then it was back to Liverpool on the West Coast Line, where members departed at many of the stations along the route as we passed through England, to Liverpool.
Photograph courtesy of Province of Shropshire. Many thanks for releasing the images at such speed. Watch this space for more information about Mersey Valley Light Blue events; or better still, come and join in at one of our meetings. Contact Graham Barker graham@KPAC.org.uk at Prescot Masonic Hall.