At the West Lancashire Century Lodge No 2349 meeting after the business of the lodge had been completed, the brethren received a presentation on Provincial regalia and Provincial jewels delivered by lodge secretary Shaun Haynes.
After the lodge was closed, 39 visiting wives, partners and gentlemen were invited into the lodge room to receive a presentation on Freemasonry and West Lancashire Century Lodge also delivered by Shaun. The presentation was well received by the guests and all questions were faithfully answered. After the presentation, the brethren and guests retired to the festive board to enjoy a splendid three course meal supplied by Lee and his team at Yes Chef Catering.
Guest of honour for the evening was Karen McLeod of local charity Sign Hi Say Hi, formally known as Blackpool Wyre and Fylde Deaf Children’s Charity. Karen was attending to give a talk all about the charity and the work it does in assisting the families of deaf children.
WM Niall Coxey-Stoker introduced Karen who said that Sign Hi Say Hi is a charity for local families with children and young people up to the age of 25 years who are deaf or have a hearing loss, it is run by parents, carers and grandparents. Sign Hi Say Hi is also affiliated to the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS). Sign Hi Say Hi organise regular activity sessions for deaf and hearing-impaired children and young people, their families, siblings under 19 years of age, parents and carers. All deaf children and young people are welcome whether they choose to communicate by speech, British Sign Language or any other supported English.
Karen went on to say that deaf children and young people can get together and take part in activities such as sports, crafts and to simply have the opportunity to all be together. Parents and carers can enjoy a coffee and have the opportunity to socialise together. Many children and young people find that they are the only deaf person in their school and at Sign Hi Say Hi they are with other people just like themselves. The charity also offers new parents whose children have just recently been identified as deaf informal parent to parent support.
The brethren and guests were informed that sessions are held during term time and most events are held on Tuesday evenings from 6pm to 8pm or on Sunday afternoons. The charity will try to vary where the meetings are held and to have a range of activities to appeal to different ages.
Karen also informed the guests that the charity does not receive any local or government funding so it relies on attracting grants and donations to run the activity sessions. The talk proved most informative and as a result of a raffle on the night, lodge charity steward Ian Chetwynd presented a cheque to Karen for £250 raised by a raffle at the festive board. More information about Sign Hi Say Hi can be found on their website by clicking here, or they can be emailed at signhisayhi@outlook.com