The afternoon sun cast a warm glow over Brookfield Hall on Peel Terrace, Westhoughton, as guests began arriving just after two o’clock, the smell of fresh tea and coffee drifting through the doors to welcome them in. There was laughter, handshakes, and the kind of easy conversation that only comes when people share a deep and common bond. The tea, coffee and sandwiches generously supplied free of charge by Brookfield Hall manager Susanna Matthews set the perfect tone for an afternoon that would prove to be both deeply moving and truly memorable.
By three o’clock, the room had filled, and the presentation began. The North West Chapter of the Widows Sons Masonic Bikers Association, gathered to present three new Blood Bikes to our three regional Groups, those being; Merseyside and Cheshire, Lancs and Lakes, Greater Manchester
Bill Bruce, President of the North West Chapter of the Widows Sons Masonic Bikiers Association, addressed the gathering with heartfelt gratitude. He thanked every lodge that had played a part in raising such a fantastic sum, and he made clear just how remarkable an achievement it was. He also took a moment to thank everyone who had made the journey to Brookfield Hall for the presentation, because, turning up, he said, matters. It always matters.
None of this happened by accident. The North West Chapter of the Widows Sons had relentlessly focussed on the £22,000 needed to purchase, prepare, livery and sign-write all three machines. An exercise which took two years through the generosity of many. The North West Chapter of the Widows Sons, along with several Craft lodges and chapters, all contributed, with Trafford Park Broad Oak Lodge No 4486 deserving particular mention for their tremendous support, donating over £5,000. Thus, ensuring that this tribute was a truly collective act of love and solidarity, exemplifying the finest attributes we as Freemason hold dear to our hearts.
Among those gathered were three distinguished guests whose presence spoke volumes about the significance of the occasion. Mark Matthews, Provincial Grand Master for the Province of West Lancashire, joined by Robert Frankl, Provincial Grand Master for the Province of East Lancashire, and Norman Alexander, Provincial Grand Master for the Province of South Rheged. That three Provincial grand masters would make the journey to Brookfield Hall was a mark of the profound respect held for this initiative, and for the memory of those being honoured. Their presence lent the afternoon a weight and dignity that was felt by everyone in the room.
But perhaps the most poignant presence of all belonged to three people who sat with a different kind of connection to the day’s events. Jo Kap, wife of Leo ‘Rhino’ Kap, Freda Houghton, wife of George ‘Souptop’ Houghton, and Bill Bruce, husband of Elaine ‘Lainey’ Bruce, had each made the journey to Brookfield Hall to honour the memory of their beloved partners. That they were there, sitting amongst the brotherhood that had loved and respected those they had lost, was a moment of profound grace. Their presence reminded everyone in the room that behind every name on those bikes was a love story, a shared life, and a loss that words can never fully reach. They were welcomed with the warmth and tenderness they deserved.
Three motorcycles stood at the heart of it all, gleaming, proud, and newly supplied by Millennium Motorcycles of St Helens. Each one had been carefully prepared, not just mechanically, but with meaning. Each carried a name. Each carried a message. And each one told the story of someone who was no longer riding alongside their brothers, but who would never truly be left behind.
But these were no ordinary motorcycles. Once handed over, each bike would join a fleet of volunteer-operated blood bikes, the unsung silent heroes of the National Health Service. In the dead of night, in the early hours of the morning, in the teeth of wind and rain, these machines and their volunteer riders would be called upon to do something remarkable: to carry blood, plasma, platelets, and other critical medical supplies to hospitals, sometimes covering great distances in a fraction of the time it would take any other means of transport.
A phone rings. A hospital needs an urgent supply of blood for a patient on the operating table. Minutes matter. Sometimes seconds matter. And it is a blood bike, quiet, fast, and dedicated that bridges the gap between a blood bank and a life hanging in the balance. These three bikes, in the hands of their volunteer riders, could one day be the reason someone’s mother, father, child, or friend makes it home. That is not a small thing. That is everything.
The first bike, bearing the name of the ‘My Brothers Keeper’, carried with it a dedication that brought a hush to the room: In memory of Elaine ‘Lainey’ Bruce. A name spoken with warmth by those who knew her, and with reverence by those who had only heard her story through the mouths of people who loved her. In the room, her husband Bill sat quietly, carrying her memory with him as he has every single day since she left.
The second bike, bearing the name of the ‘Widows Sons’, In memory of George ‘Souptop’ Houghton. A man whose nickname alone told you something about him that he was the kind of man people remembered not just with sadness, but with a smile. Freda sat amongst the brotherhood who had called him their own, knowing that his name would now ride roads he never got to travel.
The third bike, bearing the name ‘Athelstan’ (Athelstan being the first King of all England), carried its own tribute: In memory of Leo ‘Rhino’ Kap. Another brother, another name etched into the livery, into the metalwork, and into the hearts of everyone gathered in that hall. Jo Kap, who had known the man behind the name better than anyone, was there to see him honoured in a way that only the brotherhood could.
Each of the three bikes would go to a different region: Merseyside and Cheshire, to Lancashire and The Lakes and to East Lancashire, carrying those names and those memories out onto the open road, wherever the brotherhood travels. And as they ride through the night on their life-saving missions, those names will travel with them, a quiet and constant reminder of why the work matters and who inspired it.
The men who would carry that responsibility were introduced with great pride. Ian Shearer, riding for Merseyside and Cheshire, Russ Harrison, riding for Greater Manchester and Colin Greene, riding for Lancashire and the Lakes. Each stepped forward to receive their bikes. All three expressed the great pride and honour they felt at being entrusted to ride in memory of Leo ‘Rhino’ Kap, George ‘Souptop’ Houghton, and Elaine ‘Lainey’ Bruce. These were not just machines being handed over; they were a sacred trust, and the riders knew it.
In turn, Mark Matthews, Robert Frankl and Norman Alexander each took the opportunity to congratulate their own Provinces on the part it had played. Each spoke with evident pride, proud of their members, proud of what the brotherhood stands for, and proud to lead Provinces capable of such generosity and compassion. Their words were warm, sincere, and met with the appreciation they deserved.
But two names deserve a very special mention. Geoff Gill, secretary of the Widows Sons and Mark Denton, treasurer, whose tireless work behind the scenes brought the entire event together from the venue to the arrangements, to organising the purchase of all three bikes, ensuring that every pound donated was put to the very best possible use. Without these two men, the day simply would not have happened, and the brotherhood owes them an enormous debt of gratitude.
As the presentations were made and the bikes formally handed over, with Jo, Freda and Bill looking on, the brethren understood what they were really witnessing. Not just the donation of three motorcycles. Not just a ceremony. But a brotherhood keeping its promise that no one is forgotten, that every name still matters, and that the road, in some sense, goes on forever.
Somewhere out there, on a dark road in the early hours, one of these bikes will race through the night carrying the gift of life to someone who desperately needs it. And on that bike, a name. And in that name, a memory. And in that memory, a love that never stopped riding. Ride on, Lainey. Ride on, Souptop. Ride on, Rhino. You are remembered. And because of you, others will live.
Paul Brunskill,
West Lancashire ProvGCO.