The current dates of my forthcoming online talks are:
| Date | BST | Title | Host | Booking link |
| 04/08/20 | 18.00 | Seven habits of highly successful Lodges | Rising Star Lodge | https://shohsl-ofs.eventbrite.co.uk |
| 06/08/20 | 18.00 | The Royal Arch: what is it all about? | Lyceum Lodge of Research | https://wiiaa-lyceum.eventbrite.co.uk |
| 09/08/20 | 19.00 | Seven habits of highly successful Lodges | Goose & Gridiron N&YMC | https://shohsl-ggywr.eventbrite.co.uk |
| 11/08/20 | 18.00 | The narrative and symbolic links between the Craft, Mark & Royal Arch | “Freemasons without Borders” | Handled by Freemasons without Borders |
| 13/08/20 | 19.30 | Seven habits of highly successful Lodges | West Kent | Provincial page |
| 15/08/20 | 19.00 | Seven habits of highly successful Lodges | South America ND | https://shohsl-sand.eventbrite.co.uk |
| 18/08/20 | 19.00 | How to grow the membership of your Lodge | Oxon Light Blues Club | https://howto-oxonlbc.eventbrite.co.uk |
| 20/08/20 | 19.00 | How to grow the membership of your Lodge | Bedfordshire Light Blues | https://howto-bedslbc.eventbrite.co.uk |
| 25/08/20 | Is belief in a Supreme Being really essential? | Strathearn Lodge 4965 | To be agreed | |
| 26/08/20 | 19.00 | Seven habits of highly successful Lodges | Cheshire MMF | https://shohsl-cheshire.eventbrite.co.uk |
| 04/09/20 | 19.30 | All you ever wanted to know about Freemasonry (but didn’t know how to ask) | Corinthian Club, West Lancs | Internal event |
| 23/09/20 | 19.30 | The Royal Arch: what is it all about? | West Kent | Provincial page |
| 29/09/20 | 19.00 | All you ever wanted to know about Freemasonry (but didn’t know how to ask) | Cheshire MMF | https://ayewtkaf-cheshire1.eventbrite.co.uk |
Please check my website regularly https://prestonian2012.org.uk/upcoming-talks/ for updates.
Last Wednesday I delivered my fourth talk for Cheshire Masters’ & Masons’ Forum (MMF) since we started having Zoom meetings. It was the second time I have delivered, “The future of Freemasonry: evolution & change” for them. As always with Cheshire MMF, a great audience with a lively and interesting Q&A session.
One attendee wrote to tell me he was disappointed I had not proposed further specific changes in the fabric of Freemasonry. The objective of my talk is to encourage Lodges to take stock of their situation and plan their own change, not to present a personal manifesto for the whole of Freemasonry. However, I did encourage him to prepare his own talk to share his thoughts. He has since come back and said that his frustration is more to do with his own Lodge. I directed him to the Members’ Pathway and suggested he seek support from his Provincial Membership Officer.
On Thursday we had a very productive meeting to discuss the Kindred Lodge Association’s (KLA’s) future presence at Scouting’s annual Gilwell Reunion. We made a good start on a plan and agreed to continue after a period of reflection and creative thinking over the next two weeks.
For me this has been the toughest week since I started shielding in March. On the one hand, imagining a release from this situation is at times uplifting. At others it only highlights that I cannot foresee when I can go beyond my front gate and travel, meet friends and see great places.
Just when I was at a low point came the best news.
Our daughter, Caroline, had passed all her exams in her Legal Practice Course and so had qualified for the City Law School Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice, with a commendation. This was the latest step in her long-held ambition for a career in law. She is currently working on her dissertation to turn the qualification in to a Master of Laws (LLM) degree and then she will be looking for placements and ultimately a training contract to qualify as a Solicitor. Hopefully they will be in London, in which case she will probably still be working part-time in the Pillars! Diane and I are so proud of her and held a garden celebration yesterday fit for the occasion!
The week ahead will include two talks for Lodges in South Africa and various other Zoom planning meetings. I do hope to see you on one or more of them.
Please keep an eye on https://prestonian2012.org.uk/upcoming-talks/ for latest dates.
Onwards and upwards.
