What a year it has been!

A year ago, I said there was a new buzz in English Freemasonry.  That has certainly continued throughout 2024.  I am feeling very optimistic about our future, although there is still much work to be done.

At the top we have seen a lot of energy put behind our current strategy, and I feel this pervading through our Provinces and into our Lodges.  At the December Quarterly Communication we heard from RW Bro. Sir David Wootton, the Past Deputy Grand Master and Second Grand Principal, about the Third Pillar Review of our community engagement activities, and especially our charitable giving.  We will hear more about this as project work begins early in 2025.  It is truly an exciting time.  The pace has picked up.  More and more Lodges are getting on board and more people are getting involved.

As I reflect on my own year, there have been many highlights.

As Chair of Lifelites we are seeing our new strategy – to reach more and more children with life-limiting conditions and complex disabilities – take off as we develop new programmes with community services and launch our exciting 25^th anniversary projects.  I am proud that Lifelites has modernised its governance and brought on some excellent new volunteers as trustees, committee members and ambassadors. 

I have been introduced to the Widows Sons Masonic Bikers Association, which has made Lifelites its national charity.  From a short thank you at its lively President’s Ball in February, Diane and I went to its National Rally in July so that I could thank more members. 

They welcomed us with open arms and Merlin Chapter (Derbyshire) made me an honorary member.  Nottinghamshire’s and Leicestershire & Rutland’s Chapters soon followed suit and I now sport an impressive set of leather “cuts”. 

What particularly impresses me about the Widows Sons is how they complement the offer and experience provided by Lodges.  Rather like many Light Blues Clubs, they provide a social glue that many Lodges are not yet offering, and they act as a safety net, retaining members who perhaps joined a Lodge not ideally suited to them.

Talking about Light Blues Clubs, Nottinghamshire’s Byron Club has come on leaps and bounds since we reconstituted it three years ago.  The committee has done an excellent job, proving to me that a self-governing club is the model to follow – with guidance and support from the Province where needed.  In the case of the Byron Club, I am now more of a mentor than a provider of Provincial oversight.  That just shows how well they have come along in such a short space of time.  Another indicator is that there have been less than a handful of resignations from Lodges by members of the Club.  Many members have suggested the Club has made up for what they are not getting from their Lodges.

Its little wonder then that the talks I have written this year have had a particular focus being on championing the cause of our newer members. These have gone down well and I am thinking about how I can do more with Light Blues Clubs.

I am excited by the fact that in the new year we shall be consecrating a new Special Interest Lodge in Nottinghamshire. Dragon Lodge No. 10061 is for gaming enthusiasts and is sure to attract a lot of interest. As the Province’s Special Interest Lodges Coordinator, I am hopeful that this will trigger an enthusiasm for new Lodges in the Province.

Thinking about Lodges, and what they are or are not doing, my talk “The Seven Habits of Highly Successful Lodges” has been the single most popular during the last year, accounting for a third of the 36 deliveries I have given live or online.  The book has also continued to sell well.  Indeed, several Provinces and one overseas Grand Lodge have made bulk purchases.  If you want a signed copy yourself, please buy it direct from me.

The follow up books to Seven Habits are still in the publication pipeline and I am currently working on a rewrite of a Lewis Masonic best seller.  More news about this as we get nearer to publication.

As for overseas travel, Diane and I went to Canada in May, partly to celebrate her birthday with family members and partly to deliver a keynote to the “Georgian Districts Day of Masonry Conference”.  They have invited me back for a similar event this coming year. 

I am very grateful to those who have invited me to speak at their events, and to those who have made all arrangements and provided hospitality.  I consider it a privilege to be invited to so many Lodges and Provinces.  I take special delight in meeting new brethren and discussing their experiences and expectations of Freemasonry.

With your help, in 2024 I have raised £7,920 for my Scouting and Masonic charities, an increase over last year.  I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has contributed to this, which is making a material difference to The Scout Association, the Masonic Charitable Foundation, Lifelites and the Mark Benevolent Fund.  I now pass donations received to the charity most relevant to the host or the talk. Since 2012 I have raised over £132,655 for charity, £123,005 from my books and talks.

Two other highlights were being elected an honorary member of a Lodge in West Kent (Lesnes Abbey Lodge No. 7393) and one in East Kent (Lodge of Freedom No. 77). Honorary membership is something I treasure and I try to repay the honour by supporting the Lodge where I can. I do my best to attend each Lodge at least once a year, although I don’t always achieve this.

I currently offer 31 original Masonic talks and accept invitations from Lodges, Provinces, Districts, Light Blues Clubs and Masonic associations in jurisdictions recognised by United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE), the Order of Women Freemasons (OWF) and Freemasonry for Women (HFAF).  Neither distance nor time zone is an issue.  If you invite me (and pay my expenses) I will come!

I shouldn’t ignore some Scouting highlights! As well as celebrating my 40th year in formal adult roles, in September I spent some time with Dave, the 5th Baron Baden-Powell of Gilwell. His father and I were great friends and Dave, with his boundless energy and superb ability to inspire people, is going to do such good for World Scouting.

Soon after I was appointed as The Scout Association’s UK Liaison for Freemasonry and have already kicked off two initiatives. I am hoping we can do more to connect Scouting and Freemasonry through UGLE’s community engagement focus. As for local Scouting, like everyone else, I am still learning to navigate our new structures and systems, but am getting there.

So, in conclusion, I thank you for your support for my activities during 2024.  I wish you and your loved ones well for the festive season.  And I wish you a healthy, happy, and successful 2025.  Let’s make the coming year an even greater success for ourselves, our Lodges and for Freemasonry as a whole.

Onwards and upwards!