Since 2012 I have been donating a portion of the funds raised through my 2012 Prestonian Charity Fund to The Scouts, and especially to their heritage work.
Over the years, those donations have funded:
The installation of a climate control system for the Scout Association Archives.
The digitisation of the Baden-Powell archives.
The installation of information boards at Gilwell Park, most notably at key items of historical interest.
The restoration of an importnt Baden-Powell portrait.
The creation of the Barn Gallery, a major new exhibition which tells the story of Gilwell Park.
Incidentally, the last image above, from the Gilwell Park visitor book of 1929, includes the signatures of Daniel Carter Beard, an American Scouting pioneer after whom the Daniel Carter Beard Masonic Scouter Award is named, and James E. West, Scouting America’s first Chief Scout Executive.
I have also contributed towards various other fundraising appeals at Gilwell Park, such as the Promise Path, so that the 2012 Prestonian Charity Fund and Freemasonry is mentioned along with other donors.
In recognition of more than £46,000 being raised and donated to The Scouts, the fund is mentioned on the honours wall at Gilwell Park’s Syd Kesseler Centre, and the centre’s meeting room is named Square & Compasses Meeting Room.
These donations have not only contributed to the preservation of Scouting’s heritage but also to the Scout Association’s education work, so that Scouting’s history can be communicated to future generations.
Thank you to all who have donated to the 2012 Prestonian Charity Fund. It is thanks to you that all of the above has been possible.
It’s funny how life takes you down a route and you find yourself doing things you never expected.
For many years my work as a trainer, consultant and leadership coach – helping people and organisations succeed – supported my activities as a Masonic writer and speaker, as well as my work for various charities.
Thanks to a health condition, I am no longer doing paid client work. So the costs of researching, writing and speaking – and those of my charity and fundraising activities – are being met through my pension. These costs include a website, an office, research trips, marketing, subscriptions, and so on. They soon add up.
I came across a great way to support creators when Chris Jones did his walk of the coast line of Britain. It is called “Buy me a coffee.” So, I thought I would try it.
So 2025 draws towards its close. Probably like you, I have been looking back on the year that has gone and shaping my hopes for the future.
English Freemasonry continues to feel vibrant and optimistic. Leadership from the top is being matched by inspired appointments of new Provincial Grand Masters / Grand Superintendents. More and more Lodges are re-energising and adapting to create “great experiences of Freemasonry”, suited to twenty-first century lifestyles. Those that cannot find their way to do this are probably struggling. More of these will close – that is the nature of evolution. But I am sure we will be reporting net growth across an increasing number of Provinces in 2026.
In the English Constitution we have seen several changes in the rules and regulations around the relationship between the Craft and the Royal Arch, and in the membership journey from one to the other. Some have criticised these changes but for me they are entirely consistent with the 1813 Act of Union, which created an umbrella covering both the Craft and Royal Arch, “pure Antient Masonry.” So, to me the “One organisation, one journey” rhetoric is long overdue. I know the relationship is different in other constitutions!
UGLE has launched Building Together, the “harmonisation” of the Members’ Pathway and Archway. It makes great sense to integrate the materials to support the “one journey.” Back in 2017 Mike Baker and I suggested an enhancement called the Companions’ Pathway. I guess it was too soon back then, although I am sure Mike would be as pleased with Building Together as I am.
I have worked my way through the materials and congratulate those who have completed this work. The structure is better, more logical and intuitive. The content is faithful to the original material from the Members’ Pathway. I do have some constructive suggestions for the next update, and I have offered those to the right people. I am just grateful they are still listening to me!
The last few years have taught me that Lodges alone are unlikely to satisfy all that many new members want from Freemasonry. Light Blues Clubs and associations such as the Widows Sons play an essential part, complementing what Lodges provide. I feel privileged to be an honorary member of various Light Blues Clubs and Widows Sons Chapters and thank them for embracing the message of rejuvenation, modernisation and engagement that has been at the core of my work for some time. I shall continue to support them and promote their activities in my talks and other projects.
My 2025 has also included the usual mix of personal highs and lows.
Wherever I have gone, whether to deliver a talk or just visit, I have been universally welcomed and looked after and I have thoroughly enjoyed the company of brethren. It is quite amusing and a little flattering when someone tells me they recognise me but cannot remember where from. Then we both have some fun trying to figure it out.
It has been another busy year for delivering talks, with thirty across the UK, Jersey, Canada and the USA. I have also delivered online talks for Masonic bodies and groups in Pensylvania, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Israel and New Zealand.
The majority of those have been in connection with my book, The Seven Habits of Highly Successful Lodges, and its theme of rejuvenation and modernisation of Lodge practices. I am already scheduled to deliver thirteen talks in 2026 and am dealing with several more enquiries. If you want me to deliver a talk to your Lodge or Chapter, in any part of the world and in any time zone, you only have to ask. If invited, I will come, in person if I can, online if I cannot.
The book itself features in the Lewis Masonic best seller list. I am now getting people ask me for more copies as they realise that Lodges need more than one if they are to plan and implement real change. It is not too late to order a signed copy for a Christmas present, which you can do here.
I am excited that the first follow-up to Seven Habits will be published in 2026. This will be a practical workbook, giving Lodges the tools to take stock and improve their management practices.
Talking of books, I am working on several projects at present. I am two thirds of the way through re-writing a Lewis classic, to update and modernise its contents. But I have put that to one side for now to concentrate on researching and writing the Tercentenary history of St Alban’s Lodge No. 29. This incredible Lodge was constituted in 1728 and is one of the nineteen “red apron Lodges” with the privilege each year of nominating a member to serve as a Grand Steward. Its history is fascinating, a real case study in evolution and change. As a result, it is a thriving Lodge and I am proud to be its most recent member. I hope to join the ladder to the chair next year. It feels like I am starting all over again, which I find refreshing and stimulating.
Most of my writing nowadays is meant for wide consumption and is intended to be easy to read or follow. Years ago, at the beginning of my career, I was a researcher and published a good number of academic papers. Publication of these require a different set of disciplines and follows in-depth scrutiny by academic peers. I decided to test my research into membership patterns in Freemasonry using this academic filter and am delighted that the Manchester Association of Masonic Research (MAMR) has published my paper, Towards a Thriving Organisation – What Does Our Membership Data Tell Us?, in its 2025 transactions. MAMR published John Belton’s own research into membership just over 20 years ago. Their support for my paper gives my work academic credibility and opens the door to further investigation by the research community.
I am also writing several new talks for Lodges and Chapters. One will cover new developments in the relationship between Scouting and Freemasonry, and the others are related to membership and Lodge development.
As for Scouting and Freemasonry, there are several exciting opportunities now developing. I am working closely with the President of the Board of General Purposes, Jon Whitaker, Scouting’s Chief Volunteer, Carl Hankinson, and the Chairman of the Kindred Lodges Association, Pat Farr. In September we launched Square & Compasses Support Team, a national Scout adult membership unit for Freemasons and their partners. This gives members full membership of The Scouts, enabling them to attend events and provide occasional or ad hoc service locally and for national or major events. My dream is to see teams of us providing a service for Scouting activities, wearing polo shirts and Scout scarves, promoting the message that Freemasons are supporting Scouting. You can join Square & Compasses by signing up at https://bit.ly/SquareAndCompasses.
One event Square & Compasses will no doubt support will be the World Scout Conference to be held in London in 2027. One and half thousand delegates from all the world’s Scout organisations will attend World Scouting’s three yearly policy making and planning event. It is an opportunity to bring together many Freemasons from around the world, and to showcase the relationship between the two organisations. We are already planning a Lodge meeting at Freemasons’ Hall, and I have requested an item on Freemasonry be placed on the conference agenda. You can find out more here.
Diane and I recently attended the opening of the Syd Kesseler Centre at Gilwell Park, the Scout Association’s national headquarters and flagship adventure centre. In recognition of the £44,700 raised so far for The Scouts through my books and talks, they named the meeting room in the centre “The Square & Compasses Meeting Room.” Among others, we met the Chief Scout, Dwayne Fields, who wanted to learn about the connection between Scouting and Freemasonry and the opportunities for collaboration. I just happened to have a signed copy of my book for him!
I cannot mention Scouting without referencing two awards I was privileged to receive during 2025. The first was the totally unexpected Daniel Carter Beard Masonic Scouter Award, presented to me by the Grand Master of Pennsylvania after I spoke at their annual congress in May. This award is one of Scouting America’s Community Organisation Awards and has never before been awarded to an English Scout or Freemason.
Just three months after that surprise, I had another. In August, I was deeply moved to hear I had been awarded UK Scouting’s highest award for good service, the Silver Wolf. I never expected to receive this but was so pleased to learn I was nominated locally and that the nomination referred to my work to promote the links between Scouting and Freemasonry.
My District lead Volunteer, Catherine Halls-Jukes, presented me with the award at Gilwell Park in September. This made it so special and memorable, with many Scouting friends present. They included my Cub Scout Leader and Scout Leader from my first Group, the 4th Erith, past and present members of the UK leadership team, family and personal friends, Lord Baden-Powell and other members of his family.
I then had a Masonic presentation organised by Walesby Forest Lodge in Nottinghamshire, where my dear friend and mentor Pat Farr made the presentation.
It has been another great year for raising money for charity, with £6,349.80 being received and a total of £6,400 going to two of my charities, the Masonic Charitable Foundation and The Scouts. I thank each and every person who has contributed to these donations and all the Lodges which have supported me.
On my personal Masonic journey, I completed my year as Master of Aetos Lodge No. 3702, the Derbyshire in London Lodge, and almost immediately was Installed as Master of The Mark Provincial Grand Secretaries Lodge No. 1641 and then as First Principal of St George’s Chapter No. 5. I consider holding these positions to be a great privilege as they are both significant in their own right, although for very different reasons.
I was also elected an Honorary member of two repurposed Lodges, Metropolitan Mentors Lodge No. 8055 (its purpose and location are in the title) and Llangattock with Howardian Lodge No. 2547 (the new Scout Lodge of South Wales). Both memberships came after I delivered talks in the Lodges concerned and I count it a great honour that the members wanted me to have a lasting connection with them.
Finally, two projects I am hugely proud of are Lifelites and the development of the Grand Master’s Keystone Fund (G.M.K.F.) Bursary Scheme. Lifelites provide assistive technology to enable children with life-limiting conditions to play, communicate and experience unforgettable moments of connection and joy. I am entering my final year as its Chair of Trustees and am delighted to work with a largely new board of talented and committed people. I hope my legacy will be a firm foundation for its future success.
The G.M.K.F. Bursary Scheme operates within the Mark Benevolent Fund and provide bursaries to enable members and their dependents to pursue their ambitions in education, vocational, sporting or performance studies. I was a member of the steering group which created the scheme and am Deputy Chair of the Awards Panel. The scheme opened for applications earlier this year and we are already supporting some amazing people to fulfil their ambitions and reach their potential.
On the downside, Long Covid / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has limited my ability to do all I would like to do. With this condition, and its complex mix of symptoms, I have good days and bad days. You won’t see me on bad days as they wipe me out. To minimise the bad and increase the good I have adjusted my priorities and reduced my commitments. I pace myself by resting before and after priority activities, like talks, to make sure I am fit and at my best for them. However, I have had to cancel some of the other things I planned to do, including some “non-speaking” visits to Lodges and Chapters. I am getting better at managing the condition but will be resigning from some roles and several memberships, so I can focus my time and energy on talks and my pet projects.
In October I reached “State Pension Age.” While I grateful to those who congratulated me on reaching retirement, they are premature. I have not retired! Although my fee earning activities have changed and reduced in recent years, I am still offering leadership coaching and consultancy to clients and will be writing more books. Most importantly, I am determined to continue making a meaningful contribution – especially to Scouting and Freemasonry – for many years to come.
My hopes for 2026? One has got to be peace on earth. It seems that despite the world espousing values of tolerance and compassion, the actions of many are increasingly divisive, intolerant, and hateful. The world has never needed Scouting and Freemasonry more than it does now.
My other hopes are for more widespread and public appreciation of community organisations and their volunteers; for Scouting and Freemasonry to attract more who could benefit from what they have to offer; for more Lodges to modernise their culture and practices; and for more brethren reading my books and more Lodges and Chapters inviting me to speak!
To close, thank you again for your support during 2025. Your friendship, encouragement, your invites to speak at or just visit your Lodges and Chapters, and your generous donations to my charity fund all mean a great deal to me. In fact, they sustain me.
I wish you and your loved ones all the very best for the festive season, and I wish you health, happiness and success for 2026.
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.
The annual gathering of Prestonian Lecturers at William Preston Lodge No. 766
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 25th 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.
Speaking at West Lancashire Light Blues Forum
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.
With the two Grand Wardens of the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario
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 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.
With Dave, Lord Baden-Powell
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.
It’s been a while since I last updated you on activities with my books and talks. I want to tell you about two new talks that I am now offering, and a little about books in the pipeline.
The first new talk is called, “Freemasonry: the next generation.” I wrote this for a New & Young Masons conference in the Province of West Lancashire, England, and went down very well. It looks at how we can engage and involve the next generation of Freemasons and secure the future of our Lodges.
The other, only finished last evening, is currently called, “Modernising Lodges for the twenty-first century.” That title is likely to evolve when I find something more catchy. It looks at what Lodges can do to “fix their leaky buckets” and modernise their practices. It draws on material in “The Seven Habits of Highly Successful Lodges” which I have not included in previous talks.
I also have three new books in the pipeline. Two are complete and waiting for publication. One is the audio book version of “Seven Habits” and the other is a follow up to that book. It provides some practical tools Lodges can use to become Highly Successful.
The third new book is “in preparation.” I won’t say too much more at this point, except that it is a re-write of a well-established title and brings that material up to date so that it is focused on Freemasonry in the twenty-first century.
I continue to receive many invitations to deliver talks all over the country, and overseas. In fact, I am now packing for a trip to Canada to deliver three talks. The first will be at a District meeting, the second in a Lodge and the third at a major conference. Later this year I hope to go eastwards to speak in Asia – but more of that when details are confirmed.
Back in August I shared with you my appointment as the Interim Chair of Lifelites, a charity which brings joy to children and young people with life limiting conditions. I am now delighted to tell you that, after an open and thorough recruitment process and a rigorous interview, the trustees have appointed me the Chair of Trustees – no longer interim.
Lifelites has a special link with Freemasonry. It started as the millennium project of the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls & Boys (RMTGB) and later became a charity in its own right.
Lifelites enables children and young people with life-limiting conditions to communicate with their families and experience unforgettable moments of connection and joy. We do this by providing assistive technology and training to every children’s hospice in the British Isles. This technology allows around 10,000 children every year, and many more members of their families, to experience unforgettable moments of connection and joy.
During my time with the charity we have developed a new strategy, aimed at expanding our services to reach the other 90,000 or so children and young people who have the same life-limiting conditions but who are not in hospices.
No other charity does what Lifelites does, and we Freemasons should be very proud of our connection.
As Chair of Lifelites, I shall be working with the board and our staff to deliver our strategy and continue to strengthen our governance. As you might expect of me, I shall also be offering talks about Lifelites and fundraising for the charity. Indeed, Lifelites is now one of the charities I support through my books and talks.
Freemasonry is the largest single donor to Lifelites. Over the years many Lodges and Provinces have become Lifelites Partners, to support installations of new equipment in hospices local to them. Individuals too have been very generous.
In 2023 we launched a new donor recognition scheme, Lifelites Heroes. This works in a similar manner to the honorific schemes run by Masonic charities for many years. It recognises accumulated donations over a lifetime. Lifelites is contacting those who have made donations since 2014 to let them know their current Hero level and provide them with the appropriate recognition.
Please use the links above to find out more about Lifelites, or invite me along to give a talk to your Lodge.
If you wish to donate to Lifelites please use our GiveTap page for personal donations, or make a Relief Chest transfer to “Lifelites” using the MCF e-voucher service. You can also make a donation via my own charity fund.
To those who have given to Lifelites, on behalf of the trustees and staff, I thank you.
Follow-ups to The Seven Habits of Highly Successful Lodges
So successful has the book been that I have already written a follow-up book and responded to requests for an audiobook version.
The audiobook was recorded by me, with the foreword kindly recorded by the Deputy Grand Master, RW Bro. Sir David Wootton.
The follow-up book is a health check that Lodges can use to see how they measure up to the Lodge management practices advocated in Seven Habits and develop an action plan for their continued improvement.
Both will be published by Lewis Masonic.
You can buy a signed copy of “The Seven Habits of Highly Successful Lodges” direct from my website.
Is yours a Highly Successful Lodge?
My book, “The Seven Habits of Highly Successful Lodges”, has been out for over a year and I have heard from many brethren how they are using it to improve the management of their Lodge.
So, I am now seeking one or more Lodges which have implemented the Seven Habits so that I can visit them, find out about their journey and share with others their story of success.
If your Lodge would like to be involved, please email me with brief details. I will then get in touch to discuss the next steps.
More bookings for talks in 2024
It seems that almost every week I am asked if I can come to a Lodge or Chapter to deliver one of my talks. My answer is I would love to.
In fact, I welcome invitations to deliver talks, whether face-to-face or online, to Lodges, Chapters and other Masonic groups in any jurisdiction recognised by UGLE, plus the two Orders of Women Freemasonry, in any location or time zone. I do ask that my travel expenses be met and that a donation be made to my charity fund.
Sometimes I am asked to deliver a talk or visit a Lodge at very short notice. Often, I have to decline as my diary tends to be booked around six to eight weeks ahead. So, by all means invite me but if you can give me plenty of notice it increases the chance that I will be available.
My current list of talks can be found on my website and you can read what others have said about them here.
You can find my current schedule for talks I am giving on my website.
I have just got home from attending the December Quarterly Communication of UGLE. It featured an address from the Pro Grand Master which was one of the clearest and most inspiring statements on our purpose, values and direction of travel that I have ever heard. It got me thinking about the last year. While we move ever forward, a glance in the rear-view mirror reminds us where we came from.
At the Quarterly Communication a year ago, the Pro Grand Master launched UGLE’s Strategy for Freemasonry and asked us to adopt a “Yes, if …” attitude.
Ever since I have felt a buzz within English Freemasonry, a new optimism, and a widespread willingness to evolve and change. At the top, we are seeing the Craft and Royal Arch working together as one organisation, and there are signs that more Provinces will do so too. The launch of Archway offers Chapters a similar toolkit to the Members’ Pathway. Communications have improved, with new channels such as UGLE’s excellent podcast, Craftcast, and we are seeing exciting developments such the encouragement of multiple candidate ceremonies.
Provinces too have launched new initiatives, Lodges have taken stock and built plans, and more of our newer brethren have got more involved. Everywhere I go I hear of Lodges turning their fortunes from decline into growth, I hear of new energy and enthusiasm, and I meet Freemasons who are engaged and committed.
True, Lodge attendance has not yet returned to pre-Covid levels. And, of course, not all Lodges are so energised. To those who do not recognise my comments above, I ask you to connect with the new developments that are taking place around you and to embrace the guidance, support and encouragement that is now available.
Looking forward to 2024, I expect to see more Lodges changing and improving what they are doing, to suit the new members who are coming through. I am also looking forward to a more member-centric and inclusive culture in our Lodges, which I firmly believe is key if we are to engage and retain more members. I would love to see more and more experienced Freemasons hand over their active roles to newer members while supporting them “behind the scenes”. Passing on knowledge and wisdom to apprentices or proteges is exactly what the operative Master Mason did and essential if we are to build sustainability into our Lodges.
A lot has changed with me personally during the last year. I discovered I have Post Covid Syndrome, or Long Covid, which means I must pace myself differently to avoid and manage fatigue and all its consequences. Thankfully, I have had a lot of support from the Derbyshire Long Covid Team and from family and friends. I have rearranged my priorities, so I am in more control of my time and deadlines. Writing and speaking are at the very top of my priority list, so expect to hear from me more.
In July my term as a trustee of the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) came to an end after seven years but my involvement with Lifelites has increased as I became interim Chair of Trustees in the summer. I stood down as Provincial Membership Officer in Nottinghamshire, having found an excellent successor in Andrew Farrar. Sales of The Seven Habits of Highly Successful Lodges have gone incredibly well – it is Lewis Masonic’s fastest selling new release. I have already written a follow-up book, which will also be published by Lewis Masonic, and am working on another.
During 2023 I have delivered 34 face-to-face talks and 15 online. I also travelled to Cyprus and Seychelles to speak, as well as to twenty-two different Provinces. I already have more than twenty bookings for 2024 and am working on some new talks I hope to launch in the first part of the year.
During 2023, my talks and sales of my books raised £7,350 for Scouting and Masonic charities. I am incredibly grateful to all who have contributed towards this. It has made a material difference to the work of both The Scout Association and the Masonic Charitable Foundation. I am reviewing my nominated charities and will explain my thinking when I have completed this process.
So, I thank you for your support for my activities during 2023. I wish you well for the festive season. And I wish you a healthy, happy, and successful 2024. Let’s make 2024 a success for ourselves, our Lodges and for Freemasonry as a whole.
I am very pleased to share the news that I have been appointed interim Chair of Trustees for Lifelites, a charity which brings joy to children and young people with life-limiting conditions.
Lifelites has a special link with Freemasonry. It started as the millennium project of the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls & Boys (RMTGB) and later became a charity in its own right. I was appointed a trustee in January 2022, after being nominated by the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF).
Lifelites enables children and young people with life-limiting conditions to communicate with their families. We do this by providing assistive technology and training to every children’s hospice in the British Isles. This technology allows around 10,000 children every year, and many more members of their families, to experience unforgettable moments of connection and joy.
During my time with the charity we have developed a new strategy, aimed at expanding our services to reach the other 90,000 or so children and young people who have the same life-limiting conditions but who are not in hospices.
No other charity does what Lifelites does, and we Freemasons should be very proud of our connection.
As interim Chair of Lifelites, I shall be working with the board and our staff to implement our new strategy and to strengthen our governance. As you might expect of me, I shall also be offering talks about Lifelites and fundraising for the charity. Indeed, as of now, half of the funds I raise from my books and talks will go to Lifelites, with the other half going to the Scouts, as before.
Freemasonry is the largest single donor to Lifelites. Over the years many Lodges and Provinces have become Lifelites Partners, to support installations of new equipment in hospices local to them. Individuals too have been very generous.
So, earlier this year we launched a new donor recognition scheme, Lifelites Heroes. This works in a similar manner to the honorific schemes run by Masonic charities for many years. It recognises accumulated donations over a lifetime. In the next few months Lifelites will be contacting those who have made donations since 2014 to let them know their current Hero level and provide them with the appropriate recognition.
Please use the links above to find out more about Lifelites, or invite me along to give a talk to your Lodge.
If you wish to donate to Lifelites please use our GiveTap page for personal donations, or make a Relief Chest transfer to “Lifelites” using the MCF e-voucher service. You can also make a donation via my own charity fund.
As most Lodges take a break over the summer, it is a time to rest, reflect and recharge. I find reading a good book a great way to do all three.
So if you are looking for your next book to read, one that will help you face the future with optimism, confidence and determination, please get hold of a copy of “The Seven Habits of Highly Successful Lodges.”
In this I draw on my experience in different areas within Freemasonry to identify the key features most often seen in our strongest, happiest, and most thriving and attractive Lodges. I then use my professional expertise in developing organisations and their leaders to outline how brethren can strengthen, even revive, their Lodges, grow their membership, and secure their future.
With a foreword by the Deputy Grand Master, RW Bro. Sir David Wootton, and “highly recommended” by its reviewer in Freemasonry Today, the book includes probably the most extensive study and analysis of our membership position in recent years. Building on this evidence base, I offer practical approaches to address the principal barriers to success, growth, and sustainability. I write in everyday language for a general audience. This makes this book suitable for Freemasons of all backgrounds who wish to pass on to the next generation a Lodge that is stronger and which has a better chance of a successful future.
Rather than duplicating other work, I indicate relevant material in the Book of Constitutions and in the Members’ Pathway. This makes this book their essential companion and an invaluable guide to managing Lodges in the 21stcentury.
I am available to give talks based on this book, and other Masonic topics, to Masonic Lodges, Chapters and associations in recognised constitutions in any time zone. Please review my list of talks and enquire here.
Incidentally, as well as catching up on reading, I am writing a follow-up book to “Seven Habits”; a health check and planning tool for Lodges which wish to become “highly successful.” I am also seeking contacts from Lodges which have transformed their fortunes to become strong and healthy, so that I can tell their stories in another volume. Please contact me if you would like your Lodge to be included.
Sign up at https://bit.ly/WBTOMTjan2023 to attend an online delivery of this recently updated talk this Wednesday, 18th January, at 7.00 pm, GMT (UTC+0). Registrations will close at 15.30, after which those registered will be sent a Zoom meeting link.
The talk is open only to members of Grand Lodges recognised by UGLE, OWF or HFAF.
