At the same time many of us have been given a unique opportunity to look at our world through slightly different eyes, as we share some of the pressures and tensions faced by our country, our local communities, our work colleagues, our friends and families. Masonry with its instinctive sense of
fellowship is feeling the pain as well; concerns for our more vulnerable brethren, sadness at our inability to meet in a meaningful way and the nagging
question of when some form of normality might return.

That sense of concern for others is however one of our greatest attributes. Up and down the country Masons have found opportunities to play a part in
serving wider society volunteering as carers, community organisers, innovative thinkers, or local leaders and offered countless examples of responsible
citizenship. Ultimately it is those behaviours that help the broader population begin to appreciate that the entire ethos of Masonry is about others
and not ourselves.

It makes me feel how privileged we all are to belong to this fraternity, and how good it is to see the lessons we are taught within our Lodges and Chapters being used for the benefit of the many in our country for whom these last months have been so hard. I hope that you, your friends and families, keep safe and well but that we continue to remain mindful of the needs of those who rely on our support and concern. And let us all genuinely look forward to seeing each other once again, for be assured, that time will also come!

Simon Duckworth
Deputy Metropolitan Grand Master

This article is part of the Arena Magazine, Issue 42 October 2020 edition.
Arena Magazine is the official magazine of the London Freemasons – Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Metropolitan Grand Chapter of London.

Read more articles in the Arena Issue 42.

The post FORWARD – RW Bro Simon Duckworth OBE DL PJGW Deputy Metropolitan Grand Master appeared first on Coopers’ Old Boys’ Lodge.

This has not been easy for anyone. But also, we have all had time to consider what unites us and what we love about the Craft. And we all understand the frustrations of not being able to see our friends or even leave the house. However, we should all be cognisant of both our regularity and our
faith and not lose sight of the core tenets of our Craft, as they give us the structure that makes ‘good men better’.

Within these pages, you will read about how Metropolitan brethren have led from the front in our communities. You’ll see our ‘Covid Heroes’, our charity work and our volunteering. You will also read about our new Chief Executive of the MCF, an introduction to Masonry ‘north of the border’ (Hadrian’s Wall rather than the Thames) and a fascinating interview with our Metropolitan Grand Master RW Bro Sir Michael Snyder.

We also read about our ‘Men at the Top’, our clubs and the first Lodges and Chapters to meet since the resumption. In this time of great uncertainty stay strong and stay safe and look out for those who need your help. I hope you enjoy this edition of Arena. Hopefully, it reminds you of our regularity,
integrity, respect, and kindness and makes you redouble your efforts and thus strengthening our Craft across London and beyond.

W Bro Rod Glyn-Thomas LGR
Editor, Arena
contact:

Paul’s Wharf 8731… Four Arena Editors meet for the first time since the resumption

Note regarding Social Distancing: Brethren, please note that the photographs in this magazine were taken at different times, across different locations, within vastly differing sets of restrictions and before restrictions. Some photos have been altered for editing purposes (to make them fit!). Accordingly, there may be a variance in apparent restriction adherence across the magazine.

This article is part of the Arena Magazine, Issue 42 October 2020 edition.
Arena Magazine is the official magazine of the London Freemasons – Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Metropolitan Grand Chapter of London.

Read more articles in the Arena Issue 42.

The post EDITORIAL appeared first on Coopers’ Old Boys’ Lodge.

He was knighted in 2008 for his services to business and to the City of London. He’s currently Chairman of Metro Bank the fast grown challenger bank and has also been a particularly busy man since being Installed as the Metropolitan Grand Master in 2015.

He was charming, humble and personable when we spoke about his journey in Masonry, his vision for the Metropolitan Grand Lodge and his life outside the Craft.

His journey in Masonry.

Sir Michael joined the Craft with a group of friends who were all members of his mother Livery Company (The Worshipful Company of Needlemakers): “We were approached by the Lodge which is associated with the company and we joined more or less together”.

At his initiation he was pretty scared with what was going on, and like many of us it was a bit of a blur.

Now it’s the fellowship and whole ethos which keeps him engaged, and he continues to have a particular soft spot for the Needlemakers Lodge No 4343, which meets at Innholders’ Hall, with his old friends in the Lodge, and the extremely good food!

The Pandemic Response.

He’s quietly confident about how the Metropolitan Grand Lodge responded to the challenges of Covid-19: “It’s a really difficult situation and people are having to adjust dramatically, and as most of what we do is about meeting people, whether that’s in the Lodge or the Chapter, or at the Festive Board afterwards or in other social or charitable environments.

“It’s all to do with people and therefore adjusting to Zoom meetings and Zoom contact, I think we’ve done pretty well. But it isn’t, of course, the same as meeting face to face.”

Sir Michael is also positive about how the Secretariat (led by Metropolitan Grand Secretary David Swain), Deputies, Assistant Metropolitan Grand Masters, Inspectors and numerous other Metropolitan Grand Lodge officers and volunteers have done a remarkable job in keeping things together, thinking of ways to keep people engaged, so that “we can come out of this as soon as we can, and we will have a vibrant Metropolitan Grand Lodge”.

“There’s a balance for the real need of human beings to have direct contact, and the need to be careful about health and transmission of diseases, and while I don’t know exactly where that balance is, we’re all finding our way, it’s new territory for all of us, but from my point of view, we need to get back to where we can have face to face contact in a real way, obviously being mindful of the things we’ve learned from Covid-19.”

On the topic of when masonic dining will resume: “This is a really important part of what we are about – socialising together. I want this to be allowed as soon as we can, but we have to be careful with people’s health. I don’t know for sure when this will be, I guess until there is an effective vaccine, the consensus being sometime next year. I sincerely hope so, and obviously I’d like it sooner than that!

“Meeting in London has the added challenge of the transport, and I am very aware that particularly those in the more vulnerable categories will be very reticent to go on the Underground or in any crowded environment. My feeling is that we may have to develop other ways of trying to get people together, be that by organising some sort of socially distanced transport or people giving lifts. I’m not sure how we do this, and we do need to think how, if we are to encourage brethren who are more vulnerable to attend. Clearly while there restrictions on numbers whether a maximum of 30 – assuming one has large enough room to socially distance 30 people – we are going to have a challenge still. This is clearly made much more difficult if the number reduces to 6!”

5 Years as Metropolitan Grand Master.

Metropolitan Grand Lodge is now over 17 years old, with Sir Michael it’s ruler for 5. It’s been growing from strength to strength: “We have introduced all sorts of measures and initiatives over the last few years to welcome people into the fraternity and to make people feel valued when they’re in, and we do have a LOT of people in Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Metropolitan Grand Chapter. One essential part of what we all do is charitable work, in terms of giving and volunteering and so on. It is really important we make the direct link between what individual members do and the charities. I don’t see that diminishing, I see that going from strength to strength, whether it’s the Air Ambulance, the Fire Service or another charity.”

Sir Michael is happy to admit he’s learned an enormous amount in the job: “I really had no idea of the extent of the management of Metropolitan Grand Lodge. I’ve had enormous help from so many people. It’s the whole team, that is working together, and there’s some really knowledgeable and enthusiastic people.”

There are one or two things he might have done differently: “probably what I would have done earlier is to encourage even more enthusiasm for the Craft, rather than people just accepting what Craft is, what Royal Arch is. I think it’s important that we do celebrate it, and we are enthusiastic about all the good things that it brings.” He did however add: “one of the things I would like to change is the masonic after dinner speech and concentrate on something specific to that Lodge or Chapter. Pure masonic speak is probably feeling a little bit dated for younger members.”

“One of the most important parts of Masonry for me, and seeing in others, is the development of individuals as individuals. I think that is the benefit of being a mason, but it’s not done from the point of view of ‘how does that do in my career’ or ‘how does that do in life’, it’s about how we are as individuals, whether we’ve become more confident about speaking, for example, although maybe that doesn’t apply to me too much!”

Sir Michael has presided over a huge increase in the application of technology in London masonry and is clear about the possibilities: “I think technology should play a greater role in all Masonry. By that I mean Project Hermes, which will make a huge difference. There will be a challenge in getting everybody to engage with it, but for me, it is wonderful that a Secretary or Scribe E will be able to update information himself. A lot of the laborious annual returns will be unnecessary, and also the information that’s available to UGLE or Metropolitan Grand Lodge will be much more accurate.” He’s also thoughtfully positive about the role of technology in communication: “Being able to communicate directly with members when we have all of the email addresses for all those who actually use email, and I hope everyone will utilise it even if they haven’t so far. In terms of things like Social media, I think there is a place for it. We do have to be very careful about how it’s deployed because of the risks of misinformation. From my point of view technology is already playing a much bigger role. Over this lockdown period, David Swain and his team and volunteers, have done a most amazing volume of work in updating and cleaning our database, which will be invaluable. Meetings such as this interview across a Zoom call have made a big difference, particularly to the management of Metropolitan Grand Lodge. I can do this with the Management Committee and the Executive. However, we must be cognisant that some of our more senior members don’t feel comfortable with technology, and we need to be appreciative and accommodating of that. Yes, technology is playing a much bigger role in London Freemasonry, and I think it will continue to do so. But there is no substitute for face to face meeting and dining.”

As an experienced businessman he’s implemented a number of structural changes to Metropolitan Grand Lodge: “We’ve pretty well done most of it. I’m not saying there won’t be more to do, and the technological processes and people’s attitudes and customs developing, it will be a constant process of improvement and change. I increased the number of Metropolitan Grand Inspectors so that they didn’t have so many Lodges or Chapters to look after, so they had some chance of helping their ‘units’, and we changed the structure and the way in which everything is reported, the way we discuss things, meetings take defined periods of time and they get managed in that period of time. While the approach is more corporate, you have to remember we are a volunteer organisation, so we haven’t got all the levers you might have in a large commercial organisation. Having said that, people are responding pretty well, and I much prefer the ‘engaged’ or ‘involved’ style rather than ‘dictated’ or ‘lectured at’ style. You have to be very aware of how things are done in today’s society, and we need to reflect that in what we do and the way we do it. We have a pretty good relationship amongst all of those who are involved in management or ruling of Met, and they all contribute to the best of their ability. I’m very happy – the band of volunteers are just amazing at what they do!”

On the biggest challenge facing London masonry today: “I don’t think it’s that different to yesterday or last year or last decade, which is misperception about Masonry. David Staples and UGLE are doing a great job to moderate that view and to encourage people to think again. I think we in London are doing a great job – for example when we had 250 nonmasons coming to the Grand Temple to a talk about what masonry is about, so I think there is an increased interest in it. I think the charitable work really is a good focus for people who are not masons to contemplate becoming masons, as well as seeing the way in which masons behave and seeing what they are interested in, what their values are.” He went on to tell me (as Metropolitan Comms Officer) that “we have a big challenge still to get this message over – as you well know – after all it’s one of your main roles!”.

 He added: “We’re going to have a challenge because we’ll undoubtedly lose some members who’ve got out of the habit of coming to Lodge or Chapter meetings or have found that it was really hard work getting there. But I think the real challenge is to keep the enthusiasm, the understanding of the force for good that we really are, both in terms of charity and how people develop themselves.”

Sir Michael had some useful advice for Master Masons too: “Do your best, keep engaged. If you want to help in any way, let people know. We love willing volunteers for all sorts of things! But there are a limited number of ‘positions’, so be ready to accept challenges and responsibility when they come your way.

I have had a very unusual progress through masonry, and when I had just come out of the Chair of my Mother Lodge, I had no concept or idea that I would become Metropolitan Grand Master. It hadn’t even crossed my mind! One has to be willing, when asked, to contribute, and I have tried to that with the roles I’ve been asked to do.”

Finally I asked him if he’d join next year’s annual Metropolitan Grand Lodge tandem skydiving event and jump? Laughing, he replied “I’m terrible with heights – absolutely not! But I am happy to ask one of my Deputies or Assistants…”.

Sir Michael is optimistic about the future of the Craft: “it’ll continue to evolve along the lines I’ve already said. I would hope that the rest of masonry will have managed to do what we have done in Metropolitan, we have now stopped the net losses, and we may not be recruiting large net numbers, but we are recruiting well. There’s a lot to be done about getting those at university to join university scheme Lodges, but we’ve got to make sure we can cascade them out to other Lodges, otherwise they won’t be able to progress through the Offices and through the Chair. I believe it’ll be more of the same, but I hope it’ll be more vibrant, I hope UGLE as a whole will not be reducing and it will be gradually increasing.” His view on attracting new members is that we must be down to earth, open, in touch with modern society, and has a very particular perspective into how we should engage younger members without alienating older brethren: “there are a relatively small number of people who will not change and fight it. I attended anamalgamation of two lodges, who realised that younger people, who dress slightly differently, and behave slightly differently, are passionate about their masonry, and they have a vibrant atmosphere in the lodge. You can see the older brethren really liking it. They like the enthusiasm, they bathe in the reflected glory of the younger members. It’s just a matter of every one of us opening ourselves up to new possibilities.”

Sir Michael’s sport was fencing. He now occasionally follows cricket, particularly with his son in law, who was brought up in Australia. Any sport to do with Australia vs. England results in the usual banter in the family. Holidays are more adventurous (under normal circumstances): “We like France, and we had a narrowboat for many years, although that phase of our lives is coming to an end now. We’ve also always liked seeing animals in the wild, wherever they might be, like Africa. Generally we had already planned to do a bit more in the UK, and like European countries. Long haul distance will probably be a minority sport now.”

His favourite tipple? “Wine. Red wine. Good red wine. One of my daughters gave me a plaque saying ‘you can only drink so many bottles of wine in your life, so they may as well be good’.” He has two Springer Spaniels, an 11-year-old and a puppy of 13 weeks, so training activities are ongoing: “we live on the western end of the South Downs. We can go on the Downs with the dogs, it’s just wonderful.”

His perfect Sunday? “Go to church on Sunday morning (not at the moment obviously), and then a Sunday roast, absolutely, with a good bottle of red wine, and my wife and I tend to do a larg crossword if we’re on our own, over our coffee and little more red wine.”

His favourite London landmark gives us a real insight into the man: “Probably St Paul’s. Tower Bridge is wonderful. But actually one of the things I really like is the juxtaposition of the old, which absolutely must be preserved, where it’s good, but with the position of the new buildings, not all of which I like. But I do like that modernity that’s superimposed alongside the preserved historic buildings. Preserve the historic situation and tradition, but at the same time moderniseand combine with new ideas.”

Our fast-paced Zoom call ended after 45 minutes. I came away feeling Sir Michael is a very caring, considerate man, a pragmatist, but above all has a vision to build Metropolitan Grand Lodge by preserving the historic and combine with the modern.

This article is part of the Arena Magazine, Issue 42 October 2020 edition.
Arena Magazine is the official magazine of the London Freemasons – Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Metropolitan Grand Chapter of London.

Read more articles in the Arena Issue 42.

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With the easing of restrictions over the summer, members were able to meet in person for our annual picnic in Lincoln’s Inn Fields. It was so nice to see so many partners being able to join us too.

The picnic also gave us the opportunity to hold our long-since-abandoned AGM to cover a couple of items that we were unable to include in our special (virtual) meeting earlier during the lockdown. An al fresco AGM – chilled beer and fillet mignon bon bons in hand – certainly seems a popular way to conduct business meetings. After the statutory over-eating of crisps, cured meats and olives, “picnicers” retired to a local hostelry to continue
with the long since forgotten art of bonhomie.

September also saw the return of our monthly drinks – again in person. It was an enjoyable evening and our monthly drinks remain an open event where we welcome partners, prospective members and friends alike.

Sadly though, the Government’s Rule of 6 came into force shortly after and so we are unlikely to be able to continue in our usual fashion. We look forward to a return to actual normal as soon as it is safe to do so.

We continue our drive to raise funds for our charity this year (the Maytree Centre, Finsbury Park; a sanctuary for the suicidal), and any donations would be most gratefully welcome. We have a Virgin Money Giving page – please search for the Connaught Club and select the Maytree Mountain Challenge page. Every penny you donate really does save lives. £10 will pay for the recruitment and DBS check for a new befriender volunteer, and £50 will fund the costs of telephone and email support for 10 people in a suicide crisis.

This article is part of the Arena Magazine, Issue 42 October 2020 edition.
Arena Magazine is the official magazine of the London Freemasons – Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Metropolitan Grand Chapter of London.

Read more articles in the Arena Issue 42.

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As he started reading the email, another email arrived from his Lodge secretary, W Bro Mark Schito LGR, telling him that he would soon be contacted by a Brother from Germany, asking for assistance on behalf of a friend. A few weeks earlier, returning to his home in Germany after a month’s holiday
with his wife in Spain in which they avoided all news, W Bro Ian Harris was learning about the spread of Covid-19. Bro Harris was originally initiated into
Sanitarian Lodge No 3458, had moved to Germany in 1984, after meeting his future wife when she was on a holiday tour of England, and soon joined a Lodge, Chapter and other Masonic orders in Munster. Despite Covid-19, he still was intending to fly to the UK to attend Supreme Grand Chapter of Scotland’s quarterly communications. Bro Harris has a house in Morecambe, originally a retirement property for his parents, so when he arrived in the UK, he picked up a small amount of food and drove to Morecambe, intending to then drive up to Scotland the following day.

However, the convocation of Supreme Grand Chapter of Scotland was soon cancelled – as was his return flight to Germany; to make matters worse, Bro
Harris, who is 85 and has diabetes, received a letter from the NHS to his Morecambe address telling him that he needed to shield. He luckily had the food he picked up when he first landed, and he kept his food cupboards well-stocked as he often travels to the UK on short notice. Still, he had not been able to secure any delivery slots from the local supermarkets and commented to some of his Masonic friends back in Germany that it was looking quite difficult to be able to get food.

It was one of those friends who reached out on Twitter to any Brethren might be in position to help. Though Bro Harris was still in regular communication with his mother Lodge, he had not told them about his predicament. Instead, it was Bro Mark from Bowes Park who answered
the call on social media. Knowing that the Lodge’s almoner, Bro Armstrong, lived nearby in Blackburn, Mark passed on his details to the Brother from
Germany – and soon that email was winging its way to Bro Armstrong.

Bro Armstrong, in his own words, believes “when there’s a brother in need, you just help out. You do what you can, whatever format that takes”.

Bro Armstrong immediately phoned up Bro Harris and asked what he could do to help. Fortunately, Bro Harris’ daughter had managed to secure him a food delivery slot, but Bro Armstrong made it clear that should Bro Harris need anything at all, he was only a short drive away.

Fast forward six months, and the two Bros Ian are fast friends, speaking on the phone twice a week, and eating breakfast together over Zoom every Saturday morning. Bro Harris remains shielding away in Morecambe but is being well looked after – at an appropriate social distance – not only by his family, but by Bro Armstrong too.

As an aside, we asked Bro Harris what brought him to Supreme Grand Chapter of Scotland; while under UGLE Bro Harris’ rank is Past Master, he was
traveling to Scotland to represent Supreme Grand Chapter of Germany – as a Past First Grand Principal!

This article is part of the Arena Magazine, Issue 42 October 2020 edition.
Arena Magazine is the official magazine of the London Freemasons – Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Metropolitan Grand Chapter of London.

Read more articles in the Arena Issue 42.

The post BROTHERS ACROSS BORDERS HOW BOWES PARK HELPED A STRANDED BROTHER appeared first on Coopers’ Old Boys’ Lodge.

With a global television audience of around 1.9 billion captivated fans there are many reasons why people get so engrossed in it, be it for the engineering and technology, the superhuman athletes, the rich history, the money or exotic locations where the F1 races are held around the world or simply the starspangled glamour of it all.

Whatever the reason for watching this fascinating sport, there are a lot of Freemasons who adore seeing these spectacular sporting events, either on
their TV at home or making the pilgrimage to a Grand Prix.

Freemasons from across the UK with a passion for Formula One are now looking to bring this excitement and glamour into Masonry by ‘overtaking’ (integrating into) a struggling Lodge and making it our own. We aim to create a special interest lodge with strong F1 themed fun. Yes, there
will be a chequered flag featuring somewhere! Initial drivers’ meetings have been held, over Zoom, to generate interest and to get the grid formed.
Further casual meetings of interested brethren are scheduled to take place over the autumn, with the aspiration of having a face-to-face meet when Covid restrictions are lifted. Track days, factory visits, race day outings and everything F1 are planned.

If you are a Formula One follower or especially someone who works within the F1 world and would like to be part of the F1 Lodge crew, please race to
register your interest by emailing: 

Whether you would like to become our Team Principal/Worshipful Master, Senior Race Driver/Senior Warden, a Mechanic/Steward or one of our many
Drivers/Members, you can jump on the leader board as part of our F1 crew, be sent updates for when the next virtual or reallife meeting will be and we’ll keep you abreast of when the ‘overtake’ will happen.
LINKS:
www.F1lodge.com
www.F1lodge.co.uk

This article is part of the Arena Magazine, Issue 42 October 2020 edition.
Arena Magazine is the official magazine of the London Freemasons – Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Metropolitan Grand Chapter of London.

Read more articles in the Arena Issue 42.

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The £60,000 grant to Ambitious about Autism will fund an Assistive Technologist over three years, who will enable young people with complex autism to
communicate more effectively through technology. The young people all attend Ambitious College which is a specialist autism day college based in The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL) and West Thames College.

Jolanta Lasota, Chief Executive of Ambitious about Autism, said: “We’re very grateful to London Freemasons for their generous grant, which will provide
immediate support to autistic young people who have been deeply affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. This grant will also have a long-term impact,
allowing our team of experts to develop new ways of supporting autistic young people that will improve many more lives in the future.”

The goal is to identify the right technology for each young person, and enable them to use it to best effect in order to pursue their education and communicate their needs. Families and carers will also receive training, so they can understand the technology, learn how to fix problems and to support their child to use it at home.

The enormous range of technology on the market whilst exciting, can be difficult to understand without specialist knowledge. The Assistive Technologist
is a special role as it will bring this specialist knowledge in technology, teaching and autism combined.

The project is expected to help 480 people in total. The 90 young people with autism, 90 family members and 300 education professionals, including speech and language therapists, behaviour support workers, teachers and occupational therapists.

London Masons’ Charity Steward Tony Shields, said: “I’m very pleased we’ve been able to help Ambitious about Autism, who do wonderful work for young people with autism. New technology offers major opportunities to help them improve their wellbeing in ways that were not possible
only a few years ago and this will allow many of them and their families to take full advantage of it. This is another example of Freemasons supporting the London community. This follows on from a £2.5 million donation from London Freemasons to London Fire Brigade. The funding will provide London Fire Brigade with two extended height aerial vehicles, response cars and ancillary aerial equipment.”

The grant from London Masons comes through the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF), which is funded by Freemasons, their families and friends,
from across England and Wales.

This article is part of the Arena Magazine, Issue 42 October 2020 edition.
Arena Magazine is the official magazine of the London Freemasons – Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Metropolitan Grand Chapter of London.

Read more articles in the Arena Issue 42.

The post AUTISTIC CHILDREN ACCESS TECHNOLOGICAL SUPPORT THANKS TO LONDON MASONIC GRANT appeared first on Coopers’ Old Boys’ Lodge.

WM Peter Kendall, PAGSwdB “volunteered” the Charity Steward to dedicate his Master’s List to Covid-19, setting an ambitious target of £20,000.

Following an initial intensive discussion between the Brethren, a plethora of ideas and suggestions of the way in which to use any money raised emerged. 

The predominant theme running through the suggestions received was to reward the courageous, brave and selfless individuals on the hazardous, life threatening front line. The basic criterion for selection was agreed as “front line” hospital nurses, care home nurses/carers and ambulance crews in the localities of the members’ homes. 

Through local distribution, the Brethren hoped to spread the word that Freemasonry is a caring society who not only considered themselves, but the whole community at large. 

A plan of action was approved to say thank you to the individuals by distributing vouchers for weekend breaks in hotels countrywide. 

With gentle persuasion and the Brethren’s usual generosity, the target quickly moved from a hopeful ambition to reality. It in fact it exceeded reality with a final sum of £26,250 raised by the Lodge! 

The priority then switched from collecting money to its distribution which proved much harder than anticipated. Several hotel groups with countrywide establishments were contacted regarding purchasing vouchers; however none were prepared to help!! 

Further discussions took place among the Brethren and it was finally agreed that the solution was to distribute cash/cheques. Printed cards were procured to accompany all donations. Finally they were ready to effect the distribution which was carried out with the help of all the Brethren. 

THESE INCLUDED : 

1. £2,000 to the Masonic Charitable Foundation coronavirus appeal which was matched by the MCF for a further £2,000 which with gift aid totalled £4500. 
2. £6,250 to the London Ambulance Service fund for the welfare of vehicle crews. 
3. £2,500 to RMBI specifically to be ring fenced for the James Terry Court Home Manager’s Amenity Fund and used towards a staff party being arranged as a thank you for the front line support. 
4. £2,500 to UCLH London Nurses Charity which is used specifically for the welfare of the Hospital’s nursing staff. 
5. £3,750 to Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Hospitals London Coronavirus Appeal for the Nurses and staff’s well-being. 
6. £1,250 to the Bay Hospitals Charity in Morecambe who have supported one of the worst areas for coronavirus. 
7. £1,250 to The Care Workers Emergency Covid-19 appeal Fund. 
8. £1,000 to each to 3 Care homes supporting their Staff Amenity/Welfare funds. 
9. £1000 to Royal Surrey County Hospital Coronavirus Emergency Appeal for front line staff welfare. 

WM Peter Kendall says to the Brethren of Pen and Brush Lodge: “I am overwhelmed but not surprised with your extremely generous response in firstly achieving my ambitious target and then, by the use of matching donations and Gift aid, raising the bar to the extraordinary sum of £26,250!”

This article is part of the Arena Magazine, Issue 41 July 2020 edition.
Arena Magazine is the official magazine of the London Freemasons – Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Metropolitan Grand Chapter of London.

Read more articles in the Arena Issue 41.

The post THE BRETHREN OF PEN AND BRUSH LODGE GIVE 26250 POUNDS TO THE FRONT LINE appeared first on Coopers’ Old Boys’ Lodge.

I have been joining the Army reserves, but Coronavirus stopped my training, so I wasn’t able to help there. I wrote to the police special constabulary and the Royal Navy (who, after all, have much better uniforms, and warships). Everyone was lovely, but no one was quite able to put me directly to work, until I wrote to St John Ambulance. 

Their efficiency amazed me: my application form was processed that night, and in days I was in Croydon for socially distanced assessment, interviews, and background checks. A volunteer from Cavan (I also am Irish) took my ear temperature at the door, and soon I found myself marvelling with a New Zealand woman that we were outside our houses, talking in person. 

In no time, my uniform arrived by post, with my training dates and opportunities to serve. Other St John Ambulance’s volunteers and I have helped in the Nightingale’s North Ward and hospitals like the Royal Brompton, Charing Cross, and Lewisham, taking observations and talking to patients leaving intensive care, and staffing twelve ambulances across London each day. One couple in East London has spent eight weeks crewing an ambulance together. 

My local unit is Crystal Palace. For me it feels very much like a Lodge: there are twenty people, a WhatsApp group, terrible jokes, and a great sense of purpose. When I apologised for learning the ropes, the response I got was “you’re already part of the furniture”. It was something you might say to the Inner Guard to put him at his ease and had a similar effect on me. 

Many masons have been part of St John. I was encouraged by a friend through masonry, V W Bro The Rev Timothy L’Estrange AMetGM, who also wrote one of my references. Bro Timothy was an active St John Ambulance volunteer for 24 years, ultimately becoming a Divisional President in Sussex.

Interestingly, there once was a Lodge for masons who also were St John Ambulance volunteers, Prior Walter Lodge No 8687, though it surrendered its warrant in 2010. It’s been a pleasure to copy their example. Freemasons have also supported with money, the Mark Benevolent Fund has given £3.3m to St John Ambulance in 2017, to replace 53 ambulances and support vehicles. 

Exchanging the trowel for the ambulance, with its blazing emblematical blue lights, has been a fantastic opportunity to practise outside the Lodge a few duties I learned in it. It is an experience I’ll feel grateful for, the next happy day we meet as brothers.

This article is part of the Arena Magazine, Issue 41 July 2020 edition.
Arena Magazine is the official magazine of the London Freemasons – Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Metropolitan Grand Chapter of London.

Read more articles in the Arena Issue 41.

The post VOLUNTEERING DURING THE PANDEMIC appeared first on Coopers’ Old Boys’ Lodge.

We asked everyone to set up WhatsApp groups, to e-mail and phone Lodge members. I’m sure that none of us ever envisaged having to master Zoom meetings! We now have progressed so far in online meetings as to hold virtual Lodges of Instruction and pan-Fraternity Zoom calls and socials. 

I knew that our members who were not shielding would rise to the occasion and help their communities and many of them did just that. Some who had retired from the NHS returned to work. Many helped by joining their local COVID-19 Action Groups and delivered food parcels and collected shopping and prescriptions. One brother who is a highly qualified driving instructor offered to be a volunteer ambulance driver but ended up collecting prescriptions and shopping. On informing the organisers of her many driving qualifications she was eventually assigned the role of assessing the volunteer ambulance drivers, which in the event was never put to the test which proved happily that the NHS was not overwhelmed. Others provided home cooked treats, all lovingly labelled to go in the bags of goodies delivered to local hubs for distribution. Others gave thought to the NHS staff working on the front line and provided kit bags for their uniforms and bags of toiletries and essentials for patients taken into hospital as emergency admissions. 

Our Lodge in India gave financial support to the Prime Minister’s Care Fund and together with the local men’s Lodge funded daily meals and grants to migrant workers who were of course trapped in Delhi unable to get home. They distributed face masks to the needy in Gurugram, Haryana. 

One of our most entertaining stories of volunteering must surely be ‘The Made With Love Chicken Soup Run’. What started out as a friendly neighbourhood gesture, making Chicken Soup for six neighbours living alone quickly became a mini cottage industry when one of our Assistant Grand Directors of Ceremonies, W Bro Lesley Adams, was asked by her daughter-in-law’s mother Yochy to help her expand this project still further. So, each bag now contains two days of Soup, Matzah Balls, a bag of croutons, a Challah bread, Potato Latkas, Fruit Salad and a home -made cake. Each bag is labelled with the recipient’s name and includes a personalised message. Volunteer drivers were recruited to deliver the ‘Made With Love’ bags. Local suppliers rose to the occasion and donated chickens, bread and vegetables. The local community provided fresh fruit. Lesley says that she has made lots of friends amongst those in her Loughton community who needed assistance. At the last count they were delivering upwards of 90 parcels in Essex and now have a hub in NW London too. The bags have been delivered to people of all faiths. This is a prime example of what happens when communities pull together. 

As a Fraternity we have made donations to local charities supporting NHS frontline staff and the homeless and vulnerable. Our caterer at HQ funded by us made hundreds of meals for NHS staff. We are at present asking our brethren during lockdown to continue to contribute individually to our Grand Charity assisted by Lodges and Chapters making lump sum donations. We are researching an NHS Charity which is specifically concerned with staff welfare. 

We are subscribed to the Robert Lomas Podcast Initiative and to date have recorded four podcasts for this project with more in the pipeline and we have instituted a weekly newsletter which is sent to all our members to keep them in touch, entertained and informed of all the latest developments.

This article is part of the Arena Magazine, Issue 41 July 2020 edition.
Arena Magazine is the official magazine of the London Freemasons – Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Metropolitan Grand Chapter of London.

Read more articles in the Arena Issue 41.

The post THE HONOURABLE FRATERNITY OF ANCIENT FREEMASONS IN LOCKDOWN appeared first on Coopers’ Old Boys’ Lodge.