A 'grand' start to the Lodge of Amity Festival 25 contributions

The Lodge of Amity, at their first meeting following the official announcement of the Province's Festival 25, kick-started their contributions by presenting a cheque for £1,000 to the Provincial Grand Charity Steward.

The occasion was the Lodge's annual 'Founders Night' meeting, where the founding of the Lodge in 1765 is celebrated in unique style. The meeting this year included a fascinating talk on the Founding of the Lodge given by Martin Adlem.

This was followed as always at Founders Night by a simple candlelit dinner. Songs with a nautical connection were sung (the Lodge had strong connections with the Newfoundland shipping trade in the 18th century) and the evening was a huge success.

Contributions to the Festival at the dinner amounted to a further £400.

The Worshipful Master had recently suffered a leg injury and was using crutches, but this did not deter him from attending this very special occasion. There were, however, several good-natured calls of 'shiver me timbers' and 'where's yer parrot' on his arrival! What else would you expect from a Lodge having fun in 18th century style?

Pictured top are (left to right) the Worshipful Master, Mick Colborne; the Provincial Charity Steward, Peter Boyd; and the Lodge Charity Steward, Martin Barker.

It is a tradition in England and Wales that each of the 44 Provinces is asked once in every 11 years to collect funds for the main Masonic Charity, the Masonic Charitable Foundation, during a period that is known as a Festival. See www.dorset-festival25.org for more details.