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The PGM's Blog |
 Dear Brethren, What a Busy and Enjoyable Month! Let me start with our Annual Meeting of Provincial Grand Lodge Well! The Month of May started with a “Big Bang” at Harrogate at our Annual Provincial Meeting. There were loads of smiling faces; however perhaps it was too much of a good thing? I believe that we have now arrived at a critical point in the evolution of the content of our Annual Meeting. Over recent years, agenda items have been added and this year there was too much to digest. In evaluating this, while there has been much positive comment about the Meeting content, there have been requests to consider reducing the time taken up. The experience at the Majestic Hotel was much improved generally. Changes already planned for 2020:
One of the key questions to be considered will concern the presentation of the Major Grants from the Provincial Grand Master’s Fund. Flying the West Riding Flag at other Provincial Meetings Visits to the Annual Meetings of other Provinces are always joyous occasions and an opportunity to renew old friendships from many parts of the Constitution. In May, the Province of Nottinghamshire and our Sister Province of Yorkshire, North & East Ridings welcomed deputations from our Province. The consistent theme of the need for managed change to survive and thrive was heard. Lodge Centenaries At the end of World War One – the “War to End All Wars”, it is little wonder that those gallant men returning from the horrors of the trenches sought the refuge of a safe haven of peace and camaraderie in Freemasonry. Many new Lodges were consecrated to accommodate an ever increasing membership and as a result we are now in a period when 17 Lodges will celebrate their Centenary. Their first hundred years of existence! It is a unique celebratory meeting for each Lodge and it is ever my endeavour to make every meeting special for the current Members. In May, I attended the Centenary Meetings of Don Valley Lodge No: 3890, Doncaster and Unity Lodge No: 3930, Huddersfield. A really good time was had by all at memorable and most enjoyable occasions of great celebration. To remind us that we are guided by, and under the watchful gaze of the Great Architect of the Universe, the Orations delivered by W Bro. Peter Holt, PJGD, ProvGChaplain at Doncaster and W Bro. The Rev. Frank Chappell, PJGD, PProvJGW at Huddersfield were both inspirational and delivered with great passion. With so many Centenary celebrations being held, the extended Oration delivery Team also includes W Bros. Brian Inston, ProvDepGChaplain and Roger Quick, PProvGChaplain. We are so very fortunate to have such a depth of talent in our Provincial Chaplaincy. The late VW Bro. Stuart Charles Grantham, PGSwdB, PDepProvGM We were all so very touched to read the tributes recorded on our Provincial Website confirming the high esteem in which our late Brother was held.  A large number of Brethren joined the congregation at the packed Funeral Service. It was indeed a celebration of the life of a wonderful Father, Grandfather and a true Friend and Brother to all. The anecdotes taken from VWBro. Stuart’s life, delivered by his children and our own W Bro. Ian Smith, PGStB, ProvGDC, provided vivid and amusing illustrations of a caring and fun-seeking gentleman who saw the good in everyone and everything. He will be sorely missed; however the memories of his achievements will last until time shall be no more. Assistant Provincial Grand Master - Installation Assisted by my Senior Team, I Installed W Bro. Brian Duncan Littlejohn as Assistant Provincial Grand Master with leadership responsibility for Area 4 at a meeting of Royal Brunswick Lodge No: 296. Another splendid occasion in the history of our Province.  Sometimes We Get Things Wrong So We Put it Right! If an error is made then it is important to acknowledge the situation, apologise and correct matters as soon as possible. It has been the custom in the Province to promote certain Provincial Executive Officers on their retirement from Office. Something went wrong! W Bro. Brian Priestley, PJGD, PProvJGW stood down this year as our long-serving Provincial Grand Treasurer and this should have been acknowledged at the Meeting of Provincial Grand Lodge at Harrogate by a promotion to Past Provincial Senior Grand Warden. Somehow this was inadvertently overlooked and I have apologised to W Bro. Brian. After such long and distinguished service I was personally under the impression that a promotion in Provincial rank had already been conferred. The situation was further exacerbated by the fact that we also have a Brother in the Province with exactly the same name who holds the rank of Past Provincial Senior Grand Warden. So! I am taking Harrogate to W Bro. Brian! On Wednesday, 26th June the Provincial Team supported by a number of Past Rulers will attend to Moreland Lodge No: 6591 where I shall promote W Bro. Brian on the Floor of his own Lodge. Updates on Objectives: Increasing Membership - Survive to Thrive! The Members’ Pathway - Keep Going! It Works! “If at first you don’t succeed; try, try again!” (Attrib: Robert the Bruce – 1314) I am delighted to hear that we have Lodges that are thriving with an abundance of new Members. Alas! There are still a number who have not had a Candidate for a considerable time. What to do? There are so many ideas in the “Members’ Pathway”; however as I said in my Address at Provincial Grand Lodge – Participation in any of the UGLE initiatives is entirely voluntary. We do have resources available to assist within the Province but the first move must be from Private Lodges through their Liaison Officer.  UGLE Members’ Pathway Conference - London 21st May 2019 An outstanding success! There are hundreds if not thousands of suitable Candidates out there! We need to make the first move! Open Days - Well Done Huddersfield! The joint effort of Huddersfield Lodges with Open Days is to be admired. Success through synergetic co-operation will always produce greater results! Grand Officers The Assistant Provincial Grand Masters are meeting with Grand Officers in the respective Areas to formulate plans for local assistance and support. New Lodge at Garforth – Petition Signed – Grand Lodge Response Awaited! Well, the deed has been done! With nearly 50 Petitioners for the new Lodge, I have signed the formal Petition document and it is now winging its way to London for verification. The target date for the Consecration, subject to approval, is February 2020 at Castle Grove Masonic Hall, Headingley, Leeds. The Lodge will be welcomed into the Area 5 Family of Lodges. Raising our Civic Profile – Being Seen to Make a Difference! Civic Engagement The Province will again be participating in the Yorkshire Day celebrations on the 1st of August. This year it is a trip to Whitby and I would welcome any Brother who would like to be part of the joint West Riding/North & East Ridings Delegation. Charity Matters Provincial Grand Master’s Fund (PGM’s Fund) & West Riding Masonic Charities Ltd. (WRMCL) 2019 Major Grant Recipients My Goodness! All those happy faces at Harrogate. (Just see the centre pages of the current “White Rose” Magazine). All the recipients were very grateful, amazed at the spectacle and delighted by the generosity of West Riding Freemasons. The Major Grants awarded all satisfy the fundamental requirement of making a significant difference in our communities. My thanks to W Bro. Tony Brailsford, PSGD, PProvAsstGM, who acted as Compère to introduce the recipients. Remember! It’s never too early to start planning for 2020 – Please look wide for worthy causes in your localities Brethren. Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) – Night Vision Goggles A visit to the YAA at their Nostell Priory Base in Wakefield is always a pleasure. This time it was to present a set of the special Night Vision Goggles that are essential to allow YAA to save more lives by flying during the hours of darkness. A donation of £20,000 was necessary to make the purchase (These things do not come cheaply Brethren!) and generously provided by our own West Riding Masonic Charities Ltd. It was a delight and most fitting to have been accompanied by W Bro. Stuart Cadman, PAGDC, PProvSGW, Chairman of WRMCL.  Wakefield Hospice - Charity Donation from the Masonic Charity Foundation (MCF) I can recommend a visit to this Hospice where we were greeted by the staff who all exuded positivity! The major donation from MCF will allow the Hospice to engage with the local Business and Education Community to raise awareness to end of life support. Lifelites – A Charity for Children’s Hospices What now seems to be an annual occurrence , we welcomed Lifelites on their South to North 2019 flying visits through Provinces. WRML made a generous donation of £1000 to mark the visit. As Freemasons we are taught to prepare for our inevitable destiny. Hospices provide such practical comfort and support to the dying and their relatives. A really worthy cause to support! Enhancing Member Experiences 2018 Initiates’ Evenings After I have written this month’s Blog, I will be leaving for Baildon for the Area 1 Initiates’ Evening attended by Brethren, Families and Friends. I am told that there will be a goodly number of around 100 in attendance. Next year, I would like to invite the 2018 Initiates, Lodge Mentors and Lodge Members to accompany and support the 2019 intake. White Rose Magazine – 59th Edition – Spring 2019 WOW! What a winner! It is little wonder that our Provincial Magazine is so well received in all parts of the Masonic World. It is brilliant! May I ask all Members to promote our own “White Rose” Magazine by advertising and by sharing the publication with family and friends. It is always pleasing to see copies in local Surgeries, Libraries and other Public Places to show what we are as Freemasons and what we do in our Communities.  My ongoing thanks to the Editor, W Bro. Peter Doherty, PProvJGW and his Team of really hard working Freemasons. Much appreciated! UGLE Learning & Development Conference – London – 20th May 2019 The first Annual Conference was held at Freemasons Hall, London to further embed a Culture of L&D throughout UGLE. Why? The membership responded to the Grand Lodge survey by saying that this is what is required to attract and retain Members. The Solomon suite of Learning solutions is ever-growing and I am looking forward to listening to the soon to be released Modules which will be enhanced by the “voice-overs” of professional actors. “Nuggets” from Solomon? A series of short papers to be read to Lodges/LOI’s/Young Masons’ Clubs to stimulate thinking, discussion and further research. Looking for a starter? Why not look at “Ya-buts” by writing the following address in your web browsers - https://solomon.ugle.org.uk/course/view.php?id=85 UGLE Masonic Meeting Plans Conference - Wise Words for local consideration What are the contingency plans for emergency situations at Masonic Halls? Not just fire or flood but what would happen if the building became unusable for meetings? Support for Masonic Organists Music! One of the Liberal Arts and Sciences! We all know the positive difference Organ music makes to our Meetings! The Company of Provincial Grand Stewards is collating requests for support from Organists. We need them Brethren! My thanks to W Bro. Dr Simon Lindley, PJGD, ProvGOrg who will be conducting “Master Classes” for all.  Young Masons/Light Blue’s Clubs Keep it up! Breakfast Meetings are innovative and clearly successful. It is really pleasing to see the creation of more such Clubs in the Province. Why not deliver a “Solomon Nugget” (see above) to stimulate a discussion? International Twinning (or is it Tripling?) Members of the Company of Provincial Stewards are facilitating discussions with the UGLE Inspectorates of both Portugal and also of Malta. The concept is to create Twinning/Tripling relationships. Watch this space! There are plenty of flights from Leeds/Bradford and Manchester to enjoy the sunshine and Masonic Fellowship! Provincial Quiz - 2019 Thinking caps on! Watch out for the booking forms and be part of this highly competitive and fun event. A look at UGLE Solomon Modules will be excellent preparation (so I am told!).  Young Masons/Light Blue’s Clubs Keep it up! Breakfast Meetings are innovative and clearly successful. It is really pleasing to see the creation of more such Clubs in the Province. Why not deliver a “Solomon Nugget” (see above) to stimulate a discussion? International Twinning (or is it Tripling?) Members of the Company of Provincial Stewards are facilitating discussions with the UGLE Inspectorates of both Portugal and also of Malta. The concept is to create Twinning/Tripling relationships. Watch this space! There are plenty of flights from Leeds/Bradford and Manchester to enjoy the sunshine and Masonic Fellowship! Provincial Quiz - 2019 Thinking caps on! Watch out for the booking forms and be part of this highly competitive and fun event. A look at UGLE Solomon Modules will be excellent preparation (so I am told!). And Finally: Plans for June I will be attending a meeting of supporters at Bradford University – a 2018 Major Grant recipient, a celebratory lunch for Past Assistant Provincial Grand Masters, a Jubilee Certificate presentation to W Bro. Brian W. Price at Harrogate, the first visit of 2019/20 Acting Provincial Officers to the Lodge of Amity No: 4148, Baildon and the promotion of W Bro. Brian Priestley to PProvSGW at Moorland Lodge No: 6591, Baildon. Plus! The usual and unseen loads and loads of meetings, administration and paperwork! (I am grabbing a four-day break in Lisbon with my wife as we’ve never been there before – I do hope that my Tourist level Madeiran Portuguese will be understood!) A Thought to Finish: The Grand Secretary commissioned an extensive public survey across England & Wales earlier this year regarding attitudes towards Freemasonry. The results included the following:
What are your thoughts on these findings Brethren? My Fraternal best wishes to you and yours as always. David RW Bro. David S. Pratt - Provincial Grand Master  
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David S. PrattProvincial Grand Master for the Province of Yorkshire West Riding Archives
February 2020
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