New Daytime Lodge for Gloucestershire
The head of Freemasonry in Gloucestershire, Tim Henderson-Ross, explained the need for the new Lodge in Gloucestershire. Traditionally Lodges meet in the evenings and are strictly all male gatherings but the organisation needs to move with the times to meet the varied needs of all its members. The new Lodge in Gloucestershire will therefore meet in the daytime which makes getting there an easier proposition particularly in bad weather. The lunches will be open to partners and friends and as the venue is ‘The Hill’ in Stroud that’s likely to be very popular because of its excellent catering and superb location. The name of the new Lodge, the Five Valleys Lodge, reflects its Stroud origins and of course the view from the back lawn where pre-lunch drinks will no doubt be taken in good weather.
Tim Henderson-Ross acted as the consecrating officer for the new Lodge supported by the full Gloucestershire Provincial team. New Lodges are consecrated, or blessed, in a very impressive ceremony going back hundreds of years. Alongside the other 82 Lodges which meet on different evenings and different locations throughout the county (nine others in Stroud alone), each with their own character and atmosphere, the new Stroud Lodge is expected to attract many new members. It is anticipated that all the larger Masonic centres in the county will be able to offer similar daytime Lodges in due course.
The new Lodge will be able to rely on very experienced members to ensure it gets off to a very strong start including Tim’s deputy, David Mason, and assistants, Ian Davies and Mark Smith. We shall all be watching its growth and development with interest and wish it every success.
Photographs of the Provincial consecrating team and of the Five Valleys Lodge founder members are by courtesy of Gilbert Turner of Perseverance Lodge.
