The December meeting of The Lodge of Merit No. 466 was held at Stamford Masonic Centre on Monday, 15th December 2025.
The ceremony for the evening was to pass Bro. Adam Adamson on behalf of the Lock, Stock & Barrel Lodge No. 9984. Bro. Adam’s father, W.Bro. Andy Adamson, was initiated into The Lodge of Merit in 2001 and remained a member until he unfortunately passed away on 2nd January 2020.
W.Bro. Andy was a larger-than-life character with a heart of gold. He had a sharp wit and was very well known throughout the Province in numerous Masonic orders, always encouraging and helping others in his own inimitable way.
The suggestion to pass Bro. Adam was received by the members as an honour to be part of, especially in remembering Andy.
A packed lodge room of 31 members and 43 guests saw the lodge opened in due form by the Worshipful Master, W.Bro. Chris Needham. The significance and interest of the event then became evident when W.Bro. Jason Halsey (stand-in DC) gave the salutations to the following Brethren:
- RW.Bro. Mark Constant – Provincial Grand Master
- RW.Bro. David Wheeler – Provincial Grand Master (Lincolnshire)
- RW.Bro. Max Bayes – Past Provincial Grand Master
- VW.Bro. John Crutchley – Deputy Provincial Grand Master (Lincolnshire)
- W.Bro. David Burton – Past Assistant Provincial Grand Master
- Three Grand Officers
- Three Group Officers
The scene was set and the ceremony began. From the first words spoken, it was clear that this was going to be a special night, with ritual close to perfection. Bro. Adamson was perfect in his answers, with, I am sure, a beaming W.Bro. Andy looking down.
The Senior Deacon, Bro. James Green, assisted by the Junior Deacon, Bro. Jack Joyce, expertly guided Bro. Adam around the lodge, putting him at ease while presenting him to the Master and Wardens confidently and word-perfect. The buzz and appreciation of the members was evident.
The Worshipful Master has, so far this year, proven to be an asset in both his leadership and ritual, but no one was surprised at his performance this evening. His delivery of the ceremony and ritual is seldom seen in a lodge; this was as perfect as it gets, leaving the guests in awe of what they were witnessing.
It did not stop there. Following Bro. Adam restoring himself to his comforts and re-entering the Lodge, the Worshipful Master once again excelled by presenting the Second Degree Tracing Board to Bro. Adam. It was a delivery as good as you will ever witness, with not a word out of place.
The rest of the ceremony did not disappoint, with the following officers playing their part:
- Address to the Badge – Bro. Tim Parrish
- South East Corner – Bro. James Wigglesworth
- Working Tools – Bro. Ellis Needham (son of the WM)
As always, the Lodge of Merit Christmas Festive Board was a jovial event: good company, good food, and much appreciation of the ceremony.
The toast to the Worshipful Master was given, as always at Christmas, by W.Bro. John Scholes, who explained the name “Needham” in both a humorous and confusing way!
The Worshipful Master thanked everyone for making the meeting such a success and particularly thanked the visitors for their attendance, prior to W.Bro. Martin Dean, WM of Lock, Stock & Barrel Lodge, thanking The Lodge of Merit. We look forward to following Bro. Adam’s progress on his journey.
A fantastic night of Freemasonry, epitomising the standards for which the Lodge of Merit is becoming well known. At the beginning of 2026, the Lodge will remain busy, with at least five initiates waiting in the wings, gained from the recent information evening.
Please follow the link below to the story on the website of Lincolnshire Freemasons submitted by RW.Bro David Wheeler (PGM Lincolnshire). https://www.lincolnshirefreemasons.org/the-ties-the-limit-as-pgm-visits-stamford