Provincial News
- Written by: Simon Key
The Provincial Grand Charity is delighted to have presented the amazing Maternity Bereavement team at Kettering General Hospital (KGH) with a £2,885 donation in support of their fundraising effort to buy Rainbow Bags for mums who have just had their "Rainbow Baby".
The Provincial Grand Almoner, WBro Gerry McLaughlin, visited the team to learn more about their efforts.
- Written by: Michael Genner
Rutland Sailabilty is a very special Charity that encourages and assists disabled people to enjoy freedom afloat – by providing specially-adapted sailing craft in order to help them to learn to sail, to sail for fun or sail competitively. Sailing vessels are fitted with customised and innovative adaptive mechanisms using battery-powered servo-motors etc to enable people with disabilities to manoeuvre and sail them.
Chicheley Chapter 607’s 1st Principal, E.Comp. Mark Ashley, is a regular user of the Rutland Charity’s sailing facilities at Rutland Water; indeed, sailing plays a significant part in his life and he loves the immense pleasure that it gives him despite his incapacity.
It was, therefore, very fitting that the Chapter should support the Charity and, on Thursday 8th August, a very proud E.Comp. Mark, accompanied by the Chapter’s Charity Steward, E.Comp. John Horrell (himself a keen sailor), presented a cheque for £400 to Andrew Painter (Treasurer – Rutland Sailabilty and himself a Leicestershire Mason) to facilitate the purchase of a new battery for one of their sailing craft.
(left to right) Mrs Sarah Forsyth (Fundraising Manager – Rutland Sailabilty), Andrew Painter (Treasurer, Rutland Sailabilty) and E.Comp. Mark Ashley (MEZ), E.Comp. John Horrell (Charity Steward).
- Written by: Michael Genner
In late 2018 Chicheley Chapter 607 lost one of its senior Companions, E.Comp. Hywel Parry-Jones, (“Parry”), who was its 2nd Principal at the time. E.Comp. Parry had courageously fought a long battle with cancer before being summoned to the Grand Lodge above on 13th December 2018.
Parry was a Welshman and hence a lover of music and song and, during his later years, was a fervent supporter of the Thrapston Plaza Operatic Society which seeks to put on one operatic performance a year at the former Plaza Cinema in Thrapston. Parry used also to help out with the stage production work and props and, apparently, a regular supply of chocolate biscuits had to be kept on hand to keep him going!
In a very fitting tribute to his work for the Chapter over a number of years and by way of supporting the local community, on Tuesday 13th August, a cheque for £250 was presented to Mark Lee (Treasurer, Thrapston Plaza Operatic Society) by the current MEZ Elect, Parry’s son, E.Comp. Huw Parry-Jones, accompanied by the Chapter’s Charity Steward, E.Comp. John Horrell, another keen supporter of the Plaza Operatic Society.
(left to right) E. Comp. John Horrell (Charity Steward), Mark Lee (Treasurer, Thrapston Plaza Operatic Society) and E.Comp. Huw Parry-Jones (MEZ Elect).