Tuesday 26th March saw over 130 Brethren attend the latest Middlesex Grand Officer and Provincial Grand Officers Club, known as the PGO Club, held for the first time at the Lensbury Resort, a luxurious hotel, and private members club in Teddington.
This new venue provided an elegant and improved experience for those who attended, giving them an opportunity to network, catch up with old friends and of course, to hear what will be happening in the province in the near future.
The evening consisted of the PGO clubs AGM at which W Bro Bill Ryan was re-elected as Club secretary, followed by a superb dinner. Once the formalities were over, the Club President announced the following significant changes:
Craft
May 14th will see W Bro John Leggett, PSGD, step down after serving the Province as an Assistant Provincial Grand Master with distinction for the past 5 years. Replacing John will be W Bro Warren Gell, PProvJGW and will take over at the craft AGM.
Royal Arch
June 24th will see both E Comp’s Jon Pentel and Rob King, PGStB step down as Assistants to the Provincial Grand Principals. E Comps Don Campbell, PProv1stAsstGSoj and Alan Russell, ProvGReg, will be taking over in these roles at the Annual Convocation to be held at Freemasons’ Hall.
Events
A new structure is being formed, called “Middlesex 1870”, which will be responsible for organising, supporting and structuring the larger scale events in the province, under a team lead by Past Assistant Provincial Grand Master W Bro Nigel Codron, PSGD. The creating of this initiative is intended to dovetail with the provinces drive to create more family orientated events and occasions so that our families feel better connected and engaged with our Masonic life.
Notably, the first of these is a Family Fun Day on 6th July, at the Great Cockcrow Railway in Chertsey, where there will be a Fete, BBQ and general social occasion with of course the opportunity to ride the railway. For more details visit: https://pglm.org.uk/funday/
Middlesex Cares
The main presentation of the evening, however, was the launch of a ground breaking initiative, sponsored by Assistant Provincial Grand Master, Ian Ferguson, PAGStB and the Provincial Grand Almoner Ivan Chu, launching “Middlesex Cares”.
Middlesex Cares is an initiative at the heart of the Middlesex Province, and a commitment to fostering a nurturing and supportive environment for members and their families. Its goal is to take care within the Province to new levels, structured under 7 core pillars:
- PHYSICAL WELLBEING- Screening tests e.g. PSA testing, disabled access, medical or surgical treatment for those on long waiting list, provision of first aiders, equipment and use of defibrillators, facilities for those with sight or hearing impairments, fitness classes.
- DEVELOPMENT & MENTAL HEALTH- Retirement coaching, mindfulness classes, access to mental health services and support e.g. counselling and other voluntary services.
- FINANCIAL- Masonic budgeting, how to avoid frauds, cost reduction initiatives, financial planning classes and festive board options.
- WORK & FAMILY BALANCE- Meeting management, talking masonry with family and friends, flexible meeting times, personal time management, and how to pick Lodges or Chapters which may be more suitable to your personal and professional commitments and geography.
- NETWORK & FRIENDSHIP- How to create an active social calendar, mentor classes, partners social programme, family fun days and special interest days.
- TRAVEL & TRANSPORT- Car sharing, minibus for special events, travel buddies, travel safe, virtual meetings.
- ENGAGEMENT- Members surveys, reward programme, communication, speaker options, festive board entertainment.
To kick this initiative off, a survey has been sent to every member of the province to gauge our members interests, and a commitment to ensure that the services provided match the member’s needs. This interactivity will assist the appointed team leaders and experts to build their pillars to match accordingly.
As you can see, some very positive developments in the province, and certainly ones that will improve and elevate members both in and out of Middlesex Freemasonry.
Should you wish to get involved in any aspect of the Middlesex Cares initiative, please speak to
W Bro Ivan Chu directly on 07762 753911 email: ivan.chu@pglm.org.uk
In the meantime, see below a photo gallery of the evening and table shots of those in attendance.
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