A very special event took place on Saturday 10th September 2022 at Sheaf Close, when the Lodge of United Services No.10012 held an emergency meeting to receive The Provincial Grand Master, RW Bro Mark Constant, together with members of the Banner Dedication team.
The Provincial Grand Master, RW Bro Mark Constant, with (from left) WBro Roger Blason ProvGDC, LoUS Worshipful Master WBro Lou Orsi PAPGM, WBro Aaron Day ProvGChaplain, and W Bro Chris Winfield ProvGOrganist
W.Bro. John Ford, Secretary of Lodge of United Services No. 10012 summed up a great occasion:
The Provincial Grand Master very kindly agreed to allow us to hold our banner dedication as a white table event with the added bonus of allowing non-masons into the temple to witness the actual ceremony once the Lodge had been closed. This I believe to be a first in the Province and probably a very rare occasion in Freemasonry in general, the Lodge of United Services and the Province are true trail blazers!
The banner dedication was attended by 75 Freemasons and we were then joined by 28 non-masonic guests. The ceremony was a truly wonderful spectacle with many positive comments and compliments received. The Festive Board afterwards was a very positive way of promoting Freemasonry and I believe there were some potential candidates in attendance that could not have escaped being impressed and drawn towards our marvellous fraternity.
One special mention goes to Mrs Pauline Richardson who made our banner. She was in attendance with her husband, W. Bro. Mark Richardson from the Province of Lincolnshire, and and as this was the first time she’d witnessed the ceremony, it was extra special as it was the banner she had made for us.