The Grove WI met on Thursday 17th April at the Hallcroft Community Centre and enjoyed a relaxed yet fascinating presentation from Bruce Routledge on the topic of Freemasonry. Bruce, an active Freemason in Nottinghamshire, has been involved in various Freemasonry orders for 28 years.
During the presentation, members were given a detailed explanation of the background and history of Freemasonry, from its official formation in 1717 to its spread worldwide, with hundreds of thousands of members today. Freemasons meet at Masonic Lodges, many of which are purpose-built Masonic buildings. Bruce highlighted The United Grand Lodge headquarters at Great Queen Street, London, a stunning Art Deco building constructed just after World War I as a Masonic Peace Memorial.
The building, one of the finest of its kind in England, is now open to the public for free guided tours and features marble interiors, a museum, and several function rooms. It is also frequently used as a location for film sets for British films and TV programmes.
The similarities between the WI and Freemasonry were clear, with both organisations centred on fraternity, friendship, and strong morals and values. One of the great societal benefits of Freemasonry is the immense charitable work undertaken by its members, both locally and nationally, though this work is often not widely reported in the mainstream media. Several local examples were shared, and Grove WI members were astounded to learn that the National Masonic Charity, funded entirely by Freemasons, distributed over £26million to worthy causes in 2023 alone.
The talk was so well received by members that it prompted many questions, causing the usual time slot for guest speakers to be exceeded. However, the extended discussion still allowed time for regular WI business, tea, and cake.
The Grove WI has planned a host of different activities and more guest speakers on interesting topics for upcoming meetings.
Grove WI always welcomes visitors and new members. If you would like to learn more or join this friendly group of ladies, meetings are held on the third Thursday afternoon of every month at Hallcroft Community Centre, commencing at 2.00pm.
For further details, please contact Barbara Henderson on 01777 248736 or by email at barbara107@gmail.com.