Charity
The Past Master's Jewel | From its earliest days, Freemasonry has been involved in charitable activities, and since its inception it has provided support for many widows and orphans of Freemasons as well as for others within the community. All monies raised for charity are drawn from amongst Freemasons, their families and friends, while grants and donations are made to Masonic and non-Masonic charities alike. Over the past five years alone Freemasonry has raised more than £75m for a wide range of charitable purposes including those involved in medical research, community care, education and work with young people.
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Freemasonry has an enviable record of providing regular and consistent financial support to individual charities over long periods while at the same time making thousands of grants to local charities, appeals and projects throughout England and Wales each year. For the future, opportunities to obtain or provide matched funding are periodically examined with a view to enhancing the impact of the support Freemasonry can give to specific projects. The personal generosity of Freemasons and the collective fundraising efforts of almost 8,000 lodges, however, will continue to determine the contribution Freemasonry makes within the community. | Our Lodge Banner Motto: Honour , Fidelity , Benevolence |
| Freemasonry is one of the world's oldest secular fraternal societies. It is a society of men concerned with moral and spiritual values. Its members are taught its precepts by a series of ritual dramas, which follow ancient forms, and use stonemasons' customs and tools as allegorical guides. But do not be put off by this high sounding and maybe peculiar method of learning. We all learn through practice and example throughout life. Our method has been successfully used over centuries by high and low born, every social group, with Royalty and famous people included. It is a fascinating introduction to a set of life standards which only produces higher and useful personal standards. It engenders a lifetime of study in many it touches. One only has to search the internet for famous freemasons to see some of the amazing people over the ages that have seen fit to join this unique organisation. | ||
| It may be interesting to note that Freemasonry, as we know it today, was started at a time when Politics and Religion were hotly debated and in many ways divisive. Additionally, in those days there were few, if any safeguards against sharp practice in business and commerce. It was very difficult to be sure of honesty and integrity in those that society had to deal with in order to do business. Hence a fraternal society in which honesty, moral integrity and respect for all were cornerstones, must have been extremely attractive to gentlemen who valued these tenets. The attractiveness must have been further enhanced by the ban on two major topics of discussion at meetings, that of Politics and Religion. In Freemasonry we refer to the harmony of the Lodge and pride ourselves in our personal friendship and the ability for us all to meet in that deep friendship that hinges upon those original tenets, which remain as ever essential to good order in Society today. | Gold Watch - Presented |
 | The essential qualification for admission into and continuing membership is a belief in a Supreme Being. Membership is open to men of any race or religion who can fulfil this essential qualification and who are of good reputation. Freemasonry is not a religion, nor is it a substitute for religion. Its essential qualification opens it to men of many religions and it expects them to continue to follow their own faith. It does not allow religion to be discussed at its meeting. For that matter Politics too is avoided at all costs. In the past Freemasonry has been particularly enticing to those who have been of necessity surrounded by Politics and Religion in their everyday lives, when these topics have resulted in stress and strain and sometimes worse. The 'sanctuary' of Freemasonry has therefore been a huge relief to some and remains so today.
Brotherly Love - Every true Freemason will show tolerance and respect for the opinions of others and behave with kindness and understanding to his fellow creatures. Relief - Freemasons are taught to practise charity and to care, not only for their own, but also for the community as a whole, both by charitable giving, and by voluntary efforts and works as individuals 'without detriment to yourselves or connections.' Truth - Freemasons strive for truth, requiring high moral standards and aiming to achieve them in their own lives. |
Freemasonry demands from its members a respect for the law of the country in which a man works and lives. Its principles do not in any way conflict with its members' duties as citizens, but should strengthen them in fulfilling their public and private responsibilities, including to respecting those Countries that may for a time be the place of residence . |  |
| Fire Service Lodge Working Tools |
| Secrecy The so called 'secrets' of Freemasonry are concerned with its traditional modes of recognition. In the early days of Freemasonry when unscrupulous people were more difficult to spot and keep a track of, far before the digital age and information overdrive we now have; one major method of identifying someone with high moral and personal credentials was membership of Freemasonry. Being able to identify honest men was a real boon to society and trade. Not much has changed there! It is not a secret society, since all members are free to acknowledge their membership and will do so in response to enquiries for respectable reasons. Its constitutions and rules are available to the public. There is no secret about any of its aims and principles. Like many other societies, it regards some of its internal affairs as private matters for its members. |  |
 | Freemasonry offers its members an approach to life which seeks to reinforce thoughtfulness for others, kindness in the community, honesty in business, courtesy in society and fairness in all things. Members are urged to regard the interests of the family as paramount but importantly Freemasonry also teaches and practices concern for people, care for the less fortunate and help for those in need. |
| Who can join ? Membership is open to men of all faiths who are law-abiding, of good character and who acknowledge a belief in a Supreme Being. Freemasonry is a multi-racial and multi-cultural organisation. It has attracted men of goodwill from all sectors of the community into membership. There are similar Masonic organisations for women. | |
 | This information is intended to explain Freemasonry as it is practised under the United Grand Lodge of England, which administers Lodges of Freemasons in England and Wales and in many places overseas. For further information & reading here are some masonic web sites which may be of interest :
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 | Disclaimer : Please note we cannot guarantee that the links from this page have been approved by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Warwickshire or the United Grand Lodge of England. Neither can we guarantee that all the links from their pages are recognised by or approved by either the Provincial Grand Lodge of Warwickshire or the United Grand Lodge of England. |  |