Stories Walk this way
Great strides In celebration of all Freemasons being able to meet outdoors in real life, a group of Universities Scheme lodges walked 2021 miles in 2021, and raised funds for the Duke of Edinburgh Memorial Fund along the way
Above: the Universities Scheme lodges walk covered 2021 miles, including a Cheshire leg
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Have you ever woken up in the morning and had some strange but wonderful ideas? Well, a few short months ago, a Freemason in Staffordshire did exactly that. His idea? Organise a challenge to walk 2021 miles in 2021. The Freemason in question is David Thomas, Deputy Provincial Grand Master of Staffordshire, who could not get the thought out of his mind. So, along with Andrew Mapperson and Peter Hughes – colleagues from Universities Lodge of Staffordshire – he decided to put a plan into action. The idea was to involve all of the 85 or so Universities Scheme lodges. With the resources of the Universities Scheme under the chairmanship of James Hilditch, the plan started to take shape. David’s concept was to welcome Freemasonry back to some sort of normality and enjoy fun and fellowship on the way. Approval for the FMT Autumn 2021
challenge was given by Assistant Grand Master Sir David Wootton, Universities Scheme President, and Chairman James Hilditch. The objectives of the challenge were: • To promote Freemasonry • To promote engagement and fraternity between Universities Scheme lodges • To raise charitable donations through sponsorship during the journey – all donations going to the Duke of Edinburgh Memorial Fund. The challenge relay was to start and finish at Freemasons’ Hall, London, and to be completed between the planned Quarterly Communication meetings in June and September. Teams from each Scheme lodge carried a replica of the David Kenneth Williamson (DKW) Cup – a trophy normally claimed by one Scheme lodge visiting another – from the centre where it meets
