Stories Rules of engagement
Clubbing together
After a halting start and a year’s delay, Hertfordshire’s Fleet House Light Blues Club hosted the New and Young Masons Clubs’ Conference, a resounding success
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ringing together New and Young Masons clubs from all over the UK, the New and Young Masons Clubs’ (NYMC) Conference is a popular and prestigious event. In 2019, it was hosted by Leicestershire and Rutland Light Blues Club. At the end of that conference, NYMC Secretary Mitchell Merrick-Thirlway announced that Fleet House Light Blues Club of Hertfordshire had won the privilege of hosting it in 2020 thanks to their excellent pitch. Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic put a stop to the 2020 conference. However, a new date was set for October 2021 and the Fleet House Light Blues Club were fully committed to producing an informative and engaging conference. The event
went ahead in St Albans, Hertfordshire, where more than 80 delegates were joined by the Pro Grand Master Peter Lowndes, who was attending his first NYMC conference. The theme of the conference was ‘Engaging your membership’ and provided all New and Young Masons Clubs with ideas on how best to engage Freemasons outside of the Lodge room. The Fleet House Light Blues Club is renowned for the variety of its social events and Masonic education, and this was a chance to pass on that knowledge. After an update on Solomon, delegates welcomed Tom Rainsford, marketing director of Beavertown Brewery. Rainsford is not a Freemason but offered a valuable opinion on how to brand internal clubs.
Clockwise from top left: UGLE Communications Manager Shaun Butler, attendees pose questions, Luke Crouch, Pro Grand Master Peter Lowndes
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FMT Spring 2022
09/02/2022 15:55