FROM THE GRAND SECRETARY & GRAND SCRIBE E

Well, companions and brethren, it has been another whirlwind few months since I last wrote my column. Pro Grand Master, Jonathan Spence, has set out to us our new strategy and what each and every one of us can do to deliver it. We had a very exciting December Quarterly Communication where I had the privilege to host a lively panel discussion. This was a fi rst in Grand Lodge and was the idea of Tom Milner, our youngest – and quite possibly the youngest ever – member of the Board of General Purposes. In the spirit of being innovative, we proceeded with his idea and I was joined by four brethren from across our organisation: a Master Mason from a London Lodge, Henry Cunnington; a Provincial Communication Officer from Worcestershire and the voice of Solomon Live, Brody Swain; a young and passionate Provincial Grand Secretary from South Wales, Ben Gait; and an extremely enthusiastic and imaginative Provincial Grand Master from Durham, John Thompson. If you haven’t already done so, then please do watch the video of the discussion which is available on YouTube. I trust you will be as excited as I am with regard to delivering on the challenge which should now be very clear. We also didn’t let the national train strike on the day do anything to dilute the impact of the meeting, with many Provinces sending coachloads of brethren to fi ll Grand Temple and engage with the discussions over lunch. It takes more than complete travel disruption to break the tenacity of our members! The most repeated aspect of the address to Grand Lodge was ‘yes if’ not ‘no because’ and my sense on the day was how supportive everyone was to this approach. There was also much excitement about the news that we will be holding another experiment and breaking with tradition with September’s Quarterly Communication moving for the fi rst time since before the war from London to a Province, with the International Convention Centre Wales at Celtic Manor having been selected. If the experiment proves a success, then this may well be a regular event with the September QC moving around different Provinces.

Of particular relevance to my role as Grand Secretary is to ensure the ‘strong foundations’ that underpin the strategy are in place and being continuously improved. This currently falls into three main areas of focus: our organisation at UGLE, our IT platform and our unique Freemasons’ Hall.

The organisation at UGLE is being reorganised clearly to support the strategy and to be an agent of, not barrier to, change. Our IT is key to providing mission-critical data to our Provinces to support their specific membership challenge, and also to improve the processes for all our Lodge Secretaries and Scribes Ezra and our overall membership experience. In recognising the importance of IT, we have appointed Hugh DouglasSmith to be our Chief Information Officer. Hugh has spent his life in IT and was also the Deputy Provincial Grand Master of Buckinghamshire prior to accepting the role and is a fi rst-class addition to our team at UGLE. Hugh has spent a lot of his time recently working with the Hermes pilot Provinces to make sure that when we roll it out to the rest of our Provinces it is an absolute success and really does make life easier. In terms of Freemasons’ Hall, we have a unique asset which needs to be kept in all its splendour to be enjoyed by our members for many years to come. This does, unfortunately, come at a cost which we need to keep as low as possible both through tight management of expenses and also by generating third-party income to defray.

By the time you read this, we will have also celebrated the 300th anniversary of our Constitutions with a truly amazing Especial Meeting of Grand Lodge on 31 January. Ric Berman has again proved what an asset he is to us with a remarkable presentation and exhibition at the museum which is still on show for anyone who wishes to view it in person. Grand Lodge was then converted into a cinema and we were entertained by an outstanding fi lm produced by Matthew Mitchell that proved both enlightening and entertaining! We are also extremely fortunate to have, as this year’s Prestonian lecturer, Akram Elias, who has been shuttling over from Washington, DC to give his incredibly interesting lecture with his own blend of charm and panache. Everyone left Grand Lodge inspired and invigorated about the next 300 years!

I would like to conclude with a plea for help. One of the best kept Masonic secrets is the depth of talent we have among our members. While good ritualists are always visible, less visible are those with other skills to offer, This could, for example, be in IT, communications, commercial operations, legal or fi nance and we are constantly looking to tap into these skills to prosecute our strategy. Please, if you feel you have some expertise you could contribute, regardless of Masonic rank, whether you are in work or retired then please let me know at GrandSecretary@ugle.org.uk your Grand Secretary needs you!

Adrian Marsh Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe E

The official journal of the United Grand Lodge of England Issue 61 – Spring 2023

Editor Donna Hardie

Editorial Panel Michelle Worvell, Shaun Butler, Marta Zandri, Guy Roberts, Martin Cherry, Julian Perry (Culture editor)

Published by Sunday, 207 Union Street, London SE1 0LN, www.wearesunday.com for the United Grand Lodge of England, Freemasons’ Hall, Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5AZ

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