Provincial Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of Cheshire
FESTIVAL RESULTS
It gives me great pleasure to present this Festival Result booklet for the 156th Annual Festival of the Mark Benevolent Fund hosted by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of Cheshire.
I know how much hard work goes into delivering a successful M.B.F. Festival and yours is no exception. The energy, drive and commitment shown throughout the fundraising period has been most impressive and, at times, pretty exhausting to watch. I was particularly struck by the fortitude displayed in the Mark Masons’ Hall Bike Challenge from Middlewich to London in July 2023 and the Five Peaks’ Challenge earlier this year.
May I, on behalf of the Board of Trustees and staff of the Mark Benevolent Fund, congratulate your Provincial Grand Master and Festival President, R.W.Bro. Gary Horstman, his Festival Committee, and all of you on a job well done. The money you have raised will make a significant difference to those we are able to help through our grantmaking. You ought to be very proud of what you have achieved.
Thank you.
Aye!
R.W.Bro. Archibald Iain Torrance, P.Prov.G.M. (Kent) President of The Mark Benevolent Fund
TheMark Benevolent Fund (M.B.F.) was founded in 1868 to provide immediate financial aid to eligible Mark Master Masons and their dependents who may be in distress. Significantly, it was to encourage all Brethren to practice the morals of donating freely and without hesitation. The founder of the Fund, Canon George Raymond Portal, Grand Master (1869–1872), considered this code of conduct would provide the Order with a clear and distinctive charitable motive, a noticeable purpose with which Mark Master Masons could readily identify.
It was abhorrent to Canon Portal that there should be any delay in supplying aid to those in need, thus the Latin dictum ‘Bis dat qui cito dat’ (‘He gives twice who gives promptly’ or ‘A gift given without hesitation is as good as two gifts’) became the guiding principle of the Mark Benevolent Fund.
ReveRend Canon G R PoR tal, MA
1866 photo supplied courtesy of the Portal Family
Throughout the last 156 years, Mark Brethren and their families have supported the work of the M.B.F. with ever increasing donations. Their continuing generosity is no more evident than through the M.B.F. Festivals hosted in turn by Mark Provinces in England and Wales. These Festivals, like the one we are celebrating today, mark the culmination of many years of fundraising and provide a valuable source of funding for the M.B.F. enabling it to continue supporting those in need as well as projects with a wider community benefit. From humble beginnings in 1868, the Fund has grown into a significant force for good, rooted in the traditions of Mark Masonry and still true to its motto.
Examples of grants in recent years include: in 2018, the renewal of the Mark Benevolent Fund’s partnership with St John Ambulance with a grant of £3.4 million for new vehicles; in 2021 the Trustees announced a major capital grant of £1.2m to hospices to mark the significant contribution made to the Crown and the nation by HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh; and in 2022, Addenbrookes Charitable Trust received a grant of £100,000 towards the purchase of a new surgical robot helping to transform complex surgeries and improve patient recovery times.
So far in 2024, grants of over £600,000 have been made to 25 charities across England, Wales and our Districts abroad. Examples of these grants are: £1,493 to St David’s Hospice Care in the Province of Monmouthshire; £4,270 to the Mayfield School in the Province of Cumberland and Westmorland; £100,805 to the Bristol Children’s Hospital Charity; and £7,796 to St Luke’s Home of Healing in our District in Natal. In addition, our humanitarian aid continues with support reaching Ukrainian refugees in Romania and £50,000 going to ShelterBox’s efforts in Gaza.
In every aspect of its work, the M.B.F. exudes a spirit of enthusiasm and is a clear demonstration of the great personal commitment from the many thousands of Brethren and their families who have helped make the M.B.F. what it is today. In recent years, a key theme of our charitable activity has been to ask what have you done to make yourself feel proud? Your support for the Mark Benevolent Fund and this year’s Festival Province of Cheshire, in particular, is reason enough to make you feel proud.
R.W.BRo. GaR y Raymond HoRstman PRovinCial GRand masteR
There are many times when we realise that our lives have been happy and our families have grown up well, but imagine, Brethren, the feeling we would have if something went wrong and we needed help. Brethren, that is where the Mark Benevolent Fund steps forward to offer support and assistance to those less fortunate than we are.
At the point where help is needed, the staff at Mark Masons’ Hall pull together all the expertise and knowledge gained over many years to assist in any way they can, moving swiftly to overcome all issues and offer a solution to any problems they are faced with.
However, in order to be able to do so, a considerable amount of funding is required, which is where the Festival system comes into action, each year ensuring that sufficient funds are raised to allow us to support those who are in need.
The President and the Trustees of the fund, work tirelessly to assist the day to day running of the charity, and travel the country from Province to Province to promote the fund and raise awareness of good works undertaken on a daily basis. With this in mind, the members of Cheshire have come together over the last seven years to add their support and to raise funds to ensure the continued success of the M.B.F.
Seven years may seem a long time, but with all the members enjoying the challenge and pulling together towards a common goal, the years passed very quickly and here we are announcing the result of all our hard work.
At the point of writing this, I have no idea of the total raised, but from the enjoyment and total support I have received from our members I feel sure that it will be an amount that we can all feel proud of. I am delighted that because of our members’ hard work, our Province is now a Grand Patron Diamond Province and also a Grand Master’s Keystone Province.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our ladies who have stood by us while we spent many hours at Lodge meetings, and also for joining in with the many fund-raising events which were organised over the years. Our families and friends have also joined us, and many new Masons, both Craft and Mark, were introduced because they became involved in our fund-raising efforts.
With many of the Provinces and Companion Orders joining us in our events, and making donations to us over the years, we have developed friendships far and wide, which will result in all of us working together to support Ian Wright and his Province of Oxfordshire next year as they take the baton and continue the fundraising for our Mark Benevolent Fund. We wish them success.
Results as at 26 June 2024
Honorary Secretary – Mark Benevolent Fund
1,158,150
PROVINCE OF CHESHIRE MARK LODGES
UNATTACHED MARK AND ROYAL ARK MARINER LODGES
Festival Results
MARK PROVINCIAL AND DISTRICT GRAND LODGES
* Provinces merged in November 2021 becoming ‘Northampton, Huntingdon and Bedford’.
OTHER MASONIC ORDERS
Ancient & Accepted Rite (Rose Croix)
Festival Results
FUNDRAISING AND OTHER DONATIONS
With grateful thanks to the following wives, partners and daughters who contributed to the Cheshire Ladies total:
Mrs G Bamber
Mrs H Boonstra
Mrs K Collins
Mrs C Daly
Mrs C Elliot
Mrs L Flood
Mrs C Greenwood
Mrs A C Heathcote
Mrs S Horstman
Mrs D Jones
Mrs G Jones
Mrs L Kellett
Ms C Leask
Mrs D Miller
Mrs N Ross
Mrs L Standley
Mrs D Walsh
Mrs S Walsh
Ms R Wells
THE GRAND MASTER’S KEYSTONE FUND
Contributions received from Brethren which have been reported in the Festival Results Summary under the following headings:
Stewardships—Cheshire Mark Lodges
Contributions were received from the following Brethren:
Richard Alexander
David Alldred
Richard Dennis Boorisi Antipas
Joseph Jeffrey Arnold
Robert John Ashley
John David Aslatt
Kevin Atherton
Ian David Bailey
Keith Andrew Bailey
Neil Bailey
Ronald Fredrick Balshaw
Austin Westbury Bamber
John Leslie Kingsford Bannell
Ronald Keith Thomas Barnard
Andrew John Barratt
James William Basford
Malcolm Irving Bell
Anthony Michael Bentley
Harry Billing
Stephen Martin Blank
Albert Blurton
Peter Booth
Thomas Fletcher Bowden
David Stuart Bradbury
John Robert Bramley
Nicholas Allan Breese
John Thomas Brittleton
James Wendell Browne
Geoffrey Hollingsworth Brunt
Steven Richard Buckley
Andrew Robert Bushell
Timothy Simon Cradock Wain Capner
William Edward Caren
Peter Edward Carroll
William Andrew Chalmers
John Edward Champney
Brian Frederick Clarke
Keith James Clarke
Alan Jenner Coker
Michael John Collins
Christopher John Collins
Dennis Connor
Samuel Daniel Conroy
Michael Dennis Conroy
Nigel Robert Cooper
Benet Joseph Corkill
Michael Cornes
Alan Crabtree
Stephen Harold Croft
James Crompton
Peter Crompton
Albert Edward Cross
Anthony Paul Cross
Paul Robert Crudge
Shaun Barry Crutchley
David Edward Culshaw
Michael John Cunliffe
Roger Frank Currie
Paul Stephen Cutler
Sebastian Jeremy Dunsandle Daly
John Cecil Davies
Paul David Dean
Graham Richard Dearden
David Patrick Dobbs
Russell James Dodd
Albert David Doweck
David Victor Dyson
Graeme David Edwards
Joseph Edwards
Nigel John Edwards
John Egerton
Albert Elliott
Stephen Flood
John Alexander Forbes
Rodney Patrick Foster
Fraser John Fowlie
Roderick Stewart Gamwell
Geoffrey Roger Gardner
Alan Glazier
Mark Gleave
John Bromley Goldsmith
John Anthony Goodrum
Kevin Michael Gould
John William Grainger
Keith James Gray
Andrew Vincent Greenhalgh
Philip John Greenwood
Stanley Herbert Griffiths
Alan Barker Gummerson
William John Hadfield
Norman Barlow Haigh
David Arthur George Hall
Colin Hambleton
James Thomas Hardman
Barry Harper
Graham Cyriol Harries
Simon Robert Harrison
Bruce David Harry
Neil Hawksworth
Mark Haynes
Richard Michael Head
Ivor James Henry
Ronald Glyn Hewitt
Darren Lee Hibberd
John David Hibbert
Mark Anthony Higgins
Stewardships—Cheshire Mark Lodges
John William Higginson
Julian James Hill
David Richard Hinde
Jason William Holland
Michael Robert Dennis Holmes
Michael James Holmes
James Edward Homer
Robert Horne
Edgar Phillip Anthony Horsley
Gary Raymond Horstman
Barry Howarth
Norman Richard Humphreys
Gavin Hunter
Kenneth Isherwood
Harold Louis Jamieson
Clifford Charles Jewell
Barry William Jobber
Philip Sidney Johnson
Glyn Thomas Jones
Stephen Michael Jones
Stuart Frank Jones
Michael George Jones
Arthur Litchfield Jones
Michael Anthony Jones
Stuart Frank Jones
Robert Jordan
Peter David Kellett
Mark John Keyworth
Graham Arnold Kingman
Graham Samuel Kirby
Graham William Knowles
Robert William Kyffin
Peter John Langley
Bernard Laurence
Robert William Lawn
Jack Leigh
Colin Everett Lewis
David Tudor Lewis
Adrian Lindop
David Littlewood
Roger David Littlewood
Geoffrey Lloyd
Peter Egerton Lloyd
Charles Peter Lockett
Andy Michael Lockhart
Derek Leonard Longman
Paul Henry Lucock
Henri Anthony Lyons
Brian Maddox
Kenneth Mayer
Brian William Mayoh
Thomas Charles McCarten
Christopher Ronald McCulloch
Charles McIlwrick
Philip John McKeown
George Raymond McMahon
Robert Alexander McMillan
John David Miller
Robert Christopher Millington
Timothy Mobbs
Graham Maxted Monaghan
Alan Robert Moss
Ian James Muirhead
Peter James Muirhead
Anthony Daniel Murphy
Brian Francis Nicholas
Michael Nolan
Michael Stephen O’Brien
Bryan Russell Ogden
Terence Raymond Oke
Malcolm Edward Orr
Simon James Palfreyman
David William Parry
Michael Tudor Pennington
Colin Percival
Christopher David Plummer
Graham Keith Podmore
Michael Leon Porter
Simon Michael James Porter
Zane Leon Pyatt
Graham Quinn
Peter Andrew Ratcliffe
Christopher Renshaw
David Allan Richards
Michael Leslie Richardson
Kevin Rick
Stephen Roberts
David Alan Roberts
Geoffrey Roberts
John Hefin Roberts
Trevor Charles Roberts
Derek Roberts
Gareth Douglas Rogers
David John Napier Rogers
Keith Rogerson
Michael James Ross
Mark Ian Royden
Paul Rushton
Graeme Sambrook
Peter John Sandland
Colin Sansom
Barrie Stuart Sant
Paul Leo Saunders
Peter Brian Schick
Dennis Schiff
Augustine John Scott
Stewardships—Cheshire Mark Lodges
Derek William Scott
Raymond Selby
David Robinson Sellers
Michael John Shaw
Michael Fraser Shiels
Harry Shone
Trevor Charles John Simcock
Joseph Simon
Stephen Charles Simpson
Daniel Paul Sinden
Richard Anthony Slater
Neil Owen Smith
David John Smith
Derek Victor George Smith
Kenneth William Smith
Leslie Smith
Ian Karl Smith
David Spalding
Arthur Desmond Spray
Peter Gawain Steel
Robert Stephenson
Philip Stockford
Peter Hilton Stoddart
Jeffrey Stones
Guy Donald Story
William Anthony Stringer
Richard Cresswell Sutton
James Chung Tang
John Walter Taylor
William Boyd Tennent
Dafydd Charles Thomas
Andrew William Thomson
Ainsley Christopher Tidd
David Topp
Barry Worthing Travers
Aniello Ursini
Howard John Waddell
Arthur Roy Waller
Derek Joseph Walsh
David John Ward
John Christopher Welton
Barry Mark Wiggins
Winston
Daniel Carsley Wilcox
David Nicholas Wild
Peter Wilkinson
David Wilfred Willett
Peter Henry Wilson
Alfred John Woodward
William Woolley
Walter Henry Wright
William Henry Wyllie
Walter John Yule
TOTAL £33,031
Mark Unattached Lodges
Contributions were received from the following Brethren:
Alan Martin Breward Emil Valentin Olea
Theodore Howard Jacobsen Edmond Bernard Tondu Elio
Skubincan Jan Michael Willis
TOTAL £625
RAM Provincial and District Grand Lodges
Contributions were received from the following:
Derbyshire North and East Yorkshire
Kenneth Fred Mee David Robert Clancey
TOTAL £250
Stewardships—Other Orders
Contributions were received from the following:
KT Hertfordshire SC France
Michael Andrew Stanforth Lionel Marie Bernard Jacques Rousseaux
TOTAL £200
Stewardships—Other Mark Provinces and Districts
Contributions were received from the following Brethren:
Belgium
Pierre Frederic Ambrody
Berkshire
John Keith Palmer
Timothy Richard Smith
Brazil
Detlev Fenselau
Buckinghamshire
Nicholas John White
Channel Islands
Derek Arthur Upton
Cornwall
Robert James Bode
Jonathan Peter Bray
Peter John Furness
Kevin John Hicks
Mark Sean Moyse
Stephen Paul Nicholls
Jeremy Mark Squibb
Cumberland and Westmorland
Kenneth Clark Archer
Martyn William Greene
Keith Hodgson
Barry Kirkbride
Nigel Thomason
Cyprus
Raymond Hynes
Derbyshire
Antony Allwright
Graeme Hutchinson
Devonshire
Alastair John Charles Duncan
Peter Hawken
Dorset
Trevor Melvern Barrett
Laurence Thomas Brookes
Matthew Redgwell Burt
John Keith Hicks
Frederick Russell
Frank Jeremy Shaw
Michael James Leslie Whelan
Durham
Ellison Terry Hall
Ivan Jewell
Ian Richardson
Dyfed
Leslie Georges Phillips
Christopher Francis Phillips
Gerald Malcolm Colvin Taylor
East Anglia
David John Boswell
Edmund Tony Moore
East Lancashire
William Crofts
Garry John Errock
Andrew John Hickson
Alexander Sillars McLaren
Essex
Andrew John Hardie
Daniel Mark Heath
Michael Brian Howarth
Nigel Robert Owen
Jack Saunders
Geoffrey James Waddoups
Gloucestershire and Herefordshire
Andrew Keith Fautley
Brian Percival Gargett
Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Andrew John Chiverton
George John Deacon
Mark Ian Denton
Maurice Frank Doe
Ian Thomas Charles Glister
Matthew Peter Lawes
Malcolm Reston Melbourne Lloyd
Ian Peter MacGrain
John Herbert Prizeman
Brian Ridler
David Leslie Ryan
Anton Ashley Smith
Ian Peter Vincent
Hertfordshire
James Dominic Harrison
Stewardships—Other Mark Provinces and Districts
Hong Kong
Gerald Newton
Isle of Man
Kenneth Martin Blackburn
Kevin Ronald Blount
Michael David Kelly
Martyn John Killey
Eidwin Frederick Mullan
Kent
Leslie Arthur Chapman
Christopher Stephen Clark
David John Green
Stephen Michael Hyland
Martyn Brian Summers
Archibald Iain Torrance
Ian Wilson Tough
Leicestershire and Rutland
Peter Gibson-Leitch
Ian Richards Johnson
Barry Fredrick Laws
Phillip John Mann
Mark McAllister
Lincolnshire
Stephen Charles Hallberg
Steven Edward Siddle
Philip William Spicksley
London
Levon Haig Agulian
Peter David Alder
Antonios Georgiou Antoniou
David Frederick Ashbolt
David John Austin
Mark Bend
Simon William Bennett
Kevin Paul Bentley
Anthony Roy Bleakley
Dennis Bradley
Gregory John Brennan
Colin Stewart Brookman
Mark Louis Budds
Robert William Bull
Paul Roy Burgess
Neil Iain Campbell
Scott Andrew James Cargill
Martin Ian Cargill
Gary Charles Carter
Clint William Childs
Shane Aubrey Duff Clapham
Francis Clarembaux
Christopher John Clark
Paul Clarke
Anthony Miles Clarkson
Oliver James Coddington
Bradley Adam Collings
Ivor Cook
Richard Miles Criddle
Ronald Alexander Cruickshank
Carl David Cupper
Forbes Michael Cutler
Paul Brian Cutts
Christopher John Damp
Barrie John Davies
Graham Ronald Denman
Ian Malcolm Dent
William Arthur Divall
Simon Geoffrey Dodd
Julian Charles Donnelly
Pierre Doumit
William Charles Henry Dowley
Scott James Dunn
Stewart Dutton
Edoardo Nachaat Tarek El-Attrache
Sebastiaan Eldritch-Boersen
John Henry William Ellis
Chris Evans
Paul James Ewin
Stephen Charles Fanthorpe
Carl Ian Fazackerley
Salar Foroughi
Liam Dominic Furr
David Clive Gavin
Maher Louis Thomas George
George Christofis Georgiou
Matthew Carl Gibbs
Ronald Stephen Goddard
Perry James Charles Godwin
Mark William Goodwin
Andrew Green
Oktay Murat Gulbakan
Martyn Ronald Hale
Kim Peter Halifax
Oswald Terence Hall
Matthew Damian Hampson
Eric Hampson
Robert William Hancock
Stacy Harman
Peter William James Hassack
Peter John Hayes
Stewardships—Other Mark Provinces and Districts
John Keith Hicks
David Sean Hitchcock
Wesley Val Hollands
Erol Mark Houssein
Raymond Frederick Hoyte
Christopher John Huxtable
Stephen Mynott James
Raymond Reginald Johnson
Allen Niall Johnston
Peter Jordan
Mahir Kilic
Peter Paul Klein
Polycarpos Kyriacou
Michael Lally
Peter John Lambert
Gerald Lane
Wayne Christopher Larman
Peter David Lawrence
Oliver Richard Laws
Jon Richard Leech
Liam Sean Lehane
David Arthur Lucas
Timothy John Joseph MacAndrews
Garry Philip Mancini
Lorenzo Mannelli
Howard Saul Markham
Stanley Joseph Marut
Thomas Frederick Brian McCormack
Christopher George Mcdade
Donald McGarr
Cristian Mihutoiu
Richard Charles Morgan
Aleksandar Muncan
Mark Stephen Neale
Charles Patrick Newman
Mark Rodney Newton
Mark Paul Nixon
David Nunn
Christos Papathomas
Sotiris Papathomas
Frederick Charles Parr
John Alfred Leonard Parry
Chetan Kumar Patel
Ravindra Vithalbhai Patel
Shirish Pranlal Patel
Martin William Payne
Andrew Pearce
Ian Arthur Pearson
Alan Martin Perry
David Peter Poulden
Thomas Quinn
Jeffrey Marc Reese
Jasdev Singh Rehncy
Alexander Cornelius Reinke
Christopher Peter Thomas Rhodes
David Stewart Rose
Christopher John Rose
Richard James Sams
Stavros Andros Savvas
Stephen Robert Schofield
Michael Leslie Scotchmer
Nigel Francis John Scott-Moncrieff
Paul Michael Seldon
Antony Melvin Selkus
Sean Bernard Sheridan-Loughrey
Michael John Jennings Singleton
Raymond John Smith
Leonard Smith
John David Smith
Alan South
Charles Anthony Southwell
David Richard Speake
Daniel Michael Gerald Sproat-Clements
Norman Strong
Marios Phillip Stylianides
Marius Telespan
Frederick David Thomson
Constantine Spiridon Trizis
Peter Barnard Turner
Panayiotis Kosta Vardakis
Ronald Francis Venn
Gurdeep Singh Virdee
Hemant Harshadray Vyas
John Leonard Waggott
Jonathan Peter Wallis
Ameet Watts
Alan John White
Robert George Williams
Mark Antony Winterflood
Gary Woods
Martin Wright
Middlesex
David Burton
Stephen Edward Heynes
Johannes Marcus Padman
Monmouthshire
Derek Thomas
New Zealand
Russell Maurice Chilton
Anthony Bruce Mansfield
Stewardships—Other
Northampton, Huntingdon and Bedford
George Edward Bonham
Jeffrey James Chambers
Thomas Arnold Davison
David Michael Snape
Robert Andrew Stokes
Northamptonshire and Huntingdonshire
William Edward Desmond Hinshelwood
John David Sowerby
North and East Yorkshire
Paul David Barham
Peter Davies
John Stephen Priestley
Ling Faang Yu
Northumberland
Jonathan Charles Conner
North Wales
Andrew Christian Chape
John Stanley Evans
Nottinghamshire
Christopher Colin Adkin
Philip Graham Marshall
Nigel James Parry
Oxfordshire
Paul Geoffrey Benham
Matthew Roger Christmas
David Andrew Cumming
Michael Edward Genner
James Robert Guy Hilditch
Grahame Frederick Lee
Stephen Neil Pope
Barry Alistair Prior
Stephen Peter Quant
Ian Watson Wright
Romania
Victor Razvan Achim
Liviu Adam
Ciprian Emanuel Cristea
Adrian Dimitriu
Dan Dobrovolschi
Cristian Constantin Gheorghe
Cristian Gheorghita Grigoras
Daniel Iorgulescu
Adrian Irimiea
William Manning
Bogdan Iulian Pintea
Ion Pop
Sorin Nicolae Popa
Mohammad Ghasem Rostamizadeh
Gunter Geza Stauder
Andrei Stoian
Corneliu Nicolae Vaida
Somerset
Paul Brice-Bullows
Geoffrey Sinclair Ifill
John Anthony Nicholson
Michael John Parry
Michael John Platts
Richard Ian Stone
Philip Clifford Voisey
Thomas Bentley White
South and East Caribbean
Richard Anthony Mayers
South Wales
David Neil Morgan Andrew Thomas
Spain
William Dick
Staffordshire and Shropshire
Peter James Everall
David John Griffiths
Dennis John Hill
John Malcolm Berry Phillips
Harjinder Singh Sagoo
Kevin John Spencer
John Raymond Weaver
Surrey
James Agnew
Michael Frederick Barnes
William Raymond Barr
Alan John Brockwell
Steven Christopher Cann
Christopher Wenham Eley
John
Vaughan Christopher French
Bernard John Greenwood
Stephen Richard Jones
Richard John Knox
John Raymond Massey
Raymond Michael Scott Seeley
Sussex
Stewardships—Other Mark Provinces and Districts
Stephen Rae Campbell
Andrew Barrington Ford
Kemble Van Nagan
Roger Francis Richardson
Cullen David Sage
Warwickshire
Andrew Rowland Armbrister
Robert Nigel Clemson
William Edward Davies
Richard Stephen Gale
Derek John Griffin
Roger Stuart Mac
Roger Millwater
Mark James Rea
Peter James Wellings
Philip Wills
West Lancashire
Robert Frederick William Allman
Keith Alan Beardmore
Giles Frederick Berkley
Geoffrey Michael Bury
Austin Norton Fletcher
Ian Douglas Nairn
Terence Pearson
James Francis Rogers
Eric John Sarti
Peter David Williams
West Yorkshire
John Trevor Bolton
Richard Gordon Brown
Andrew James Brown
John Fred Clough
Jason John Cunningham
Philip John Drury
Brian Harrison
Michael John Minns
Christopher Oldfield
Philip Oldfield
Richard Boswell Puttrell
James Steggles
Rod Gordon Taylor
James Bennett Truswell
John Edward Vause
David Robert Wight
Ian Wolstencroft
Wiltshire
John Bell
Nigel Anthony Dalby
Mervyn James Johns
Stephen Lee
Bryan Desmond Little
Worcestershire
Andrew Philip Beaumont
Dudley Charles Price
Eric John Rymer
Mark John Winfield
TOTAL £48,585
Grants and Petitions 2023/2024
A Snapshot of the Mark Benevolent
1868 The Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons Fund of Benevolence is established by Revd George Raymond Portal.
1869 The first festival is held at the Mitre Hotel on Hampton Court Road, and raises the sum of £97.
1869 The first grant of £5 is made in November to Brother George Morris, a Ship’s Steward of Whitechapel in East London, having lost virtually all his possessions in a shipwreck earlier that year.
1879 The first festival sponsored by a Province is hosted by Sussex and raises £537.
1888 13 boys and 13 girls are beneficiaries of the Education Fund. The Annuitant Fund is supporting four people.
1918 The first time a five figure sum is raised at a festival: £10,000 in the Province of East Anglia.
1927 The first use of the term ‘Mark Benevolent Fund’.
1968 Centenary
By May 1967 a total of £745,736 has been disbursed.
To mark the centenary of the Fund, £500,000 is pledged to Lord Harris Court, a residential care home run by the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution Care Company.
1971 £500,000 donated to the Royal Masonic Hospital Modernisation Fund.
1994 £1.5 million is donated to the Hospice Movement.
2009 £1.6 million is donated to the RNLI in Wales for a new Tamarclass lifeboat named The Mark Mason.
2017 Teams from the Provinces took part in the M.B.F. Charity Walk raising £437,934 for Blood Bike groups across England and Wales. The official handover took place in August 2018 at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham.
2017 St John Ambulance receive a grant of £3.4 million for the provision of 53 new vehicles.
Since the establishment of the Fund
Grants to Individual Petitioners: Grants to Worthy Causes:
Benevolent Fund — 1868 to 2024
2018 Sesquicentenary
Since 1868 the M.B.F. has disbursed over £7 million in grants to individual petitioners.
Donations to charities and worthy causes total over £25 million.
The Trustees of the Mark Benevolent Fund donate £2,080,000 to the Hope for Tomorrow charity, for the purchase of eight mobile chemotherapy units for the use of the NHS in rural locations throughout the UK.
2021 Hertfordshire Scouts receive a grant of £17,345 to upgrade security at the Well End Activity Centre in Borehamwood.
2022 Haverigg Inshore Rescue Team, in the Province of Cumberland and Westmorland, were granted £11,573 for a new shallow water rescue quad bike, needed to cover the low water mark as the tide can recede several miles.
2023 Villa Real School Association receive £57,029 for the purchase of a new minibus to provide transport for their pupils who have complex needs.
2024 The M.B.F. donated £100,000 to the Metropolitan Grand Lodge’s fundraising venture for the London Air Ambulance Charity ‘Up Against Time Appeal’, which aims to raise £3m to replace its helicopter fleet.
2024 St Luke’s Home of Healing in the District of Natal, receive £7,796 towards the cost of roof repairs for their home in KwaDukuza, South Africa.
2024 £12,159 is donated to the Children’s Sailing Trust, in the Province of Cornwall, to purchase a special hoist allowing a single caregiver to assist individuals with restricted mobility.
2024 Lighthouse Community Hub, in the Province of Northumberland, was awarded £30,000 for their child poverty prevention program. It will fund work to convert an old school caretaker’s bungalow into the new Hub.
2024 PSDS, in the Province of Surrey, was awarded £81,000 to help create a Centre of Excellence for families and professionals supporting children and young people with Down syndrome.
the following grants have been distributed:
£ 7,273,831
£ 31,260,353 TOTAL: £ 38,534,184
The Mark Benevolent Fund Supporting Charities in Cheshire
Stockport Young Carers—Cheshire
In 2018, a grant £35,620 from the Mark Benevolent Fund enabled Stockport Young Carers to replace their minibus with a 17-seater bus to transport even more of the children to events around the country to give them time away from being a carer and to just enjoy being children again.
The charity helps the children to release steam when needed and gives them the freedom to leave those that they care for, without taking with them the guilt when they are apart.
The Holistic Cancer Centre
This is a nurse-led therapeutic support centre for people who have a cancer diagnosis. They offer a wide range of complimentary therapies including counselling, nutritional awareness, relaxation therapies such as mindfulness and meditation, as well as reiki and acupuncture.
W.Bro. Derek Walsh, JP, P.A.G.D.C., Deputy Provincial Grand Master for Cheshire, has had personal experience of this centre, and funding of £16,984 for a new kitchen and therapy couches has been awarded.
City of Goodness Orphanage, Ukraine
A grant of £10,000 from the M.B.F. enabled the purchase of a minibus to transport medical supplies to the ambulance brigade in Lviv. The minibus was then driven to the City of Goodness Orphanage in Chernivtsi for their further use.
Province of Cheshire Awards
MARK BENEVOLENT FUND
‘As President of the M.B.F., I would like to personally thank the Provincial Grand Master, R.W.Bro. Gary Horstman, for the outstanding contributions he and his Brethren have made in ensuring the Provincial Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of Cheshire has qualified for the Grand Patron Diamond Award for the Mark and Royal Ark Mariner. This is the highest honorific awarded by the Mark Benevolent Fund and is a stunning achievement.’
R.W.Bro. Archibald I. Torrance, President of the M.B.F.
GRAND MASTER’S KEYSTONE FUND
‘The Grand Master’s Keystone Fund was launched in June 2023 to celebrate over 40 years service to the Order by our Grand Master, M.W.Bro. HRH Prince Michael of Kent, GCVO. The funds will be used to award bursaries to individuals, offering them encouragement and financial support with their educational, vocational and sporting studies. I would like to send my heartfelt gratitude for the support the Provincial Grand Lodge of Cheshire has given to this new Fund. I congratulate the Province on achieving both milestones, for which the Brethren of Cheshire should be extremely proud.’
R.W.Bro. Archibald I. Torrance, President of the M.B.F.
Festival Committee 2024
Festival President
R.W.Bro. Gary Raymond Horstman
Provincial Grand Master for Cheshire
Festival Committee Chairman
W.Bro. Steve C. Simpson, P.A.G.D.C.
Festival Committee Deputy Chairman
W.Bro. John D. Miller, P.A.G.D.C., A.Prov.G.M.
W.Bro. David Littlewood, P.Prov.G.M.O.
W.Bro. Michael J. Collins
Members
W.Bro. Richard D. B. Antipas, Prov.G.J.D.
W.Bro. Sebastian J. D. Daly, Prov.G.D.C.
W.Bro. Nick Wild, P.G.J.D., Prov.G.Ch.Stwd.
W.Bro. Howard J. Waddell, P.A.G.D.C., Prov.G.Alm.
W.Bro. Graham Kyffin, P.A.G.D.C.
Past Members
V.W.Bro. Austin W. Bamber, P.G.J.O., P.Dep.Prov.G.M.
W.Bro. Robert A. McMillan, P.G.J.D., P.A.Prov.G.M.
W.Bro. Stephen Flood, P.A.G.D.C.
The One Hundred and Fifty-seventh Festival
will be held on Saturday, 19 July 2025 at the Examination Schools, University of Oxford 75-81 High Street, Oxford, OX1 4BG
Under the Presidency of R.W.Bro. Ian Watson Wright Provincial Grand Master for Oxfordshire
FORTHCOMING FESTIVALS
2026 Hampshire and Isle of Wight Northumberland 2031
2027 Warwickshire Wiltshire 2032
2028 Somerset North and East Yorkshire 2033
2029 Durham Dorset 2034
2030 Essex Derbyshire 2035
Further particulars can be obtained from:
M.B.F. Honorary Secretary Charities Office, Mark Masons’ Hall 86 St James’s Street, London, SW1A 1PL
H.R.H. Prince Michael of Kent, GCVO
Celebrating the Fortieth Anniversary of the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons and Grand President of the Mark Benevolent Fund
by Rory Lewis (2022) Winner of the Portrait of Britain (2017 – 2020)
