Wed, 7th December 2022
As has been our practice the last few years The Bewick Lodge 5988 have thrown open the doors to non masons for the December meeting. This allows brethren to invite their wives/partners/friends to what a masonic lodge looks like and to partake in the social side of things. The Lodge was opened in due form by our WM W Bro Ian Silcock and after the usual admin duties the lodge was then closed. The brethren kept their masonic regalia on and retired to the hall to collect their guests and return to the lodge where a guest speaker awaited. This year we had the pleasure of a talk by Mr Jim Owens from Operation Veteran which is ran by veterans for veterans. Jim is a RAF veteran who served in the Falklands and had a tough time when he left the RAF including being homeless for some time. He turned his life around and founded Operation Veteran as he identified there was a need to assist those veterans that some of the existing charities missed. His talk was well received and we retired to the festive board where we enjoyed a very good christmas meal. We then enjoyed a chrismas quiz and stand up bingo compared by Ian Silcock as well as harmony from our very own Bro’s Paul Smith & Stuart Achison. During the evening we had a raffle with numerous prizes and a collection which raised a total of £400 pounds which was presented to Jim Owens who was most appreciative of our hospitality. Jim had also brought along some copies of a book of local veterans stories put together by a local author entitled “Veterans Voices” of which 21 copies were sold. A fantastic evening which was only made possible by the hard work of all involved.