Category Archives: Social Event

Summer Fest

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A beautifully sunny day in July was ordered for the annual Prorsum Summer Fest, sadly the British weather did not oblige and it was a touch wet.

However rain didn’t stop play and the fun continued anyway with some very colourful shirts on display as even if the skies were grey it was a summer event!

As always Kevin Alin and the team at The Carpenters Arms (https://www.thecarps-miserden.co.uk/) put on a great event with Miss Aubrees Kitchen (https://www.facebook.com/Missaubreeskitchen) serving some fantastic Caribbean cuisine alongside the usual pub menu. The excellent entertainment was provided by Restless blues in the afternoon and as the day went on Ant Walker, Iris Mae and Usri.

Sadly the weather meant that the bouncy castle was out of action and the kids were less than enthusiastic about a walking treasure hunt but that didn’t stop them (and a few of the adults) getting stuck into the prizes, the post drive home mania was sponsored by Haribo!

On top of a lovely afternoon of catching up, great food and drinks we also managed to raised £350 towards the Provincial Grand Masters Discretionary fund; so thank you to everyone who supported the event, but especially to all the bands who donated their normal fee so it could be donated to charity.

Thanks again to everyone at The Carpenters Arms, fingers crossed for better weather next year.

Our thanks to Andrew Knight for providing the article and Matty Brown & Barnes Clutterbuck for the photos.

Glorious Highnam Court 2024

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With grey skies and a “little” bit of precipitation, the morning of Saturday 6th July promised a panoply of weather conditions for the annual Provincial Family Fun Day held in the spectacular grounds of Highnam Court.

As the saying goes – “Faint heart never won Fair Lady” – or more familiarly “He who dares Rodney…..”

This event is the highlight of the summer and where many lodges organise get togethers over the summer, the Family Fun Day brings the whole Province together, allowing the Brethren from across the county to meet new and renew old acquaintances and catch up with all the news from the various lodges and the province.

The event officially kicked off at 12pm in the glorious sunshine that lasted all of 5 minutes…! It was only a brief shower to keep everyone on their toes however and it was but a few more minutes before that Great Luminary of Nature reappeared, spreading light and lustre across the gardens.

Which was just as well for those Brethren who had cycled across from Stroud – Rich Gardiner & Tony Stuart along with Saskia. They have been cycling to the event for the past 3 years and naturally the Chairman came along with Agnes – though due to the shocking weather in Bristol, only from Gloucester railway station.

It was no surprise that the members of Prorsum Semper turned up en masse to enjoy the event including all the past Chairmen in attendance, with the most recently retired gainfully employed at the entrance to the gardens directing traffic.

The Provincial Outreach team were also on site, ably organised by Les Dance. This provided a good focal point for the club with Spike and Jason giving up their time to ‘man the stand’ with Les.

There were many highlights throughout the afternoon, not only the MASSIVE classic car show which provided a constant static presence – there really was something for everyone – BUT, not a Mini to be seen. It was pointed out that, considering the success of the original Mini and their enduring popularity, it was a surprise not to see at least one.

The musical highlights included Tim Pitman who not only sang his lungs out throughout the day but also acted as compere and general announcer. Tim runs his own music venue “The Old Pier” in Burnham on Sea (Old Pier) which is well worth a visit and may be appearing on the club calendar soon so keep an eye on our events. You can find more details about Tim and on his Facebook page Voice of Somerset, along with this clip from 2023 of Tim entertaining the crowds during one of the many rain showers: Tim Pitman

Then there were the Port of Bristol Shanty Crew – a marvellous bunch who provided excellent entertainment. They are also appearing at Tyndall Lodge’s November meeting if you would like to see them perform again or missed this weekends event. Check them out on Shanty Crew

Once again, well done and thank you to everyone for supporting the event and highlighting the strength of the club and the benefit of being involved.

Thanks to Chris Kitson for providing the article and excellent photos.

Prorsum Semper Gloucestershire light Blues Freemasons

Prorsum Semper Festive Social – Record Turnout

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The Prorsum Semper Festive Social started life as an impromptu call out to Light Blue Freemasons in Gloucestershire. Prorsum Semper secretary and stalwart, Scott Redpath, set out for a few drinks in Cheltenham in 2022 to celebrate a fantastic year back in lodge following the significant disruptions of the pandemic. This event quickly snowballed into a 25 strong turnout of Freemasons and friends. Indeed, on the official visit to St Lawrence Lodge in October we saw one of the attendees initiated. Which you can read about here.

Fast forward a year: Keen to build on this success, the Prorsum Semper Festive Social was scheduled for 30th December in Cheltenham. This years social did not disappoint, a total turnout of close to 50 was no doubt a welcome spike in takings for the venue. What is even more exciting is that the event was made up of Dark and Light Blue Freemasons and 5 potential candidates all keen to join Gloucestershire Freemasonry in 2024.

The day was a fantastic success and a great example of the social side of Freemasonry that extends beyond our lodge doors. We thank all those that attended to make this event such a great success, most especially those that travelled from as far as Bristol to attend and even one Brother coming back from Devon to make the event.