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Peter Hosker in the Arctic Circle during his summer holiday to the land of the midnight sun.

I hope that all of you have had a happy and enjoyable summer break.

Although June, July and August are referred to as the ‘close season’, there is still much to be done by my Deputies, Assistants, the Provincial Grand Secretary and his team and others. For my part, apart from working with my Provincial Grand Secretary, I have attended a number of events during the last three months which I will briefly refer to.

On 27 June, the West Lancashire Masonic Clay Pigeon Shooting Society hosted the National Masonic Inter Provincial Clay Pigeon Shooting Competition which my wife Julie and I were pleased to attend. The competition was most impressive with some 14 Provinces taking part, and it was an honour for me to present the trophies.The Province of Surrey emerged as the winner with West Lancashire as the runners-up. Although the society has been successful in promoting the sport, it has never lost sight of the Masonic and non-Masonic charities that it actively supports. With the generous help of the Lodges and Chapters of the Province, those charities have received to date in excess of £75,000.

On 30 June, I visited New Brighton to witness the Pro Grand Master Peter Lowndes invest Steven Adcott as the new Provincial Grand Master and Grand Superintendent of and for the Province of Cheshire. It was a truly splendid occasion and we wish him well in his new roles. Interestingly, Steven Adcott is 54 years of age, reflecting the fact that increasingly more young men are becoming High Rulers in our Provinces. I believe that it is important that those in high office, across the board, should comprise men of all skills expertise and ages, and reflect the make up of their respective provinces.

And then the 4th July arrived!! Had I really accepted an invitation from the Wigan Group to walk across Morecambe Bay? ‘Yes’. My daughter Joanne agreed to walk with me, prepared to give me mouth-to-mouth resuscitation if the need arose. As instructed, I arrived at Arnside promenade in glorious sunshine, and my spirits soared. In due course, our band of walkers from the Wigan and Chorley Groups, some 60 in number, went down on to the sands in readiness to be guided by Cedric Robinson MBE, the Queen’s Guide. As we were assembled on the sands, the heavens opened – the monsoon season had arrived! My spirits went into reverse, but off we went and what a great experience it turned out to be. Furthermore, I now have yet another certificate in my study, this time to certify that I had crosssed the sands of Morecambe Bay.

On 11 July, it was the turn of the annual Provincial Bowling Competition and my wife Julie and I were pleased to see some first class bowling (64 players took part) and enjoy some warm sunshine.The Ormskirk and District Group of Lodges and Chapters hosted the event with much enthusiasm. To complete a very happy day, I was presented with a cheque for £3,500 for the West Lancashire Masonic Charities.

I was sorry to miss the West Lancashire Masonic Golfing Society annual event, now in its 59th year, but I understand that, once again, it was a most successful and competitive day (with 118 golfers from 21 groups). I have read the report and seen many photographs of the event on our Website.

As Freemasons, we are taught that charity is the distinguishing characteristic of a Freemason’s heart, and, indeed, charity marks all of these summer events, clay pigeon, bowling, golf, and indeed the Morecambe Bay Walk.

To be fair, the last three months have given Julie and me the opportunity of extending our world travels. This time we visited the Svalbard archipelago which is situated in the Arctic Ocean and north of mainland Europe. It is known as the land of the midnight sun, and it is quite strange to experience a day when the sun never sets. This reminded me about the sun being at its meridian!

I offer you my very best wishes for a happy a successful Masonic Season   

Peter Hosker