St Helens Lodge of Loyalty No 897, which is the oldest lodge that meets at St Helens Masonic Hall and was chartered in 1861, was rescued by a group of Widows Sons Masonic Bikers in 2016 after numbers had dwindled and they were thinking of handing back their warrant.
The meetings were moved from Tuesday evenings to Saturday mornings to allow the inclusion of a ride after the lodge meeting and the lodge now meets on the first Saturday of the month in March, May, June, September with the installation in November.
Since then, the lodge has enjoyed a new lease of life and a dispensation had to be applied for to initiate the two newest members in February 2023 as the rest of the regular meetings for 2023 are fully occupied by third degrees!
The lodge was opened by the WM Marcus Avci in his own inimitable style, and he then proceeded to initiate the two candidates, Dave Peet and Andy C Bond, in a commendable manner. Each candidate was brought in on his own up to the completion of his obligation, after which time they were perambulated around the lodge together for the remainder of the ceremony.
At the ensuing festive board, the toast to Dave Peet was proposed by Andy Baxendale, while the toast to Andy C Bond was proposed by his father Andy Bond, a proud moment! Both candidates replied in good form to the acclaim of the rest of the brethren present.
The two newest candidates take the number of members to a very commendable 30, with interest in joining the lodge coming in all the time.
If any brethren would like to find out more about the lodge or enquire about joining, please contact the secretary Andy Baxendale on andy.baxendale@gmail.com for more information. New members always welcome whether on two wheels or not!!
