Deacons Gordon Clark and Roger Coo switched roles so Gordon could be Junior Deacon for the initiation of his son-in-law Seb Richardson as a member of the Free Wheelers Motorcycle Lodge.
It was a ceremony at Scunthorpe attended by 80 members and visitors from as far afield as Lancashire, Lincolnshire’s Deep South, and Scotland, from where Gordon’s son had travelled.
As well as escorting Seb around the Lodge, Gordon delivered a beautiful rendition of the apron charge, and Mark French gave a masterclass with his presentation of the Charge After Initiation.
That was preceded by Ken Bevis explaining the elements of the candidate’s preparation with a piece of ritual not regularly heard.
Chris Jones had a dual role for the ceremony and Festive Board; at the former he was Provincial Sword Bearer as part of the retinue of the PGM and his visiting team; at the latter he reverted to his ‘day job’ as Lodge D.C.
The raffle, with the unusual prize of a tin of Tesco baked beans with sausages amongst the more conventional bottles and chocolates, raised £450. This will be added to the Festival via Chris Jones’s walk fund, which now stands at £88,913.