Provincial meetings: What Dave Wheeler had to say at the 2026 Craft meeting

Well, what a year we have had! Our membership numbers continue to do well and we were on course for positive growth at the end of last year until we had a large number of resignations in December. I am fully aware of the financial demands on everyone at the moment so the suggestion to offer a monthly payment plan to your lodge members may help in this respect. However, we have had a great start to this year with 96 new members already, including 4 re-joiners which is very encouraging. Our losses of those in their first three years after joining, which stood at 27% in 2020 is now down to 5% so please continue to look after all of our brethren, particularly the newer ones who are the future of Lincolnshire freemasonry. These results don’t happen by accident so thank you to the members of our Strategy Working Group, the executive and all of you in your own lodges for your continued hard work.

As a Province we have embraced Building Together and this will continue to strengthen our lodges and our membership.

Our Light Blues, the ‘rough ashlars’ have gone from strength to strength and to have over 150 brethren at the December Quarterly Communication was outstanding. When the whole of the west balcony stood up, at the request of the Pro Grand Master, it was an amazing site, with even a couple of Bedfordshire masons joining in! It made me very proud to be your Provincial Grand Master.

In September, we celebrated the culmination of our 2025 MCF Festival here, at the Lincolnshire showground, and what a fantastic night we had. The ‘big reveal’ was an emotional moment for everyone and to raise a total of over £3million is great credit to our Festival Chairman, Jez Hyland, and his team. Of course, raising the highest amount per capita in the history of the MCF brings it’s own pressures but that’s one pressure I am always happy to talk about! In all seriousness, the amount of money raised is not the most important thing but the outcomes that money will provide is what this is really all about. I have been fortunate to see at first hand what a difference the MCF grants can make and it is overwhelming to see what relatively small amounts of money can achieve, none more so than the overnight accommodation that is now available at the Butterfly Hospice in Boston because of a conversation started by W. Brother Pete Tong that concluded with a large donation that made the project possible.

In terms of celebrating success, I congratulate the following on their appointments and promotions at the recent UGLE Investiture meeting and please stand when I call your names;

Promotions – Jez Hyland to PSGD; Tony Miller to PJGD

First appointments – Andy Ham to PAGDC, Paul Ellis to PAGStdB and Mike Clay to PAGStdB for his work on the Membership Challenge. Please show your congratulations to them all by way of a well-deserved round of applause.

I also congratulate all those receiving active appointments today and I am sure you will have a great year ahead of you. Last year’s team did a great job and I thank you all for your magnificent support. We had a lot of fun during our visits.

Our two active Wardens for the past year, W. Bros Gideon Hall and David Carter have, apparently, had a competition to see who could get their photo on Facebook the most, so that may explain our drop in numbers! Seriously, you have done a great job and I know our two new Wardens will also have a wonderful year ahead.

Finally, I thank everyone who has been involved in ensuring today has been such a success.  I am very grateful to each and every one of you. Another superb team effort, thank you all.

The year ahead will bring new challenges in the form of more coordinated community engagement initiatives and the Centenary Heritage Building Fund appeal but I am confident we will meet them together, as we always do.

We are on one journey as one organisation. Let’s enjoy the journey, be active within our communities and our masonry will continue to thrive.

Thank you brethren.

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