Being a Freemason is about a number of things. It provides guidance on the way to conduct one’s life in a moral and ethical way. It can also provide an active social calendar to the member who wants to meet new people. Whilst all lodges hold regular meetings, it is the global community of Masonry that many members find the most fulfilling.

Apart from general business, the focal point of a Lodge Meeting will be a ceremony to bring new members into Freemasonry and progress them through the various levels in a Lodge. The ceremonies are a series of short plays which symbolise progress through life and seek to communicate a series of moral lessons and principles by which to live. A meeting will usually be followed by a social gathering and formal meal at which a few short toasts are given.

Most Lodges hold social events. Many involve partners and families as well as non-masons. A traditional lodge event is the “Ladies’ Festival” – which is intended to thank the members’ partners, and particularly the Worshipful Master’s wife, for all the support that they have given throughout the year. Almost all events are linked to raising money for charity – local, national or Masonic.

Outside the lodge, many members are involved with local charities and their fund-raising efforts, many of which involve social events for all the family.