There was standing room only in Middleton at the Annual General Meeting of the East Lancs Masonic Charity.
The President, the RW. Provincial Grand Master, Sir David Trippier, welcomed representatives from lodges and chapters all over the Province to one of the best attended meetings in several years.
Prior to the formal business of the evening, Steven Barton, Bury District Chairman, introduced a representative from “The Cotton Shed Theatre Company” who told how our local community continues to benefit from the ELMC Community Fund, and the support and involvement of Freemasons locally, by encouraging youngsters of a wide age range and ability to explore and extend their abilities by acting, dancing and singing.
Members at the meeting were told by the President that the ELMC had suffered because of the RMBI Festival, which was coming to its close in October but members would be urged to dig deep to help boost the coffers of our own, local charity in the following few months. The President told them a new tie would be issued to mark this new impetus in raising money for the charity, which has been supporting less-fortunate Masons and the extended community in East Lancs for more than 100 years.
He told members that the end of the Festival and the new phase of work at Bridge Street (which was expected to be completed in time for the Tercentenary celebrations in October, 2017) had coincided with the retirement of the Chairman, Paul Rose, who, of course, was officially taking over the role of Prov. Dep. Grand Supt. in Royal Arch.
WBro Paul Rose
W Bro Rose thanked the President for his kind words and his thanks for his work during the past nine years. The APGM for Salford, Chad Northcott, was elected by the meeting to be chairman.
W Bro Northcott was chairman of the Community Fund Committee and when the AGM voted to amend the Charity’s memorandum and Articles of Association by changing its name to the Grant Making Committee, proposed by WBro Northcott and seconded by WBro David Lightbown, members voted W Bro Northcott to take over chairmanship of the renamed committee.
Wbro Chad Northcott, PSGD, APGM
A full list of committees and their members can be found on their respective pages listed in the index on the website front page
Steven Barton proposed and Brian Carter seconded that the Minutes of the Annual General Meeting, held on 18th September 2014, be approved and the meeting carried the proposal.
The Treasurer, Jonathan Brownson, presented the Accounts and Andrew Warren, a Partner of Percy Westhead and Co read the audit opinion and the chairman thanked the auditors, Tim Elston and Andrew Warren, and the treasurer for all their work.
The chairman proposed and the President seconded that the Annual Report and the Statement of Financial Activities, which had been approved by the Board at a meeting on Thursday 30th July 2015, be adopted and this was approved by the meeting.
Members were then invited to enjoy a buffet and wine in the bar.
ELMC Board Meeting
Prior to the AGM there had been a meeting of the board of the ELMC
WBro Mark Davis is Secretary to the Board
Mrs Julie Ward – Director of Operations