Lodge Meetings
The Lodge meets five times a year for our official meetings. Theses are held on the fourth Thursday in September and the second Thursdays in November, January, February and March.
The meetings are where we carry out our Lodge business and bring candidates into the Lodge. After each of these meetings we have a meal, called a Festive Board. At the Festive Board, we have a nice meal with a few roasts, speeches and much joviality.
Lodge of Instruction
Leading up to each Meeting, we hold our Lodge of Instruction (LOI) sessions. These aren’t formal, but give us a chance to learn and rehearse for the Meetings. We like to keep these light hearted and have fun for these rehearsals. It’s encouraged for the progressive officers, or anyone that’s got a part to play in the meeting to attend the LOIs.
Ladies Festival
Every year, we like to hold a Ladies Festival. This is a black tie event and Masons, their partners and friends are all welcome to attend. Sometimes we hold these locally in Berkshire for a night, and sometimes we go slightly further away and make a weekend of it.
At the Ladies Festival, we generally eat, drink and be merry. There are a few speeches and plenty of dancing.
Lodge barbecues and curry evenings
Over the course of the year, we’ll arrange a few social events where some of the Brethren, sometimes with partners, families and friends will get together.
Visiting other Lodges
If you want to see how other Lodges perform their meetings and the differences that each Lodge has, then there is no shortage of visits that you could do within the province or within the other regions. There’s no requirement to visit other Lodges, but as you get further into Masonry, you’ll get to realise how easy it is to make friends in other Lodges.
Other events
The province also provides training and social events over the course of the year should you wish to improve your skills, or meet other like minded people. Further details can be found on the BerksPGL.org.uk site.