MBF Blood bikes handover at National Motorcycle Museum - 17th August 2018

The Mark Benevolent Fund Partnership with Blood Bikes

The MBF first became aware of the Blood Bike Charities in January 2016 when an application for assistance was received from Northumbria Blood Bikes.

Most Blood Bike Charities fall under the umbrella of the Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes (also a registered charity). The aim is to assist in the promotion of public health through the voluntary support of hospital services. The charities provide out of hours transportation services for local NHS sites in the movement of blood and human tissue – all done free of charge thereby reducing the financial strain on NHS funding.

In May 2017 the MBF Charity Walk took place along the seven-mile route of the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk through the Royal Parks in central London. That event surpassed all expectation and raised a staggering £437,973. The Trustees of the MBF wanted to give something back to the brethren in the Provinces who had given so generously and decided to invite all Blood Bike Charities in England Wales to apply for the funding of a new vehicle. The majority of Mark Provinces of England and Wales are serviced by those charities and all that applied will receive a new vehicle. To date the MBF has provided 16 Blood Bikes and 10 Blood Cars.

To coincide with the Blood Bike Awareness day on Friday 17 August the national handover took place at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham which was attended by The Provincial Grand Master, R. W. Bro. Robert A Stokes and W. Brethren Brian Hornigold and Marcus Dickens both of whom took part in the walk. Our Province will have the benefit of vehicles although not directly based in the Province.

The photograph shows the Provincial Grand Master, Provincial Grand Master Overseer and Provincial Grand Inspector of Works at the National Motorcycle Museum for the official handover, where they learned more of the Blood Bike Service and met brethren representing the other Mark Degree Provinces.

AGM of Mark Provincial Grand Lodge - Sat 23rd June

The Provincial Grand Master, Robert A Stokes, opened Provincial Grand Lodge in due form on 23 July in the presence of 63 guests representing 26 Mark Provinces, 5 Heads of other Orders and 112 brethren of the Province.

He then received a delegation of Royal Ark Mariners before proceeding with the business of Provincial Grand Lodge which commenced with the approval of the Minutes of the previous Provincial Grand Lodge Meeting followed by a requiem for those brethren who had passed to the Great Lodge Above. 

The Officers reports were then taken and the accounts for the year ended 5 April 2018 were approved. The Provincial Grand Treasurer was re-elected to serve a further year and was pleased to announce that the Provincial Dues would remain unchanged for the year ended 31 August 2019. The account auditors, W. Brethren R N Bedells and C R Beck were re-elected.

The Provincial Grand Master then had the pleasure of investing his Officers for the ensuing year together with those brethren appointed in past rank.  

Before giving his address he was pleased to welcome those brethren Advanced during the year and to those attending he presented a Province Token. The Token is only presented to the Brethren Advanced in the Year who attend Provincial Grand Lodge in that year, that being the only opportunity to receive the Token.

In his address the Provincial Grand Master, congratulated those brethren whom had earlier invested not only for their hard work to date but also for that which they would be undertaking in the future.

He was especially pleased that the 3 Past Provincial Grand Masters in the Province had been able to attend and he thanked them for their support and guidance when sought over the previous 12 months. Likewise he thanked those Provincial Grand Masters from other Provinces for making the journey to attend Provincial Grand Lodge.

In reflecting upon his first year in Office he had been pleased to note the improvement in the delivery of ritual and congratulated the Brethren upon their generosity to the Mark Benevolent Fund, which had resulted in Grand Patron Diamond Award Collarettes being awarded to 7 Mark Lodges with others achieving Grand Patron and the Grand Patron Gold Award status. A Mark Awareness Evening held in Peterborough had been successful and further such evenings were to be planned for the coming season. A Royal Ark Mariner Lodge had celebrated its Centenary with a Banner Dedication in the presence of the R W Deputy Grand Master.   He congratulated those brethren honoured with Grand Rank and invested in June and named the two brothers to be similarly preferred in September.

Moving forward the year 2018-2019 was reported to be challenging with 2 Lodges celebrating their Centenary, 2 their Jubilee and a Brother would celebrate 50 Years of Service to the Order. It was the wish of the Provincial Grand Master that his Grand Officers and those brethren representing him at the Lodges in the Province played a proactive role in the retention of brethren by making enquiries whenever appropriate and providing a full report following their visit

Finally the Provincial Director of Ceremonies was directed to conduct W.Bro Rick Bott to the pedestal, where the Provincial Grand Master presented him with a gift for his wife and one for him in thanking him for the care and devotion that they had both shown to the Province when Rick had served as the Provincial Grand Almoner.

An Alms collection for the Mark Benevolent Fund raised £947.25 excluding gift aid.

Provincial Grand Lodge was closed in due form and the Provincial Grand Master withdrew in procession.

Gallery of photos from the day