A meeting took place on Wednesday 6th June 2012 to reflect on the achievements of the 1st year of 2014 Festival Appeal. At this meeting a cheque for 50,000 Euros was also handed to the Cruz Roja, so they could place an order for the 1st Ambulance

 The meeting was well attended by Brethren from Lodges throughout the Province who heard of the achievements within the 1st year of the appeal.

This culminated in the cheque for 50,000 Euros being handed over to snra.Toni Sebastian, the Vice President of Cruz Roja (Alicante) and Monica Díaz Ruiz, the Secretary of the Alicante division together with some of their members.

The presentation was made by the Provincial Grand Master and W. Bro. Jim Jordan, the 2014 Festival President. The presentation will now enable Cruz Roja in Alicante to place an order for a specially adapted Ambulance to serve the area.

The meeting was opened by the Provincial Grand Master, the transcipt of his Presentations is included below. Following the introduction the Secretary of the Cruz Roja gave her grateful thanks for the efforts being made by the Brethren in Valencia and the achievements they have made so far.

Presentations were then received from a number of the Committee members and area representatives  in relation to their specific areas of responsibility and followed by questions from the floor and closed by R.W. Bro. Neville Jarrett, the 2014 Festival Chairman.

Brethren

I would like to welcome you all to this very important occasion which has been organised to provide you with a summary of the current state of play relating to the 2014 Festival, the Festival Committee´s plans for the future, including their projections, intentions and objectives for the second year of this important and within Spain, unique venture.

Firstly I would really like to thank all of those Lodges who have embraced the challenge that I set before the Province in my address in February 2011. At that time, a number of Brethren expressed their doubt that such a target would be anywhere near reachable and prophesied that the whole concept was doomed to failure! How pleased I am that their predictions have been proved wrong by the vision and dedication of those lodges that have accepted the challenge and are working towards achieving and even exceeding their target. Their tenacity has illustrated for me, the strength, unity and generosity of spirit which makes me proud not only to be a Mason but more importantly the Provincial Grand Master of this amazing Province.

Without doubt a number of the Lodges were slow to grasp the gauntlet and were unsure as to the value Freemasonry could offer to the community at large. Those Lodges have however, over the last few months, joined in the spirit of the campaign and are lending their vigour and determination to the project. I am even more confident that in just two years from now I will be announcing the successful outcome of the Festival which I truly hope will have included every Lodge.

During the following presentations you will hear from various members of the Festival Committee who are using their talents and skills to guide us through the three year life of the project. As a Committee they have shown considerable resolve in having taken the project through its first year with determination, purpose and resolve. They have been inventive and industrious and their eagerness to involve every Brother has meant that every Lodge has been visited over the last twelve months. I hope that they will continue to have direct contact with all Lodges throughout the year ahead as in my opinion this is essential to our future success.

As I look around at each of you here I recognise that by and large you are the driving forces of the Lodges within my Province and I would give each of you a simple message:

Worshipful Masters - recognise your power within the Lodge, encourage every brother to participate in or organise an event for the Festival, pester your Secretary and Treasurer to ensure money is voted to the Festival regularly and is transferred quickly.

Secretaries: Keep your Brethren advised of the Lodge position, actively encourage event planning, use the summons, it’s the one thing every Brother looks at.

Charity Stewards: Take the lead in organising activities, you don´t have to do all the work personally, involve all the Brethren. Make sure that all you are planning for your Lodge gets a mention on the website and let us have pictures afterwards to show off all your efforts. Keep your Festival Area Representative informed; maybe they can help with advertising or offer suggestions as to what has been a success in other Lodges that you could borrow!

However, all of us here today must ensure that we include all of the Brethren in the Province, their continuing commitment and enthusiasm is what will help us achieve success.

Later in this presentation you will hear a few words from the representative of the “Cruz Roja” they will explain just how pivotal your endeavours are in assisting them to maintain their emergency and care services and providing support to major events throughout the whole of Valencia. Listen to those words and take them back to your Lodge. They reflect the real Spain today and our Province can make a major difference.

Thank you for listening I will now leave you in the hands of Michael Shilan and Fred Miller who are going to give a detailed financial breakdown that sets out the current result of your generosity.