On Tuesday the 10th of December, Brethren, partners, family and friends of Arenal Deportiva Lodge No 65 enjoyed a lovely evening of Christmas carols at their annual “Carols by Candlelight” event, held at Maxims restaurant, Moraira.  This is a firm favourite in the Lodge calendar and is always well supported with over 80 attendees enjoying a fabulous traditional festive meal in a great atmosphere, interspersed with all the Christmas Carols that we enjoy so much.  The event and a super prize draw raised well over €800.

The Brethren, partners and friends of Armonia de Ifach Lodge No 46 started the Christmas celebrations early on Monday the 2nd December with a very festive party which followed their regular lodge meeting at the Tennis Club, Calpe.  Over 40 attended where the atmosphere was delightful, the food and drinks excellent, and the entertainment fabulous!  and to put the icing on the (Christmas) cake, the raffle raised €270 for the DANA flood relief appeal.

Las Salinas No 79 Donates 850€ Worth of Food and Essentials to Reachout Torrevieja.

Las Salinas Lodge No 79  Worshipful Master, Norman Barrall, and wife Carole have been on a 850€ shopping trip and returned to Reachout’s premises in Torrevieja with a boot-full of foodstuffs and other essentials for distribution to the needful in our area. The money was raised at the highly successful Las Salinas Ladies night in May last year. Norman and Carole were greeted by the Reachout President, Alexander, and Secretary Maria, who expressed their thanks and presented a Certificate of Appreciation.

Pictures are from the Reachout premises in Torrevieja.

Santa Faz Lodge No 48 enjoyed a lovely day, in gorgeous weather for their annual Beach Walk and BBQ which was held at the International Club in El Campello. There were 77 attendees which included Brethren and their partners and guests  The total amount raised was a very impressive 2078€ for the Lodge Charities.  An unusual and lucrative ¨Sponsored Shave¨ (see the before and after pictures) was undertaken by Bro. Steve Fynn which added to the fun aspect –  and the bottom line.

The BBQ Chefs pictured above ensured everyone had a great meal and a ¨grand day¨ and the Brethren are looking forward to hosting this and more events in the future.

Arenal Deportiva Lodge No 65 Celebrate the year of the Dragon

A wonderful celebration of the Chinese New Year took place in Sabores II restaurant, Moraira on Saturday the 2^nd March which was hosted by Arenal Deportiva Lodge No 65.

72 Lodge members, partners and guests, many from other lodges, attended a colourful and spectacular celebration of the Chinese New Year – the year of the Dragon!

The menu was specially chosen by Florence (the Master’s wife),  which was a delightful extravagance of Chinese cuisine to suit all tastes.  Many of those attending took the opportunity to dress ¨Chinese Style¨ and it all added to a very special atmosphere of fun and enjoyment.  An excellent prize draw raised over 500e for the Lodge funds and this was further enhanced by 100€ from the proceeds of an auction of a superb ¨Chinese Lion¨ which Florence had spent many hours making and embroidering.

Overall, it was an excellent evening of light-hearted fun and frivolity, which brought many brethren, partners and friends together and was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

LAS SALINAS No 79 DONATES TO DEBRA

From funds raised at the highly successful Las Salinas Ladies night in May last year, hosted by Worshipful Brother Norman Barrall and Carole Barrall, Las Salinas 79 Lodge has donated 850€ to DEBRA for the purchase of administrative computing equipment. They replied in the following terms:

“On behalf of all the families at “DEBRA, The Butterfly Skin Charity” I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support, generosity and kind donation. As a charity we depend largely on private funding and donations from people like you. Your help is crucial to ensuring that we can continue providing specialist nursing care, psychologists and a researcher to support our families from the birth of a child to end of life care. Thanks to your help we can continue to support and shield our Butterfly Skin families. Thank you for giving us Wings.

Javea Lodge No 40 & Armonia de Ifach Lodge No 46

Help the Hungry and Homeless

W. Bros James Morris, Worshipful Master of Javea Lodge No 40 and Ken Nitman, Charity Steward of the Calpe based Armonia de Ifach Lodge No 46, hand over a cheque for €1540 to Arne, founder and manager of the Project 4 All charity based in Benissa. The lodges had jointly promoted and hosted an extremely successful Ladies Night, a ‘black tie’ gala ball event, at Salones Carrasco in Javea where the magnificent sum was raised.  The Project 4 All charity prepares and delivers much-needed meals for the poor and homeless in the area. Arne was especially pleased to receive this as funds for the post-Christmas period were running low threatening their ability to service the project’s many needy recipients in January. This is very much in keeping with the Provincial Grand Master’s continuing initiative to support those vulnerable and at-risk individuals within the Province of Valencia.

White River Lodge No 153 Donate to Amigos de la Calle

This week, White River Lodge No 153, represented by Senior Warden, Bob Harris,  presented a cheque for 1500 Euros to Javier González, the founder of the charity “Amigos de la Calle.”

Amigos de la Calle plays a pivotal role in addressing the pressing needs of over 800 homeless individuals in Valencia.  As part of their expansion efforts, the organization aims to establish a cutting-edge industrial kitchen and create spaces for professionals to provide essential mental health services in their new headquarters. Additionally, their initiatives extend to supporting the rehousing of select families, facilitating their journey towards self-sufficiency which is very much in keeping with the ethos of the Provincial Grand Master in aiding those less privileged in our community.

Javier González conveyed his heartfelt appreciation to the brethren of White River Lodge stating ¨this collaboration underscores a shared commitment to making a meaningful and positive impact on the lives of those facing adversity within our community¨

The donation was made possible with funding from the Provincial Grand Lodge of Valencia.

( pictured, Javier González of Amigos de la Calle receiving the Cheque for 1500 Euros from Bob Harris, Senior Warden White River Lodge 153)

Photograph:  Bastiaan Zondervan

Arenal Deportiva Lodge No 65

Sing (Christmas Carols) for their Supper

On Wednesday the 13^th December, over 90 members, partners and friends of Arenal Deportiva Lodge No 65 met at Maxims restaurant in Moraira to start the Holiday Season with a bang!

The Lodge´s annual tradition of ¨Carols by Candlelight ¨ has always been a popular event in the Lodge calendar, and this year was no exception with the restaurant filled to capacity. Sumptuous food and drinks were interspersed with all the favourite Christmas carols that we know and love so well.  A fabulous prize draw meant some lucky winners went home with an early stocking filler and the proceeds, which all go to Masonic good causes, raised over €700.

Congratulations must go to W. Bro Ray Guise – Smith and his wife Coral who organised the event, and to W.Bro´s Malcolm March and Peter Johnson who assisted with the administration.