The Masonic Homes of Valencia were pleased to welcome the new Managers to the Moraira Charity Shop on 31st August. Kath and Chris Taylor had managed the shop very successfully for the past 7 years, and now wished to retire. The presentation took place in the shop, when several gifts were presented from the Board of Management and also from the shop volunteers who turned out in their numbers.  After which the party continued over the road in the local Cafe. The new Managers are Marian and Rudd Lakerveld. The photo shows Kath Taylor left,  Jenny Hart President of the Association on right with Marian and Rudd Lakerveld in the Centre. The shop is always pleased to receive donated items to sell in the shop.

The Worshipful Master of the Provincial Grand Stewards Lodge No.154 and Deputy Provincial Grand Master, W.Bro. Rodney Bignell once again organised and hosted the annual Provincial Grand Stewards visit to Lake Como, which this year took place between the 29^th of June and 4^th of July.

A total of 43 attendees were once again delighted to sample the finest scenery and hospitality at the beautiful lakeside hotel, Hotel Britannia Excelsior and the chef and his team delivered the finest food and wines of the Region.

The hotel is owned by W.Bro. Ross Weildon who is a member of W.Bro. Rodney’s English Lodge, together with his wife Doriana and this annual event not only enables members of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Valencia to enjoy a fine break in Italy, it also furthers Masonic bonds of friendship.

During the day the participants were free to explore the beautiful and historic Region using the frequent water taxi’s that stopped frequently and very close to the hotel.

W.Bro. Rodney and his lady Jean also arranged a private boat for lake tour on one of the days.

After a day exploring and working up an appetite the evenings were taken up in sampling the local fayre (often caught just a short time before the meal) and complemented by the finest of Italian wines.

During the event a Gala Dinner was arranged with live music provided by local group and a raffle held during the evening raised €480 which will be donated to charitable causes.

With the Provincial Grand Stewards always ready to step-in and help there was even an opportunity to help in the preparation of that day’s menu.

One thing that all participants agreed was that they are keen to repeat the event again next year.

On Tuesday, 18th July, Worshipful Brother Graham Simons, visited the Alzheimer Familiares Teulada-Moraira Association to deliver a much needed cheque for five hundred euros. Graham, the Immediate Past Master of the Oliva La Safor Lodge, had made the Association one of his selected charities for his year as Master and during that period the donation was raised by members of the Lodge during various money raising events.

The Association is partly funded by the local council who provide the necessary professional staff which are necessary to obtain the correct operating licences but relies very heavily on charity donations and volunteers. Like many charities there is always a need for goods, services and, above all, money. This donation will be used to service the Association minibus and buy four new tyres for it. This vehicle being essential as they cover such a large area taking in Javea, Denia, Benitachell, Teulada and Moraira. This puts enormous strain on all the facilities but especially this vehicle which covers so many kilometres collecting and delivering patients.

We were met by Carmen Mudaira, the psychologist who is a director of the Association and Sylvia Tatnell the President of the Association and who is also the former deputy Mayor of Teulada. We were given a very interesting insight into their work and a short tour showing us some of the facilities available. There is also a nurse and a social worker to look after the wellbeing of all the patients.

While there Graham was greatly impressed by the love and care with which the patients are treated. Much emphasis is placed on keeping the patients as active as they can be and many methods are used to keep them as mentally active as possible. Unlike some other centres the patients are not simply given a TV to watch but are given as many different stimuli as possible. There is a TV but this is used mainly for games and puzzles which help to stave off some of the worst effects of this terrible disease for as long as possible. The centre is open from 8am until 8pm and food is provided for all. It is open to all nationalities and currently has a mix of English, Spanish and Dutch people.

On Monday, 10th July, twenty-six Masons and their guests attended a well organised BBQ evening at the Ifach Golf Club, the new home of Armonia de Ifach Lodge No 46. The sun was out, the drinks flowing freely and a really good time was had by all.

Included in the BBQ were huge pieces of chicken, Spanish sausages, of many types, salad, burgers, cheese, potato salad and of course some succulent barbecued spare ribs with a delicious sauce. All were cooked to perfection by the restaurant’s head chef. This feast was followed by a delicious dessert of strawberries and fresh cream topped with vanilla ice cream. If this great food was anything to go by, we are in for some really fine meals at our future Festive Boards.

A charity raffle raised one hundred and eighteen euros towards the Master’s chosen charity, thanks to our resident gnome, Dennis and his partner.

Thanks must go to W.Bro Stewart Gammer and his wife Brenda for all their hard work in organising this event and thanks also to W.Bro Neville Shelley, our current Worshipful Master, for all his input to make it such a successful evening.

The PGM with Sr Juan Carlos Ortuño holding the Masonic banner

Over the past five years Freemasons from the Provincial Grand Lodge of Valencia have been supporting a children’s summer camp and funding places for children to attend. This offers disadvantaged and underprivileged children the opportunity to undertake tasks, sports and cultural activities that they would otherwise be unable to afford. The cost of each child is paid for, in full, by the Masons so there is no cost to parents, the home, school or carers.

PGM speaking to children at Summer School

This initiative was started five years ago by Hiram Abiff Lodge, in Alicante, and has grown in scale every year since. This year we have funded fifteen places for children of El Preventorio, and another six from the Javea Red Cross, who have received this unexpected and very welcome treat. The school offers many enjoyable activities in a safe and caring environment.

Yet more children

On Saturday, 8th July, the Provincial Grand Master of Valencia, Right Worshipful Brother, Michael Shilan, visited the school to see it for himself. First he met the Director of the School, Sr Juan Carlos Ortuño, then had a tour of the many facilities. He was impressed by the love and care that was shown to all the children, and the many facilities, sports and educational facilities available. He was particularly impressed by the fact that Sr Ortuño had built the entire site himself over the past sixteen years.

Children displaying banner

It is situated near Guadalest and covers more than 11,000 square meters and is surrounded by the tallest mountains in Alicante. There is accommodation for up to eighty children at a time, fifty in log cabins and another thirty in tents. At the time of the visit over fifty children were in residence. The children, whose ages range from 8 to 14 years old, have a huge range of activities in which to participate. There are two adventure zones in the lower part of the camp with a huge wooden climbing frame and wall; there is also a shooting gallery with four lanes. Close by is a pine forest with many tracks through it, which also encompasses several suspension bridges through the treetops. There is also a three hundred square metre illuminated area for team games.

Group photo

There are also many sporting activities available including archery, climbing at the specially built climbing school just four hundred metres away, which offers more than thirty-five routes of varying difficulty, and twenty mountain bikes with many different routes available through the local countryside and forest. There are three seat canoes for trips across the Guadalest reservoir and four wheel pedal cars for trips around the circuit and for short trips away.

Children from El Preventorio + the Red Cross

There are also many cultural and educational courses offered. There is an alternative energy workshop, which experiments with solar panels, furnaces and wind turbines. There are tours explaining the local flora and fauna with experiments carried out by the pupils and workshops explaining conservation of the local wildlife. There are theatre workshops and chances for the children to act and try improvisation. There are astronomy workshops with telescopes and much, much more including dancing, songs and storytelling.

In addition to all of the above there will be a chance to visit Guadalest Castle, Noah’s Ark (a local wildlife shelter), and trips to Terra Mitica and Terra Natura. In all an action packed ten days in which there will be something for everyone to enjoy. A great mixture of education and enjoyment while learning to live and co-operate with others in a great outdoor setting yet still overseen by caring mentors and carers. This will be an outing that the children will never forget.

On Saturday, 24th June, the gardens of  Worshipful Brother Darrell Clayton and his lovely wife Sally, in Gata de Gorgos, were again thrown open to hold another stunning ‘Glyndebourne in Gata’ celebration. This is now an annual event, organised by local Freemasons,  which is modelled after the grand Glyndebourne event in England although on a slightly

smaller scale. Not withstanding that this classical concert was incredible and everyone there enjoyed it enormously. The idea is generally of a black tie, classical music event to be held in Darrell and Sally’s magnificent gardens.

More than one hundred and thirty Masons, wives and guests attended and enjoyed a great evening with exceptionally good weather.

Everyone brings their own food to create one gigantic picnic. The tables are decorated and the best of which wins a prize. This year an element of fancy dress crept in with some tables and guests dressed as Hawaiians while others were dressed as ancient Romans.

A great time was had by all! The entertainment this year was even more varied than last. Starting at 7pm and continuing until 11pm, this was a non stop feast of talented local entertainers. They comprised a tribute group, El Divo, a ladies choir, some dancing youngsters, the local tenor, Manuel Lazaro and also local mezzo-soprano Gill Henry. At the end Gill and Manuel united as duo ‘Cantabile’ and received a standing ovation. The level of talent for an event of this size was truly amazing and could have graced any stage in Europe. All of the performers enjoyed rapturous applause and most guests are already looking forward to next year.

A grand charity raffle was held which raised the incredible sum of one thousand eight hundred euros. This will be donated to local charities later in the year.

A huge round of thanks to Darrell and Sally, and their trusty helpers, not only for allowing the use of their garden but also for the weeks of hard work they have put in,  to make this a huge success. Well done!

To all Freemasons of the Province of Valencia
Well as you know we finally got together 21 children to go camping for 10 days. Fifteen came from El Preventorio and six more from families in need under the Red Cross umbrella in Javea.
Unfortunately the average age of children in the Preventorio is under eight hence the smaller than expected numbers.
The excitement on the bus was something else and the journey to the camp was one I won’t forget. Some of the children went last year so it must be good if they are going back !

      Happy children en route.
It poured with rain and the road was closed so we had to reverse down the mountain road and if they asked me once they asked me a hundred times ” Are we there yet !”
Please can you pass on to your friends in the Freemasons that without their help and support this would NEVER have happened.
It is so hard to get people to understand what sort of lives these little folk have, especially in the Preventorio.
I have tried to help and support and improve things for all of them but know that without the support of people like you it would be impossible.

      Silvia with Juan Carlos
Provincial Grand Master, Michael Shilan, Provincial Grand Charity Steward, Keith Alcock, Provincial Press Officer, Bill Turney, and Juan Carlos Ortuño the director at the campsite and so many more of you that commented on my Facebook Page I cannot thank you enough !
Having supported the children for 10 years now the staff know that they need only to pick up the phone and sometimes I panic and wonder how can I solve whatever help they are asking for. I’m not an organisation or business or part of a committee or charity, just a mother who knows how to love and care and hug (hugs are so under rated). Having come from an abusive and broken home I guess I understand the sadness I sometimes see in a child’s eyes without them saying anything.
Bay Radio created a charity account and support me when I need help but people’s generosity tends to be mainly at Christmas and then, for the rest of the year, they are almost forgotten about. That is why I’m so grateful for your support.
The six children from the Red Cross have never been on holiday so this for them was not only out of the blue but an adventure they so deserve. Thank you so much !
Have a great summer each and everyone of you.

Silvia

On Friday 16th June a presentation was made, by the Masonic Homes of Valencia Association, to the main hospital in Denia. The presentation was for a cheque to pay for a second CT scanner which has been sorely needed by the hospital for some time. Currently when the older machine is in use or in need of repair, or even being serviced, patients often need to travel long distances for diagnosis before treatment can begin. This is obviously not good and creates further stress and hardship at a time when such problems are least needed.

The hospital themselves managed to raise the magnificent sum of one hundred thousand euros towards the cost of this machine, but such machines do not come cheap. Yet another one hundred thousand euros were needed to make a purchase possible. This is where the Masonic Homes of Valencia Association stepped in and donated the much needed money. The scanner is now on order from the United States and should arrive, ready for use in early August. More than fifty people turned up for the presentation including representatives of the hospital, members of the Board of the Masonic Homes, volunteers who run the charity shop and many hospital workers. It was a great afternoon and an excellent buffet lunch was laid on for all the visitors. The added photos show the following:

Photo 1.  On stage.  Hugh Parker Treasurer        MHVA

Jenny Hart   President          MHVA

Angel Gimenez                    Hospital Director

Juan Manuel Gasent            Head of Oncology

Mayte Lopez                        Hospital Liason

Photo 2       Jenny Hart  presenting cheque to Angel Gimenez

Photo 3.       MHVA Board Members with the big Board

This event was a first for any of the local Lodges to undertake. It was held at ‘The Club’,  Calle Toledo, Ciudad Quesada, on Wednesday 31^st May. Brethren and guests started to arrive from around 1:30pm for a 2:00pm start. The Charity Steward then hastily organised twelve teams of four.