COVID19 – The Dark Years!

FROM THE LODGE ARCHIVE · 2020–2022

The pandemic interrupted our normal gatherings at the North Leeds Masonic Centre. Members used Zoom to keep in touch socially when they could not meet in person. Those conversations helped maintain contact with fellow lodge members while the usual meeting routine was disrupted.

Keeping charity work going

The lodge’s record for the period also describes support for community charities. The Charity Steward continued that work, and members contributed when opportunities to meet and raise funds allowed.

• CLIC Sargent, now known as Young Lives vs Cancer: £303.00 raised.
• Macmillan Cancer Support: £806.75 contributed.
• The autism charity recorded in our original report: £1,047.00 contributed.

Those three contributions total £2,156.75. The original report calls the third recipient “National Autism Society”; we retain that description as a historical record and have not assumed a different legal charity name.

A separate grant for Shadwell Tennis Club

The lodge also successfully applied for an MCF grant towards a tennis practice wall at Shadwell Tennis Club. The reported grant was £4,250.

This was a grant secured through an application, so it is recorded separately from the lodge contributions above. Keeping that distinction helps explain both the fundraising members carried out and their role in helping a community project obtain wider Masonic support.

Friendship when the usual routine changed

This period is part of our lodge’s own history: the meeting place was temporarily unavailable to us, but members found another way to stay connected. The Zoom conversations described in this report were social catch-ups; they should not be read as a description of our normal lodge ceremonies.

Today, our membership guide gives the regular meeting place and schedule. To follow the subsequent charity record, read the 2022 charity review or return to all our charity stories.

From Philanthropic Lodge No. 304’s published charity records. This is a historical report; the original publication date is retained. Wording and presentation reviewed on 4 November 2026.