The race starts in Green Park, 250m from the race site at Madejski Stadium. The route will be exactly the same as in 2009. For more information visit the Reading Half Marathon website at www.readinghalfmarathon.com.

Week two is on Charity with W Bro John Nixon AstPGM and W Bro Gerry Hann Prov Charity Steward and will discuss our charitable giving and some of the benefits we bring to the community.

Week three is on the history of Freemasonry with RW Bro Mike Hooton PGM and W Bro Tony Barstow Past AstPGM and other general information will also be discussed.

Week four will be a question and answer session attended by W Bro Chris Connop Information Officer at Grand Lodge and others.

Update:
Since the above broadcasts, the recordings are now no longer available on BBC iPlayer.

For information on the United Grand Lodge of England, or to arrange a visit, go to their website at www.ugle.org.uk.

One member of Ashley Hill had to abandon his car on the road of the Berkshire Masonic Centre two weeks ago, and this weeks snow is more severe. It’s also reported that the Masonic Centre is closed as the staff cannot get in.

Anyone wishing to contact the Berkshire Masonic Centre can do so on 0118 979 5104, or visit the Provincial Website at www.berkspgl.org.uk.

Wednesday 16th December saw our last Class of Instruction before Christmas, where we did a First Degree.

The next Class of Instruction is Wednesday 6th Janauary 2010, with the next full meeting being Tuesday 2nd February for a Second Degree.

Until then, from the brethren of Ashley Hill, we wish you a warm and merry Christmas.

Qualified teams are Ashley Hill, Sandhurst 2, Engineers 1, Berries 1, Berries 2, Christopher Wren Chapter, Hungerford 1, Victory, Hungerford 2, Wokingham Wanderers, Festival Torch Bearers, Loddon Chapter louts, Pangbourne Chapter, Pangbourne Mark and BLVM Belligerents.

As in previous years, this evening is open to family and friends of members, both Masonic and non-Masonic. An email containing full details have been sent to members. Those wishing to attend should contact the COI Secretary, W Bro Lashmar.

Now iPhone users will be directed to an scaled down iPhone version of this website when navigating to www.ashleyhill7861.org.uk. Some functions such as the calendar and map for directions is not available. If an iPhone user would prefer to browse the normal website, an option is offered to switch back to normal viewing.

Please give it a test if you have an iPhone, and report any problems you may experience.

Masons wishing to attend may get in touch by clicking here.

Freemasonry inevitably appears rather complicated and esoteric to the new mason and he is immersed, from his first experiences, in unfamiliar terms and actions which mean very little without explanation.

To remedy this deficiency – not on the part of the innocent Initiate, but in the organisation he has joined – a movement started in the earlier part of this decade which is termed Mentoring. The concept, simply put, is to ‘inform’, by an orderly progression, aspects of Freemasonry which might defeat the most intellectual or enquiring of minds – unless guided. Too many masons were feeling isolated or neglected by this exclusion, but were given little advice for enlightenment.

Berkshire Province, under the leadership of our present Deputy Provincial Grand Master, VW Bro Martin Peters, was an earlier player in the field, and held instructional classes for every lodge’s newly- appointed Mentor, under whose guidance programmes have been developed in each Lodge.

In Ashley Hill, the undertaking of this task was put in the hands of W Bro John Harper, who had long held the view that more had to be done to assist the new mason in his baptism of fire, which included much which was incomprehensible not only to Initiates but, indeed, Fellowcrafts and Master Masons. Personal Mentors were appointed for each new mason, to put sense into the masonic ‘fog’.
Supplementary lodge booklets have been developed and it is believed that, in partnership with each Initiate’s proposer, real progress has been made in making the principles and practices of Freemasonry more immediately clear.

The feedback clearly indicates that the policies have been successful.

W Bro John Harper