Provincial Grand Lodge of East Lancashire
News from Blackburn District

Highway named after our Past Provincial Grand Master, RWBro Paul JE Rink, OBE

By CATHERINE PYE - Lancashire Telegraph Reporter
This article was recently featured in the Lancashire Telegraph

A busy road in Darwen has been renamed in honour of our Past Provincial Grand Master, RWBro Paul JE Rink, OBE dedicated to putting the environment on the industrial and public agenda. Eccleshill Road will now be known as Paul Rink Way in recognition of the contribution Mr Rink has made to the town. He helped set up Blackburn Groundwork Trust in 1989 and was its chairman for over a decade.

"This has been very rewarding and to cap it all the council renames a road. What an honour!" PAUL RINK

Earlier this year, ill health forced him to cut down on many of his commitments. Mr Rink was awarded an OBE for his service to the environment and the community in 1985 and the Trust, now known as Groundwork Pennine Lancashire Trust, is still involved in a wide variety of environmental projects in the borough.
The council agreed to the renaming following the request from Groundwork Pennine Lancashire Trust. The new road sign was put in place this week.

Mr Rink said: “I owe a great deal to Blackburn with Darwen Council. “In 1988 they helped to make it possible for my company to move from Bolton to Darwen. When we started our Groundwork Trust, they were again supportive and made a major financial contribution to our Environmental Centre at Nova Scotia Wharf. “They literally made it possible. Over my whole time as chairman of the trust, and to this day, they have encouraged and supported our work. This has been a very rewarding experience and to cap it all the council decides to rename a road. What an honour!”
“But perhaps it should have been called Groundwork Way to acknowledge all the wonderful work done over nearly 20 years by dedicated and delightful people.”
Peter Neil, executive director of Groundwork Pennine Lancashire Trust, said: “Paul Rink was the founder of Groundwork in Blackburn and has always been a strong ambassador for the town.” Coun Alan Cottam, executive member for regeneration and environment, said: “This a fitting tribute to a man who has contributed a great deal to the borough of Blackburn with Darwen and its residents. The council works very closely with Groundwork in helping to tackle environmental issues, many of which have helped make a difference to the quality of life of our residents.”
The council said the road had been chosen because it was busy but did not have many houses or businesses
which made the change of name less complicated.

34 Local Charities share the £40,092 donated by the Freemasons of Blackburn and Darwen at the 10th Annual Masonic Giving to Non-Masonic Charities Evening at the Darwen Masonic Hall on Wednesday 14th May 2008

The Charities included :- The Mayor's Charity Fund of Blackburn with Darwen, Derian House Childrens Hospice, The Make a Wish Foundation, Newfield Special School, C.R.Y. (Cardiac Risk in the Young) , The Royal Blackburn Hospital A & E Dept, The Lifeboat Institution, N.S.P.C.C., Cancer Research, East Lancashire Hospice, Nightsafe, Diabetic U.K., Samaritans, Hearing Dogs for the Deaf, St John Ambulance, St Stephens Church (Roof Fund), British Heart Foundation, St Cuthbert's Church, St Cuthbert's School Project, Neo Natal Clinic (Royal Blackburn Hospital), MacMillan Nurses, Rosemere Cancer Foundation, Disabled Access Group, Pancreatic Cancer Research, Bowley Scout Camp, The Thwaites Theatre Trust, and many others.

This is an annual event in the Masonic calendar for the Freemasons of Blackburn and Darwen, it is an event which in simple terms, concludes the charitable generosity of the brethren, in the Masonic Craft Lodges and Royal Arch Chapters for another year.

This particular event started in this Masonic District, some nine years ago, in 1999, as an experiment to bring together the Local Charities to whom the brethren have proposed as being worthy of the financial support being offered for their individual projects and to assist the work being done in the local community by that Charity with benevolent donations from the Freemasons.

From the small beginnings, eight years ago, the event being attended by only eight Charities, today in 2008, 36 Local Charities have shared the fantastic and most generous total of £40,092 all raised within the Lodges and Chaptersin this Masonic District of Blackburn and Darwen.

The evening was attended again by over 140 people mainly from the Charities receiving the donations large and small. The Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen, Councillor Maureen McGarvey, accompanied by the Mayoress Mrs Anne Law-Riding, praised the generosity of all Freemasons, when speaking on behalf of all the Charities attending.

   
         
   
         

The Past Assistant Provincial Grand Master W/Bro Harry Hesmondhalgh, who addressed the meeting stated “this is a true Masonic initiative, it is a humanitarian gesture with every kindness intended towards the bond between the Communities and Freemasonry and congratulated all the representatives of the Local Charities for their individual and combined endeavours “. He also explained that this money is generously given by the Freemasons themselves and not by collecting from the public. Some of the extra donations came from the East Lancashire Masonic Charity (Community Fund).

By the pure nature of this evening's activity Freemasonry will raise the level of public awareness to the generous contribution once again being made to the local community by Freemasonry and hopefully lead to a greater understanding of the principles on which Freemasonry is founded.

Click here to see the story of the redevelopment of Darwen Masonic Hall

 

The 2,500th  T.L.C. Teddy-Bear Presentation

This special occasion is to mark the delivery of the 2,500th …’Teddy with Loving Care’, having been donated to the Accident and Emergency Unit at this hospital, by the Freemasons, was held on :- Wednesday 30th January 2008, in the Upper Reception Area, at The Royal Blackburn Hospital, Haslingden Road, Blackburn, commencing at 10 a.m.

The first of the ‘Teddies with Loving Care’, was a pilot scheme in this area of Lancashire, and began at The A & E Unit at Blackburn Royal Infirmary, on the 20th April 2006, since then the nursing and play assistant staff, in the A & E Unit at The Royal Blackburn Hospital, have reported back that these small … 15 “ Teddy-bears … are the most valuable piece of equipment, they have, to overcome the trauma of an injured child needing treatment.

The Freemasons in England and Wales, have distributed in excess of 2 million ‘T.L.C. Bears’, and this is another successful community project that the Freemasons in :- The Masonic Province of East Lancashire, have undertaken in the past 3 years.

In attendance at this special presentation, was, from;  The East Lancashire N.H.S. Trust, M/s Samantha Nichol, Divisional Director of Medicine, M/s Susan Bowden, The N.H.S. Trust Communications Manager, and M/s Vicki Allen, Accident and Emergency Department Assistant Play Leader. 

The Mayors and Mayoresses or Consorts, of the Municipal Boroughs, of Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle District, Clitheroe, and the Ribble Valley, which are all served by this N.H.S. Trust.

The A. P. G. M., W/Bro. Philip G. Mountford, along with the local Masonic District Officers, of Northern Area No 1.    

W/Bro. Ian S. Ashton,  Blackburn and Darwen District Communications Officer, welcomed and introduced the civic guests, then, The  A.P.G.M. W/Bro P.G. Mountford,  gave explained the purpose, of this Masonic Project, and reported on the response from the project Nationally.
On behalf of The N.H.S. Trust, M/s Samantha Nichol, thanked W/Bro P.G. Mountford and all the Freemasons, for their generosity, as these ‘Little Bears’, do a healing job, that no doctor in the hospital can do, that is to :- ‘Remove the fear, of a frightened child, in strange surroundings.’, and then to have more confidence in the procedures, that the Doctor and Nurses, sometimes demonstrate on the T.L.C. Bear first !!
The Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen, Councillor Maureen Mc Garvey, congratulated the Freemasons, by having introduced the initiative into this hospital, and how a 15 inches high soft Bear, can have such a loving effect, on being received by a distraught child.
Then she added, that if she presented a tantrum, would she get a T.L.C.Bear ??

At this point in the proceedings, The District Charity Steward, W/Bro. David Lightbown, handed out memento T.L.C. Bears to all the distinguished guests.

Then followed a very nice Buffet, for all attending, where questions were asked and answered.

  

Photographs show … The Mayors and Masons, with in the foreground, Charity Stewards David Lightbown and Raymond Tattersall, alongside M/s  Samantha Nichol, holding T.L.C. Bears

If you have any new stories you would like to see published here, please contact

WBro Ian S Ashton, District Communications Officer for Blackburn & Darwen. Tel 01254 703666

 

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