Freemasons reel in new members at Leeds ceremony

A new lodge for lovers of country pursuits is set to be launched during a ceremony at castle Grove Masonic Hall in Headingley on November 3.

St Hubertus Lodge is thought to be the first new lodge to be launched in West Yorkshire since October 2013, when the Bradfordians Lodge was started for Freemasons conneted with Bradford Grammar School.

Named after the patron saint of hunters, the event will see Freemasons from all over the country travelling to Leeds to attend the consecration ceremony.

St Huberts lodge will move around the country and hold its ceremonies in the afternoon, giving the members chance to travel to and from the meeting. The new lodge is the brainchild of Craig Kidd, a paramedic from Kellington near Knottingley, who is a qualified deer manager and stalker and a Mason of 19 years.

Mr Kidd said: “St Hubertus is a lodge for those who love all types of country pursuits, be it shooting, fishing, horse riding, rambling, deer stalking or bird watching.”

He added: “We already have 59 founders and seven joining members from all over the country, and it will be my honour and privilege to be its first Master.

“Yorkshire is home to a large number of game and country fairs, and Harrogate is home to one of the largest in the country, the Great Yorkshire Show. It’s our aim to have representatives at a good number, where we will already have a common connection, and talk to them about Freemasonry, its ethos, aims and its charitable work.”