Sunday the 2nd July 2023 saw brethren from the province take the trailer for a Big Day Out.

Tottington’s Big Day Out is an annual community event held at St Johns Cricket Ground, Crompton Meadows, Tottington, on the first Sunday of July. Featuring Live Bands, Stalls, Charities and Community Groups all in aid of putting on a good show for the local community.

This year Worshipful Brothers Rob Ashton, Andrew Kinsey & John Clayton and Brothers Peter Lang & Ovi manned the trailer at the event to raise awareness of Freemasonry and to get Freemasonry in the Western Area out and about and more importantly engaged with the community.

For our trusty heroes of freemasonry, the event preparation started on the Thursday evening prior to the weekend. With the trailer having not moved for some time, WBro’s Ashton, Kinsey and Clayton took on the roles of cleaners and donning a different apron set about operation clean up!

WBro Peter Blackhurst and his trusty 40-year-old Volvo came to tow the trailer to the local garage where we set about jet washing years of grime of the trailer. After the obvious water fight that was always going to happen between Rob Ashton and John Clayton the brothers in Alms made the trailer Blue again!

Once back at its pitch at Hewlett Court a rendition of ‘I Want to Break Free’ was sang as the clean team hoovered and wiped down the inside of the trailer. A job very well done indeed!

The Main Event!

Bro’s Ashton, Kinsey, Clayton and Blackhurst met up bright and early 8am at Hewlett Court, hooked up the trailer and headed to the cricket ground. After taking out a few traffic cones laid out for the Iron Man contest that was also taking place the same day, we arrived almost unscathed at the event.

Pitching the trailer very conveniently near to the club house (Bar) we set our stall to promote Freemasonry in the community. Bro’s Lang and Ovi joined the ranks around 1pm and we all got to work blowing up balloons, handing out information booklets and chatting to anyone that would talk to us.

On the day we estimate that we blew up and handed out well over 500 ELMC balloons to children that were at the event and gave over 100 What’s it all about information booklets out. In time I am sure we will see the fruits of our labour from this glorious day!

All in all, a very successful exercise for getting Freemasonry out in the community and letting people know what we are all about.

The event ended at 6.30pm and as we waited for Bro Blackhurst to make it through the crowd with his trusty steed the brethren reflected on what was a very good day out.

Pitching the trailer back at Hewlett Court, there was of course only one thing left for our heroes to do, venture to the pub for a well-deserved celebratory pint followed by a curry. It was after all a long day!

Report by WBro Rob Ashton