Provincial Grand Master
R.W.Bro. Gary Hicks

Welcome to another Masonic Year..

A warm welcome to the website of the Mark Province of Dyfed which covers the three Counties of Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.

We hope that this website will be of interest to not only Freemasons but also to those merely intrigued.

The Mark Degree in Freemasonry, which greatly enhances the Craft Masons’ understanding of operative masonry, has been practised in the three counties for many years with our oldest Mark Lodge being established in 1870.

We currently have 12 Mark Lodges and 6 Royal Ark Mariner Lodges meeting at various centres throughout the Province.

The Province is governed by the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of England and Wales and its Districts and Lodges Overseas and is presided over by the Provincial Grand Master Right Worshipful Brother Gary Hicks and assisted by the Deputy Provincial Grand Master Worshipful Brother Martin Lowe.

The Province is very active bringing much pleasure and friendship to all its members .

It is known by its members as the “Friendly Degree”.

The Mark Degree promotes Charity with the Mark Grand Charity making very considerable contributions to
major National and International worthy causes.

The Province and individual Lodges also make donations to meet many Local needs.
We hope that this site will be a stimulus to Craft Masons’ to seek further insight into Freemasonry
and the Mark Degree in particular.

Some Heroes Wear Aprons

W.Bro Mike Price the Worshipful Master of Mansel Mark Lodge, and director of a stationery firm in Carmarthen called Bowen & Weaving, has been supplying clear binding covers for use in making  protective face masks for medical staff and other front line staff.

The success of the trial product means it is now part of a production line of some thirty two places from Aberystwyth to Swansea and a distribution line delivering them wherever they are needed, from South Wales to North Wales, to hospitals, doctors surgeries and care homes.

W.Bro Mike has so far supplied thirteen thousand clear binding covers and elastic bands which have been turned into face protectors, and more than five thousand more are on the way.

Our congratulations go to W Bro Mike..

See full story here  

CORONA VIRUS

Mark Masons Hall instructed that all Masonic Meetings be cancelled for the next 4 months (17th March 2020)

Details here 

CHANGE OF DATE FOR ANNUAL MEETING

(News of any re-instatement of the meeting will be posted here )

DYFED RAM Assembly now 19th June (changed from 12th June)

A full calendar is now available for 2020 here 

Honours Board Dedication Postponed

Following advice from Mark Mason's Hall a reluctant decision has been taken to Potpone the Meeting on Monday 16th March 2020.

News will follow when we have a better idea about the future progress of the the health restrictions. 

Congratulations to W Bro Roger Gealy appointed as Provincial Grand Senior Warden 
and W Bro Iwan Jenkins as Provincial Grand Junior Warden and to all other appointees.

Full list of those appointed and promoted in Provincial Grand Lodge are here 

W Bro Martin Lowe - Deputy Provincial Grand Master and R W Bro Gary Hicks PGM

Picton Castle Charity Donation

Picton Castle Lodge no 297

Prior to tiling at our lodge meeting Tuesday the 22nd of October 2019 our  PGM R W Bro Gareth Hicks accompanied by our WM W Bro Ron Ansell presented representatives of the PEMBROKESHIRE SPECIAL NEEDS GYMNASTIC CLUB, Judith Laxton, Selina Johnson and her son Jac with the cheque for £1500. Judith Laxton very graciously accepted the cheque on behalf of the special needs gym club.

Full story here 

Paul Sartori Hospice at Home 

From the PGM ....

In September Paul Sartori Hospice at Home, a cancer support charity in Pembrokeshire submitted
an appeal for a donation to purchase two specialised Toto automated bed turning systems for immobile
end of life patients, cared for by Paul Sartori, to reduce the risk of pressure damage in the later stages of
a life limiting illness.
Paul Sartori Hospice at Home is seeking funding to the value of £3900 to purchase two Toto Lateral
Turning Systems (automated bed turning systems). 

I am delighted to inform you that this appeal has been approved. 

Here are links to the up to date list of Grants approved by the MBF as published on 14th October,
and also the MBF Worthy Causes Guideline.

We must continue to encourage Mark Masons to actively look for good causes in their areas,
and whilst we cannot guarantee that applications will be successful we must try our best to use the MBF

Best wishes, Gary Hicks, PGM

Coracle Donation to MBF

W.Bro Emyr Davies, Commander of Coracle Lodge RAM presenting a cheque to the PGM in aid of the MBF.

Ty Hafan Donation

Following a successful Installation meeting at Mansell Mark, Worshipful Master
Brian Vince was pleased to present a cheque for £300 to Maree Thomas
Carmarthen Shop manager for Ty Hafan.
The money was raised by the Installation Festive Board Raffle.

(Photo shows WM Brian Vince with Manageress Maree Thomas)

Charity Donations..

Each Lodge in the Province has chosen £1,500 donation to non-masonic worthy causes in our
area as part of the  Province’s MBF 150^th Anniversary Commemoration Scheme - Full details here 

Mansel Mark Lodge No 820:

Talking Newspaper for the Blind (Carmarthenshire branch) £1000.00,
National Autistic Society (Carmarthenshire branch) £500.00.

Picton Castle Mark Lodge No 297:

Pembrokeshire Special Needs Gymnastics Club, towards new flooring and equipment, £1500.00.

St Bride’s Mark Lodge No 729:

Milford Haven Talking Mercury (talking (newspaper) £750.00,
Little Hearts Matter (support for anyone suffering from a single ventricle heart condition) £750.00

Lliedi Mark Lodge No 820:

Chemotherapy Unit, Prince Philip Hospital, Llanelli, £750.00,
Cylch Meithrin Felinfoel, £750.00.

Penfro Mark Lodge No 1102:

Pembrokeshire Action to Combat Hardship, £1500.00.

Loventium Mark Lodge No 1287:

DASH(Ceredigion (leisure schemes for disabled children and young people), £1500.00.

Teifi Mark Lodge No 1441:

Alzheimer’s Society Cymru (West Wales Office) £1500.00.

Aberystwyth Mark Lodge No 1674:

Mind (Aberystwyth), towards a project assisting young people with mental health problems, £1500.00.

Carreg Wastad Mark Lodge No 1705:

DPJ Foundation, £750.00,
Get the Boys a Lift, £750.00.
Both causes provide awareness and support in West Wales regarding mental health.

Presentation of New St John's Ambulance (MBF)

At 9.30am on Saturday June 29^th immediately prior to the Provincial Meeting,
the Mark Benevolent Fund will officially handover a new state of the art ambulance
to the St John’s Ambulance Service, Dyfed Branch.

This is the latest donation from the Fund’s £3.3 million plan to provide similar
vehicles and treatment facilities to St John’s branches throughout the Welsh
and English Provinces and, having donated over £30,000 to the MBF over
the past six years, Dyfed Mark Masons can feel proud of their contribution
to the work of our national charity.

The vehicle has already seen valuable service throughout Dyfed’s three counties
and I hope further information about it will be available shortly.

The Provincial Grand Master, R W Gary Hicks, hopes as many brethren as possible
will arrive at the Provincial Meeting a little early to attend the presentation.  

Bob Davies

Provincial Grand Charity Steward

Royal Ark Mariner Assembly 2019

June 14th saw the 2019 Dyfed Royal Ark Mariner Provincial Assembly held at Carmarthen
ollowing the proclamation of W Bro Jeffrey Squirrel as Master of the De Gorllwein RAM Lodge.
A great turn out of Royal Ark Mariner members of the Province and visits by the Provincial
Grand Master of South Wales RW Bro Eirion Jones and his deputy W Bro Payul Calderwood,
and the Deputy PGM from Monmouthshire Philip Sefton.

Congratulations to newly appointed holders of Provincial Royal Ark Mariner Grand Rank -
W Brethren Wynford Allen, Evan Wynne Davies, Robert Victor Johns and Gareth Jones.

A high point of the meeting was the dedication of the new Dyfed Royal Ark Mariner Banner,
and appointment of Bro Brian Vince as the Provincial Banner Bearer.

Pictured R-L:
RWBro Eirion Jones (PGM S Wales), RW Bro Ivor Shuttleworth (Past PGM Dyfed)
Bro Brian Vince (Banner Bearer), RW Bro Gareth Hicks (PGM), RW Bro Nigel Adams (Past PGM Dyfed)

The dedication team - under the Direction of W Bro Gareth Owen Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies

L to R:
W Bro Emyr Davies (PrGSW), W Bro Tom Evans (PrGChap) RW Bro Gareth Hicks (PGM)
W Bro Gareth Owen (PrGDC) and W Bro Sion Wilson (PrGJW).

The festive Board was held in the Ivy Bush Hotel. 

2019 Mark Grand Lodge

On the 11th June the PGM, Deputy and other brethren attended the Grand Lodge
meeting where W.Bro Lionel Clarke Hughes was invested with the rank of
Past Assistant Grand Standard Bearer by the MW Bro. HRH Prince Michael of Kent.
A good day was had by all

2019 Mark Golf Day - Fri 24th May 2019

Memorial Cup Jim Doyle

Sadly, we had a poor turn out for this year's annual Dyfed Mark Golf Day,
but thanks to the ten stalwart heroes a great day was had at Derllys Golf Course
where the hospitality was excellent. 

Congratulations on raising nearly £150 pounds for Benevolent funds.

Winner of the Dyfed Mark Golf day was Alan Denison who also won "Closest to the Pin"

Eric Mock won Longest Drive

There was also prize for Guests who are not members of Mark , & the winner of was Dudley.

We had Raffle etc

The Mark Benevolent Fund Grand Parade
Tuesday, 12 March 2019 at 2pm
Freemasons’ Hall, London

Latest News from the Province -

Mark Provincial Lottery 

Brethren are reminded of the Provincial Lottery which will provide prizes at the Provincial Festive Board.

Last year's prizes were - 1st Prize - £225 - 2nd Prize £135 - and 3rd Prize £90 

Details and Applications forms and rules are available on the Lottery Page... Click here for details...

January 2019 - Mansell Mark Installation 

An excellent turnout for the Installation of W Bro Brian Vince with
20 Grand Lodge Officers and 54 Past Masters in the Inner Workings.
Excellent work by W Bro Vernon Edwards as installing Master who
also gave the Working Tools ...  Both seen here with W Bro Martin
Lowe Deputy Provincial Grand Master. 

October 2018 Installation sees
W Bro Adrian Hallett as Master in Llanelli

Handover of New Volvo First Response Vehicle

Members of Loventium Mark Lodge at the Handover of a new First response vehicle for the Aberaeron area.

Mid & West Wales Fire Service receive the vehicle on 12th October 2018. 
Donations of £250 from Loventium Mark Lodge and £250 from the Dyfed Mark Province.

   
full story here .....

Blood Bike Awareness Day

On Friday 17^th August 2018 (Blood Bikes Awareness Day), The PGM, the Deputy PGM and their wives attended a very well organised MBF National Blood Bikes Dedication and Handover day at the National Conference Centre Birmingham - Full story here