Not at all—we are a society with secrets, rather than a secret society! Our presence in Berkshire is very public, our meeting places are clearly signposted, and we openly celebrate our charitable work and social events (which family and non-members are often welcome to attend). We do hold onto a few traditional secrets, but these are simply historical modes of recognition—like specific handshakes and passwords—used to prove membership, much like using a PIN for a bank account.

When becoming a Freemason, members are expected to be able to affirm a belief in a ‘Supreme Being’.  This is deliberately phrased so as to be fully inclusive; most of our members generally believe in a God – be it Christian, Muslim, Sikh or Jewish etc – of some sort, and there is no requirement to be an active practitioner of any particular religion.

On average the annual dues and other fees amount to £200 a year, although there are local variations.

It is the sheer scale. We are one of the biggest charitable givers in the country and gave £51.1m to charities in 2020 alone.

The Masonic Charitable Foundation, the Freemasons’ Charity – our national charitable grant giving arm, tackles some of the most significant challenges facing society, in particular, reducing loneliness in later life and ensuring a positive future for young children. We work in partnership with some of the biggest charities in the country to deliver our support.

Freemasonry also does a huge amount for medical research into treatments for cancer, diabetes, heart disease and a whole range of other conditions. In addittion it makes donations to support those affected by overseas disasters as well as those at home, such as the Grenfell Tower disaster.

During the Covid Pandemic Freemasons working together to help their communities. The United Grand Lodge of England, and its members, are doing all they can to help in the fight the coronavirus. We have seen remarkable stories from across the country of how our members came together – from helping to raise vital funds for the NHS and delivering food to the community, through to purchasing ambulances and manufacturing vital personal protective equipment (PPE). To support Freemasonry’s charitable response to the coronavirus pandemic, UGLE and the Masonic Charitable Foundation, the Freemasons’ charity, established the Freemasons’ COVID-19 Community Fund.

This Fund has helped to support a range of local and national charities and projects that are helping people through the current coronavirus pandemic and in total has donated £3m during the pandemic.