Beauchamp Council, meeting at the wonderful St Mary Magdalene Chapel, Guy’s Cliffe, held their first meeting of 2022 on 25th February, sadly with only a small number of available members, and only a few visitors. Beauchamp is the ‘mother’ Council of R Ill Comp Peter Wellings, our District Grand Master, which he joined in 1998, and became Thrice Illustrious Master in 2009. This was also the first occasion that Peter had been able to return to Beauchamp since becoming head of the Royal & Select Masters in Warwickshire.

St Mary Magdalene Chapter is a fabulous venue for any masonic meeting, with a long history and inspiring atmosphere, with the statue of Guy of Warwick towering above all present. If you have never been to Guy’s Cliffe, put it on your priority list – it is one of the most impressive meeting places in the Province, possibly in the country.

So back to Beauchamp. The Thrice Illustrious Master, Ill Comp Brian Glover, opened the Chapter, and after inviting acting officers to take their places, he asked for a eulogy to be presented in respect of Comp Trevor Wellings, who sadly died in January, which was given by his son, the District Grand Master. Comp Trevor was also a member of Beauchamp Council and will be sadly missed by all who knew him.

The Thrice Illustrious Master, then conducted a superb Induction of Ill Comp Richard Ainsworth as his successor, assisted by Ill Comp Graham Masefield acting as Deputy Master, and Ill Comp Paul Harrison, Deputy District Grand Master, acting as PCW. The newly inducted Thrice Illustrious Master, Ill Comp Richard Ainsworth, in his own inimitable style, invested the rest of his officers and concluded the meeting. Ill Comp Richard has previously been TIM in 2003 & 2013, and is a member of other Councils, where he has also been TIM – in fact, he installed his successor in Rocherberie Council just three days before this meeting. That’s quite a record!

Pictured with our DGM, R Ill Comp Peter Wellings, are Ill Comp David Stanford, Deputy Master, Ill Comp Richard Ainsworth, TIM, Ill Comp Paul Harrison, Deputy DGM, Acting PCW, and Ill Comp Brian Glover, now Immediate Past TIM