Jason McCreanney: Sussex Freemasons West Group Wellbeing Lead – jasonmccreanney@sussexmasons.org.uk
Wellbeing is the fundamental care we can offer our Brethren, Widows and Dependents. We learn in masonry to care for one another, “for he who is placed on the lowest ebb of fortune and distress is equally entitled to our regard”.
In the west we believe that every freemason and their dependents deserve quality care at all times. We have an Almoners team under the direction of the PGA Neil Philipson who has 4 Regional Leads. In the West Group we have Jason McCreanney and Terry Reed, who helped produce the new Sussex Almoners Handbook.
The West Group Lead has circulated the Handbook to all Lodge Almoners within the West Group, and has provided a number of opportunities to discuss this either in person or in group face to face seminars. The last of which was held in Pagham Village Hall, please see photo.
It has been deemed so successful that the Province has requested this now be duplicated in the other regions, which is currently being arranged, next in the North Sussex Region.
Our message is for all Almoners to have a “Pro-Active” approach to their work, and not wait to react to
members. This involves a great deal of work contacting their Lodge members and really getting to know them personally. As a start, we recommend this basic 3-point plan: –
- Each Almoner contacts the Secretary one week before every meeting to collect the list of apologies
and then call everyone up, just to make sure they are ok. - Attend all the meetings to connect with the members and record all who are there and note any who should of been there and did not attend.
- The following day after the meeting to call all those who did not attend, to make sure they are all alright, and to action any feedback from the brethren, with compassion and understanding.
We hope this will be adopted by the Almoners and their teams across the West Group and the Almoners reports to prove that they are indeed working “Pro-Actively”.
There is a Sussex West Group Almoners “WhatsApp” group with currently 17 members on it, we hope that more will join it. However, this requires a Mobile Smart Phone with the App installed on it. If the current Almoner does not have one, perhaps you could join the Almoners Team and provide this function for him? We encourage more brethren in the Lodge to become assistant Almoners, as if it is done well, it is a vast roll which can only give value to all the members of your Lodge and perhaps the glue that holds the lodge together.
For more information call Jason on 07703 200 289 or email him at jason@mccreanney.co.uk