Chapter - Gauge our Rulers

 

How will our Rulers measure up in your Chapter ceremony?  Now is your chance to find out…

 

1. Introduction

  1. Following on from the highly successful “Gauge Our Rulers” earlier this year in Craft Lodges when the sum of £22,000 was raised for the Festival the Chapter initiative was launched by the Most Excellent Grand Superintendent at the meeting of Provincial Grand Chapter on 15th November 2025
  2. These notes are provided for the benefit of Chapters in the hope that they will fully engage with this Festival fundraising initiative.
  3. These include:
    • providing a candidate with a memorable and unique experience and a positive impression of the Chapter that he has joined
    • incentivising Chapters to find candidates
    • promoting fraternal visiting across the Province
    • providing a further means by which Chapters can engage with the Festival
    • helping Chapters to meet their Festival honorific objectives
    • raising funds for the Festival
    • encouraging members of Chapters who are not already Festival Stewards to make that commitment.
  4. For all of these reasons, the Rulers and the Festival Committee are fully supportive of this initiative and hope that the whole Province will participate enthusiastically with it.

 

2. Explanation of the Scheme

  1. Chapters are invited to enter a lottery for the purposes of securing the participation of a Ruler in an Exhaltation Ceremony
  2. Rulers will not take the Chairs of the Chapter or deliver ritual that is traditionally reserved for the Chapter Principals etc.
  3. Rulers will attend with a Provincial Director of Ceremonies
  4. Payments that are made by Chapters for the purposes of participating in the scheme will be credited to the Lodge’s Festival honorifics total.
  5. The lottery for the 2026 scheme will open on 5th January 2026 and close on 31st May 2026
  6. Entries will be drawn by the Most Excellent Grand Superintendent at the first convenient meeting after 31st May 2026. The order in which lottery entries are drawn will determine which Ruler attends:
    • the first entry drawn wins The Most Excellent the Second Grand Principal Sir David Wootton 
    • the second entry drawn wins The Most Excellent Grand Superintendent
    • the third entry drawn wins the Second Provincial Grand Principal
    • the fourth entry drawn wins the Third Provincial Grand Principal
    • the fifth entry drawn wins the Deputy Grand Superintendent
    • the sixth entry drawn wins the Deputy Provincial Grand Master
  7. The successful Chapters will be notified by e-mail within one week of the draw being made and the results of the draw will then be posted on the Provincial Facebook page.
  8. Successful Chapters are encouraged to promote as much as possible the meeting at which the ceremony will take place in order to maximise visiting.
  9. There is no time limit by when the ceremony must be held. Ideally, however, the ceremony will be held as soon as possible.
  10. The attending Ruler will respond to the toast to the Province at the Festive Board and will sit next to the candidate at the Festive Board.
  11. It is expected that a raffle will be held during the Festive Board in aid of the Festival.

 

3. Scheme Fees and Entry Requirements

a. The required donation for each entry in the lottery is £50. Chapters are able (and positively encouraged) to make as many entries as they like.  However, a Chapter is only able to win one Ruler in the draw.

b. Payments are to be made into the Festival Relief Chest.  Payment must be made in full at the time of entering.

c. Payment details are provided on the entry form but are also set out below for convenience.

Account name: The Relief Chest Scheme No 1

Account Number: 02585235

Sort code: 18-00-02

Please use the payment reference YWRMCF2028C****GTR  (The asterisks should be replaced by the Chapter (“C”) number.)

4. Conclusion

a. The Festival Committee would like to encourage every Chapter within the Province to engage with this initiative as fully as possible. It has the full support of the MCF, the Second Grand principal and all the Provincial Rulers in the Craft and Royal Arch.

b. Any queries should be initially directed to the Chapters Charity Steward or Scribe E. If they cannot be resolved by the Chapter Charity Steward, they should be sent to the Festival Secretary, W Bro John Robinson, at jkrfestival28@gmail.com

 

 

The MCF 2028 Festival Committee

December 2025

     

    Entry Form C 3 Docx
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