London Freemasonry supports the Vocaleyes Charity

Parachute
Regiment
Lodge
9315

WHAT IS FREEMASONRY?

One of the oldest secular social and charitable organisations in the world, modern Freemasonry’s roots lie in the traditions of the medieval stonemasons who built our castles and cathedrals…

The lodge has held several social events such as witnessing the Tower of London Keys ceremony a lady’s festival at a hotel usually outside of London that provides opportunity for our families to enjoy the company that these types of events provide. Importantly we maintain links with the regiment and serving soldiers.

EVENTS

Delve into the rich traditions of Freemasonry as we gather to celebrate our shared values and principles

WHERE WE MEET

Our meetings are held on the 1st Saturday of March, June, September and December, at 60 Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5AZ. they usually start at 11am thus providing members ample time to travel to London to join the meetings. The June meeting is the installation meeting.

ABOUT

The Parachute Regiment Lodge was consecrated on 5th June 1989. Though named for our Regiment the decision was taken not to restrict membership to serving or former members, though the majority do fit that criteria. Our membership is drawn from a wide range of military, security and civilian backgrounds who all adopt our ethos, to be the best in all that we do…

ARENA

Engage in enlightening discussions, partake in meaningful rituals, and forge lasting connections with fellow brethren

W Bro John Little SLGR reports

Work of the VocalEyes charity in enabling the blind or partially sighted to experience theatre performances has been further supported with a grant of £5,000 from London Freemasons.

Established in 1998, VocalEyes uses Audio Description (known as AD) to help theatre venues and producers meet the needs of blind and partially sighted audiences. VocalEyes also facilitates touch tours and accessible information about a production or venue, as well as training for theatre staff.

The live AD, which enables a blind or partially sighted person to experience the theatre, consists of a verbal commentary which provides information on the visual elements of a production. It describes action essential to an understanding of the play, as well as other visual information such as the set design and visual jokes. It is broadcast to the audience member through a special headset.

To help an audience member prepare for their visit to the theatre, VocalEyes provides an audio recording a week before the performance containing information about the set, characters and costumes, as well as access information and contact details.

A touch tour before the show provides an opportunity to explore the set, props and costumes, and meet members of the cast. Large print and braille cast and creative lists are provided.

VocalEyes chief executive, Matthew Cock comments: “There are almost two million people in the UK living with sight loss including 360,000 people registered blind or partially sighted. We believe that they should have the best possible opportunities to experience and enjoy art and heritage and that cultural participation enriches lives and empowers an individual to engage with the world. There is no doubt this generous donation from London Freemasonry will help us with our mission.”

This article is part of the Arena Magazine, Issue 41 July 2020 edition.
Arena Magazine is the official magazine of the London Freemasons – Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Metropolitan Grand Chapter of London.

Read more articles in the Arena Issue 41.

READ ARENA HERE