Ruddington is playing its part in celebrating an interesting tercentenary in Nottinghamshire this year.
It was back on the 24th of June 1717 that four Freemasons’ lodges in London got together to create the original Grand Lodge. Now, three hundred years on, Nottinghamshire Masons are putting on a ‘Community Fun Day’ in Nottingham’s Old Market Square to mark the milestone. It’s taking place on Saturday the 17th June, between 10am and 5pm, and it’s a celebration partly aimed at “demystifying” Freemasonry – and letting the general public know of the many local causes and charities which benefit from their continuous but often little publicised fundraising efforts.
However, the focus of the slab square event will be ‘Fun For All Ages’. This has largely been co-ordinated by Ruddington resident Graham Riche – famous locally for his “Teddies For Loving Care” initiative. Attractions on the day will include a fairground with traditional stalls including candyfloss & popcorn, a story teller, street entertainers, Morris men, a graffiti artist, and even the Nottingham Brewery sponsored “Knights of Nottingham” on horseback! Of course you can expect a beer tent, wine and cocktails, traditional tea & cakes, barista coffee, strawberries & cream, and a selection of Indian, Caribbean & English hot food.
There’s also to be a main stage featuring live entertainment from local bands, singers and dancers plus interviews with Nottinghamshire sporting personalities – which will be conducted by local radio presenters (and MCs for the day) John Holmes and Graham Wright. Sporting stars include Ruddington’s own James Shaw the twenty-one year old, three-time GB wheelchair tennis national champion who is currently ranked the world number 11 in the singles Quads and number 18 in the doubles. He was born with Cerebral Palsy, which affects his arms and legs, meaning he needs a wheelchair to get around. Since being selected for the highly successful GB wheelchair tennis programme in 2014, James has won 4 international events and beaten multiple Paralympic medallists. His most recent victory was as part of Great Britain’s quad wheelchair tennis team – who won their fifth World Team Cup on May the 7th after beating Israel 2-1 in the final. He has aspirations to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics – after seeing first-hand what it’s like to compete at a Paralympics as part of ‘Paralympics GB Inspiration Programme’ in Rio 2016.
James, who went to both the infants and primary schools in our village, told RUDDINGTON.info: “I got to go back to St Peter’s earlier in the year to speak about my achievement which was a real honour to do. Although my training isn’t based in Ruddington I do regular pushing exercises and hand cycling in and around the village and Rushcliffe Country Park especially. Also I have been able to enlist help from local Ruddington businesses including ‘The Nottingham’ to help raise money for my training costs.”
That work in the community will be showcased by a ‘Charity Village’ featuring several local organisations and charities that have benefited from masonic charitable donations, including Ruddington Village FC. Plus a masonic ‘Big Tent’ will be displaying information about Freemasonry – with members on hand to answer any questions.
You can see the full list of Old Market Square attractions >>HERE<<.
Also on the 17th of June, the Masonic Hall in Goldsmith St will be open to the public. There will be guided tours of the building and its temples, an exhibition of masonic artefacts and the opportunity to enjoy light refreshments and drinks in its bar and restaurant.
Remember you can catch Nottingham City Transport’s Navy 3 bus from Ruddington directly into the Old Market Square – for this family day out to celebrate 300 years of Freemasonry in Nottinghamshire.
