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On Friday 10 January The Adrian Davies Lodge of Rugby Union 9884 held a meeting after which the Lodge held a successful ‘white table’ festive board attended by many visiting brethren and invited non masonic guests. The Festive Board gave the lodge the opportunity to present charitable cheques confirming their continuing support for rugby in the province of Gloucestershire.
Mr Nicholas (Nelmer) Nelmes, Secretary of Lydney RFC attended and was presented with a charitable donation of £1000 pound to support the club in replacing equipment lost following the devastating flooding following Storm Bert in November 2024. Mr Nelmes thanked the lodge and recognised the long-standing links between Lydney RFC and Masonry over the years.
This year the lodge has also chosen to donate to a fantastic initiative led by Mr Chris White, former international referee to support young referees in Gloucestershire and with the help of Emily Hope and Ben Simpson, who are part of the programme and joined the festive board, to visit schools and clubs to encourage the next generation to pick up the whistle. In the first month of this season alone, the young referees officiated in over 150 matches in the county. They will also be running referee courses to increase the numbers for next season. Previous participants in this scheme include Christophe Ridley, Anthony Woodthorpe and Matt Carley who all refereed in the premiership in the weekend before the meeting.
The lodge has seen to support the programme with £3,500 and presented Mr White a cheque which will help with both recruitment and support including sport psychology. The lodge acknowledges the lack of numbers coming into refereeing and the pressures they are subjected to. Without a referee there is no game.
As well as these two donations the Adrian Davies Lodge of Rugby Union continues to support the mini and youth rugby festivals throughout the county, ensuring all young players are recognised at each tournament. The Lodge has supported these events to the tune of £15,000.00 over recent years.
The ADLoRU meets at various Masonic Halls throughout the province during the season and should any of the brethren in the county be interested in joining the ADLoRU then contact the secretary on