We are extremely saddened by the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and offer our condolences to The King and the Royal Family.

We are privileged to have lived under under reign, a simply incredible woman who dedicated her life to the United Kingdom ,her realms and Commonwealth.

May she rest in peace.

This weekend 6 members of the club embarked on climbing Mt Snowden in Wales.

My name’s Tom and I’m a firefighter. In August of this year I will be climbing Mt. Snowdon with the intention of raising as much as possible for The Firefighters Charity.

The work they do to give personalised support to the whole of the fire service community is invaluable. By supporting the Mental, Physical and Emotional health of not only serving firefighters, control and support staff, as well as their families, they have a huge impact and are vitally important. That is why I have chosen this charity.

Not sure on total amount as people are still donating. My target was £150 but so far I’ve raised £3,247

Help Tom raise as much money as he can:

I’ve been doing a lot of running and walking in preparation and look forward to the big climb!

It’s an exciting time for the Essex Cornerstone Chapter as the founders have been signing the petition over the last few months. There has been a huge amount of organisation and planning going on with so much more to do for the Consecration in 2023.

On Friday 10th June there was another fantastic meeting of the Essex Cornerstone Lodge.

The Lodge looks to strike a balance between exceptional ritual & floorwork, and the creative planning of the Festive Board & post-toast entertainment. This time was an Ibiza theme, with inflatable decor, rolling tapas buffet starter, huge paella main followed by live entertainment.

There was background music from a DJ booth during the meal, and a live saxophonist playing in time with chilled tunes afterwards. These Lodge meetings are open to all Freemasons, regardless of age, and it’s so wonderful to see so many guests from across the Province connecting in such a unique way.

Last week was our community litter pick along Southend Seafront.

Southend receives many visitors on sunny weekends who don’t always leave our local beaches in the way they are found.

Members of the Essex Cornerstone Club worked collaboratively with Southend County Council to walk the beaches one evening collecting sacks of littler, making our local community cleaner and safer.

February 5th saw the Club host its showpiece event; The Annual Members’ Dinner at The House of Commons. 70 Club members and guests were finally able to celebrate the restart of Freemasonry, and they certainly celebrated in style.

Joined by the Provincial Grand Master Paul Tarrant, the evening began with pre-drinks on the terrace overlooking The Thames. Brethren were then moved into the historical Churchill Room for dinner. During dinner it was announced that Bro Bernie Smith would become the Club’s new Chairman after the departure of W.Bro Jack Gilliland. Bro Bernie emphasised the importance of the Club to young Freemasons in Essex and in supporting one another throughout their masonic journeys.

Planning is already underway for the 2023 Annual Dinner so please keep an eye out for future announcements.

At the end of an impressive tree lined drive in the Essex countryside is the stunning Braxted House with its secret walled garden, enchanting pavilion, and exquisite orangery. There, on 9th October 2021, members of the Essex Cornerstone Club welcomed fellow Freemasons, their families and friends with reception drinks and canapes followed by a delicious three-course meal. After dinner the guests were treated to an evening of live music and danced the night away in the marquee

This Autumn Ball black-tie event celebrated the launch of the Essex Cornerstone Foundation, a new charity set up to support local Essex good causes, particularly those with young people in mind. The Foundation unites the charitable efforts of the Essex Cornerstone Club and the Essex Cornerstone Lodge, the world’s first Lodge for Young Freemasons.

One of the main guests, Nick Franklin, the Deputy Provincial Grand Master of Essex Freemasons, said 'I was absolutely thrilled to attend the wonderful Autumn Ball along with many other members of the Essex Provincial Executive. This new charity has been set up to support some very worthwhile causes around Essex, which is something we can all get behind'.  

Nick further explained that 'The Essex Cornerstone Club has become an integral part of Essex Freemasonry over the last five years since it was established and has been a driving force amongst New and Young Masons Clubs across the English Constitution'.

After dinner, but before the young Essex Freemasons danced the night away, a raffle was held for the Essex Cornerstone Foundation. Prizes included a Ferrari driving experience, afternoon tea at Harrods, and signed sports memorabilia. Over £2,000 was raised for the new charity and will be donated to Essex good causes later in the year. Freemasonry is one of the largest charitable givers in the country, contributing more than £51m to deserving causes in 2020 alone.

We match you with the trainer best equipped to help you meet your specific goals and preferences.

Give yourself the kit you need to leave your competition in the dust. Find your next pair of running shoes

No matter your starting point, our team of certified and experienced trainers will make your fitness their priority.

The Essex Cornerstone continues to lead the way, supporting a growing range of good causes across the county with a youth programme focussed on local charities dedicated to helping young people and children in need.

Last year the Essex Cornerstone started a scheme to supply NHS hospital wards with iPad/tablet devices to allow patients to communicate with their relatives whilst patient visiting has been restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The success of this scheme led many other Provinces to take up the challenge as well.

Following this success, at the start of the second COVID-19 peak, with schools closing, we were approached by W.Bro Henry Bass to see if we could help support his local school, Templars Academy in Witham, to provide computers to help support home learning.

Ten months after the first national lockdown, with schools across England once again closed due to the pandemic, it is clear that many students still do not have access to a computer, laptop or data.

The Essex Cornerstone rose to the challenge and quickly provided the school with 10 laptops.

Cornerstone Chairman Dr Jack Gilliland commented “We are delighted to have been able to provide support to Templars Academy, and know that the laptops we have donated will help school children access online learning during the lockdown. Being able to provide this support at a time of need harmonises with the ethos of the Essex Cornerstone supporting young people”.

Quotes from the School

Miss Victoria Gooding, Head of School, Templars Academy, “The laptops that were very generously donated to Templars Academy will without doubt support our families to access online learning. Families are struggling at the moment; without adequate or sufficient access to technology, some families have either no way of accessing the live or recorded lessons and the learning that is set on a daily basis. Some of our families are working from printed copies of work because of this, but the laptops being given to them will enable them to easily log-on and use Microsoft Teams or access the school website. The laptops also support our families who have many siblings. Again, we are very grateful for how this provides learning opportunities for our students who are most disadvantaged.”

Faye Welsher, MAT Safeguarding Lead and Family Liaison Officer Templars Academy, “I just wanted to put in writing a huge thank you for the generous gift of the laptops. We have identified specific children that will hugely benefit from this.  The families are completely overwhelmed and grateful”.

Jane Bass, “Can I also, as CEO of Connected Learning MAT, the Academy Trust, of which Templars is a member school, say a big thank you for your generous gift of laptops. For pupils of the school, who do not access to IT devices whilst trying to learn at home, these will make such a difference to their learning”.