First Rising Special Edition - Meetings in Wales

1. The Welsh government has announced that from 17 May some indoor meetings of up to 30 people are likely to be permitted where they meet the statutory requirements. This matches the timing of similar relaxations in England, but be aware that the detail is different.

2. If the government does declare that Wales is in Alert Level 2 from 17 May as expected then a Masonic Centre in Wales will be able to host Masonic meetings of up to 30 people from 17 May if:
a.   it has complied with the requirements set out in the Regulations; and
b.   had regard to any guidance published by the Welsh government from time to time.
Note that licensed premises are subject to additional restrictions.

3. Meeting organisers, who will ordinarily be Lodge officers, have an additional obligation to take all reasonable measures to ensure that no more than 30 people attend any meeting.

4. If the meeting is held in a Masonic Centre which has indoor spaces open to the public then each attendee will also be subject to the usual face coverings rules.

5. Indoor dining in a restaurant or a Masonic Centre from 17 May will be restricted to groups of up to 4 people.

Guidance for the Province of West Wales

29^th April 2021

Dear Brethren and Companions,

Further to the First Rising earlier this week, I can confirm that the suspension of freemasonry in West Wales will be lifted from Monday 17th May 2021 (subject to Government Guidance and Regulations in force at that time).

The Welsh Government plans to move to alert level 3 from Monday 3^rd May 2021. It will then be possible for lodges and chapters, should they wish, to take advantage of the ability for no more than 15 people to meet indoors to undertake rehearsals/committee meetings in readiness for meetings to resume from the 17 May. (The "fourteen days" is to allow time for summonses to be issued and brethren & companions to have reasonable notice of the resumption.)

We are grateful to those hard-working members who have prepared our masonic meeting places for reopening and we look forward to meetings resuming. The incoming Welsh Government may move to Alert Level 2 from 17 May. This will permit masonic centres in Wales to host meetings of up to 30 people, (or the maximum capacity identified in the masonic centre’s risk assessment, whichever is lower), if they have complied with the requirements set out in the regulations. Please note that licensed premises are subject to additional restrictions.

Should you have any queries in relation the specific requirements for your building, please contact our Masonic Centres Officer:

W Bro Andrew Morgan at andrew@morgananddavies.co.uk , who I am sure will be pleased to help.

The resumption of Masonic meetings is excellent news, following such a difficult period of suspension. We can now look forward to being able to enjoy each other's company soon.

Please remember that no brother or companion should feel under any pressure to attend or stay away. It is an individual's personal decision to resume their masonic labour.

Kind regards

Yours sincerely and fraternally,

W Bro Anthony C Trumper

Provincial Grand Secretary

Province of West Wales

Welsh Government Coronavirus Control Plan - March 21
Welsh Government updated Coronavirus Control Plan, which takes account of vaccination and the dominant Kent variant. It sets out how Wales will move through the alert levels and how the Government can help people and businesses plan for the future, as we continue our careful approach to unlocking the current restrictions.
coronavirus-control-plan-revised-alert-l[...]
Adobe Acrobat document [335.8 KB]

Masonic Centres Guidance
The latest guidance for masonic centres.
MasonicCentresGuidanceMasterDoc.v37_.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [8.5 MB]