It hardly seems possible that there is less than two years to go before the end of our Festival 2011 Appeal - the time seems to have gone by so quickly and during that time I have never ceased to be amazed by the generosity of Essex Freemasons.

As you would have read in the last edition of the Essex Mason we have raised, more than £3 million so far. It has been a magnificent effort but I am hoping that between now and 2011 we can go that extra mile.There certainly seems to be no shortage of will with Lodges and Chapters reporting double and even triple grand patron status supported by fund raising initiatives too numerous to mention.

As I travel around the Province I am heartened by what I see and simply saying thank you almost seems inadequate for the sheer effort put in by so many masons.

I am therefore looking forward to meeting as many of you and your partners as possible at the Festival 2011 celebration at The Guildhall in June next year. There is no doubt that it will be a glittering occasion, an opportunity for all of us to hopefully celebrate a job well done.

It will literally be a celebration of Freemasonry in Essex and the efforts made by so many across our wonderful Province.