Last updated 19:41, Thursday, 03 April 2008

AN initiative to remove the secrecy that surrounds freemasonry was launched on Saturday at Workington’s Helena Thompson Museum.

It features priceless artifacts which have previously never left London.

Two non-masons were chief guests at the official opening of Freemasonry Explained; Allerdale mayor Ron Munby, of Keswick, who was accompanied by his mayoress wife Helen, and Workington MP Tony Cunningham.

The exhibition, which runs for a month and features artifacts from the United Grand Lodge of England, was opened by the movement’s provincial grand master for Cumberland and Westmorland, John Hale, of Maryport.

Leading freemason Keith Beattie, of Thorncroft Gardens, Workington, a former master of Eden Lodge and an officer of ‘grand’ rank, has worked in personnel management - currently with Cumbria police - for many years.

He said: “I’ve interviewed many people for many jobs over many years and only on two occasions has an applicant paraded the fact that he was a freemason.

“On both occasions, I made it clear that membership was irrelevant to making the appointment.

“You look for only one thing - the right person for the job and if I didn't work on that basis, I would expect to be rightly pilloried for it.”

Mr Beattie was publicly thanked for his initiative in organising the exhibition.

Some of the exhibits are from the six Workington lodges.

The movement also demonstrated its record on charitable fund-raising, most of its donations raised from within the membership.

A cheque from the province was presented to the Brathay Hall Trust of Ambleside for £25,000 - which takes the total donation up to £50,000.

Brathay Hall Trust, established in 1946, provides guidance for up to 10,000 young people a year.

A cheque for £2,000 was presented to the Helena Thompson Museum.

Last year, Cumberland and Westmorland Freemasons presented £2,055,749 to the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys, some of which will be fed into a national Lifelights Project for children who need hospice care.

Peggy Masters, deputy grand master of the order of women freemasons, will talk on the female branch of the movement in the museum on Wednesday, April 16 (7pm, admission £2.50).

On April 9 (2.30pm-6.30pm) and April 10 (10am-3.30pm), experts will be on hand to give free appraisals on any regalia from fraternal societies, including freemasons.