IAN Kingsbury, the the Provincial Grand Master of the Devonshire Freemasons, recently met the Very Revd Jonathan Greener, Dean of Exeter Cathedral, to present him with a certificate to commemorate the £10,000 granted to the Cathedral to help with the renovation and modernisation of the facilities so essential to the wellbeing of the house of worship, in particular on this occasion the Chapter House.

The Chapter House is essential for so many of the most important Cathedral meetings, events and activities and is the gathering place for all the Civic and State ceremonies that the Cathedral fulfils.

Crucial to better and much fuller use of the Chapter House in the 21st Century is to install a glass lobby at the entrance to provide better access arrangements. The lobby will provide level access from the Cloister gardens and will allow the medieval doors to be opened; this will instantly look more inviting and welcoming to visitors from the outside.

Ian Kingsbury JP. when presenting the certificate said: “The protection of such an important structure which is the centre of the community not only in Exeter but in Devon is paramount in the minds of the masonic community, we all need to believe that the church is a part of our daily lives and the fabric of important buildings such as this must be maintained at all costs for future generations to use and to admire.”

Upon receiving the cheque, Jonathan Greener said: “I am delighted that the Provincial Grand Master of the Devonshire Freemasons has, together with the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF), kindly donated the tremendous sum of £10,000 to help our appeal for this new lobby. We are all most grateful for the Freemasons continuing help and support.”