Page 4 - Essex Mason Issue 85

Provincial
Grand
Skreens Park high, low, everywhere you go!! Opening

The High, Linear Ropes Courses
and Zip Wire equipment was
made possible through a generous left to right: Kevyn Connelly (Deputy County Commissioner - Activity Centres) - Stuart
donation by Essex Freemasons Gibson (Country Commissioner), R.W.Bro. Rodney Lister Bass (PGM), V.W.Bro Paul
to mark 300 years of organised Reeves (DepPGM) at the Grand Opening of Skreens Park Activity Centre, located in
Freemasonry (1717 - 2017) Chelmsford - for more details go to https://www.skreenspark.org.uk
Opened by R.W.Bro Rodney
Lister Bass OBE Provincial Grand n Saturday 15th September 2018 the Right Worshipful Provincial Grand
Master and Stuart Gibson County OMaster Rodney Lister Bass OBE, accompanied by Stuart Gibson the County
Commissioner for Essex Scouts 15th Commissioner for Essex , officially “cut the ribbon” and declared the Ropes Course
activity centre at Skreens Park in Chelmsford open, there were also members of the
September 2018
Tercentenary Committee and the management team for Scouts in Essex in attendance.
Initially planned to be one large Rope Course, it now consists of four parts; High Ropes
Course with a 100-yard zip wire: Lateral Climbing Rope Course: Low Rope Course; Wheelchair
Mobility Course. All of this was made possible by the generous donation £161,000 raised by
Lodges and Chapters in Essex over a period of only nine months! This generous donation
enabled the Scouts to obtain another £120,000, making the total cost £250,000, to add the
Wheelchair Mobility Course and complete the project making it the only facility of its kind in
the South East of England.

The R.W. PGM said, “Essex Scouts told us that they needed funding for a new rope activity
centre that could be used by all organisations that use Skreens Park and we agreed. We
immediately donated £145,000 to cover the cost of the work and decided that the balance will
be used to support local Scouts across the county. This activity centre is a wonderful facility
of which my members can feel proud and one which I hope delivers many hours of challenge
and enjoyment for the young people of Essex.”
The Ropes Courses were soon put into action after the opening with bookings for weekends and the upcoming half-term quickly coming in. The fully
trained staff were looking forward to being able to use the apparatus.
One element of particular interest is the Wheelchair Mobility Course. This not only allows those with limited mobility to use a state-of-the-art facility and to
benefit from it, but also for able bodied individuals to understand the difficulties and limitations that the less able-bodied experience. It is anticipated that
the Rope Courses will be a highlight of the Skreens Park Activity Centre and will be used Schools and Youth Groups in addition to the Scouts over many years.

Essex Masons Working with the Community

ssex Freemasons have approved a grant of £15,000 to the Essex Cricket
EFoundation to help fund a programme to develop wheel chair cricket.
It will enable people with a disability to take an active part in the sport.
The money, donated through the Masonic Charitable Foundation will cover
the cost of a specialist cricket coach.
The Essex Provincial Grand Master Right Worshipful Brother Rodney Bass
OBE commented, “That it will help those with disabilities to overcome
obstacles that have previously prevented them from taking part in the
sport. I hope that wheelchair users who enjoy cricket will take advantage
of this opportunity to learn the more practical skill via the Essex Cricket
Foundation.”

Wheelchair cricket is a new format of the game played indoors, the game is
designed to be played all year round and by participants who require sports
wheelchairs

Those pictured include the Essex Provincial Grand Master R.W.Bro Rodney
Bass OBE; the Deputy Provincial Grand Master V.W.Bro Paul Reeves, Keith
Brown, Chair of the Essex Cricket Foundation, together with Bill Mansell
and Patrick Ward from Essex Cricket and Bradley Donovan, aged 21, our
wheelchair star.
“Essex Freemasons, working with the local community.”

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