The Festival Chairman
Rise to the challenge!
“Together, one jewel, one member, one Lodge at a time, we can make Surrey 2030 a Festival the whole Province will be proud of.”
‘There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.’
We Need You — Festival Update and a Challenge to Every Charity Steward
This is a friendly but important challenge to every Charity Steward across the Province: let us encourage more members to sign up, see more Festival Jewels proudly worn, and help more Lodges and Chapters achieve Bronze, Silver and Gold Festival Awards.
The Surrey 2030 Festival continues to make excellent progress. Festival Ambassadors have now visited more than 200 Lodges, with over 1,200 members already supporting the Festival through a Regular Payment Promise over five years.
Chapters will also now begin receiving visits from Ambassadors to provide Festival updates and encourage further support.
However, there are still many members who do not yet have a Festival Jewel, and this is where every Charity Steward can make a real difference.
You are the people closest to your Lodges and Chapters. You know your members, you know who may be willing to support the Festival, and you are ideally placed to help turn interest into action.
So here is the challenge:
Please encourage at least two members from your Lodge to support the Surrey 2030 Festival, obtain their Festival Jewel, and stand behind both the Festival and the Province.
It sounds simple — and it is — but if every Charity Steward across Surrey achieved this, the impact would be enormous. Two additional members from every Lodge would significantly increase regular support, strengthen our Festival total, help more members feel directly connected to the appeal, and move many Lodges and Chapters closer to achieving their Festival Awards.
This is not just about numbers. It is about pride, involvement and momentum. It is about ensuring that every Lodge and Chapter feels part of the Surrey 2030 Festival journey.
Every new sign-up matters. Every Festival Jewel worn helps raise awareness. Every Lodge total helps build momentum. Every conversation you have could lead to another member supporting the Festival.
We are asking every Charity Steward to take this challenge back to their Lodge. Speak about it at meetings. Mention it at the Festive Board. Talk to members individually. Encourage those who have not yet signed up to consider doing so. Help them understand that even a modest regular contribution over five years can make a meaningful difference.
It would be wonderful to see every Lodge and Chapter achieve at least a Bronze Award. As we saw at the AGM, many Lodges and Chapters have already achieved Gold Awards. I would therefore encourage Lodges and Chapters to review their charity accounts or Relief Chests and, where funds permit, consider supporting the Festival in order to achieve Bronze, Silver or Gold status.
It would be a tremendous achievement if more than half the Province reached Gold.
We now have almost 25% of the membership signed up, and our aim is to reach 50%. Please support the Province, obtain your Festival Jewel, and wear it with pride.
If you would like a Festival Jewel and wish to support the Province, please contact:
Julian Tidmarsh
Email: Julientidmarsh@pm.me
Telephone: 07921 589039
So please take up the challenge.
Let us encourage at least two more members from every Lodge to sign up. Let us see more Festival Jewels proudly worn across the Province. Let us help every Lodge and Chapter move towards Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards. And let us demonstrate what Surrey can achieve when we work together.
We need you — and with your support, we can make a tremendous difference.
Finally… Thank You
Thank you to everyone who continues to support the Surrey 2030 Festival, whether by participating, volunteering, donating, sponsoring, organising events, attending functions, encouraging others, or simply helping to spread the word.
Every contribution matters, and together we are making a genuine difference.
There is still much to look forward to this year, and we encourage everyone to continue supporting these fantastic events as we build even greater momentum across the Province.
With fraternal regards,
Nick Dyer
Festival Chairman / Festival Team