North Staffordshire Round Table Lodge
No. 8355
North Staffordshire Round Table Lodge (NSRTL) is one of the 90+ Lodges within Staffordshire. We are part of the wider United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE), which has been in existence for over 300 years.
Within Staffordshire there are more than 2400 active Masons, part of a wider community of 200,000 members across the UK and extending to 6 million worldwide. Our Lodge alone has over 30 active Masons
Freemasonry also includes Lady Freemasons - click here to find out about Lady Freemasons in Staffordshire, and how to become a member of the Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons (Freemasonry for women) by clicking here
We come from all walks of life and meet as equals whatever our faith, ethnic group or position in society. For many of us this spirit of fellowship is what we value most - reflecting our Round Table heritage. Core values of any Masonic Lodge are making new friends, helping others, having fun and helping with our personal development.
"It gives me a sense of belonging"
More than £48 million a year is contributed to Charity via the Masonic Charitable Foundation, together with many thousands of hours of voluntary community work. The majority of this money is raised by Lodges throughout UGLE to support local communities, global emergencies, other Charities, medical research and our own members. NSRTL are proud to support and actively contribute to all of these initiatives.
"It's about the right way to treat our fellow human beings."
Freemasonry is one of the world’s oldest and largest non-religious, non-political, fraternal and charitable organisations. Its roots lie in the traditions and ceremonies of the medieval stonemasons who built our cathedrals and castles. Within NSRTL is a diverse group of all ages, interests and professions who come together to live these values.
The North Staffordshire Round Table Lodge was established in 1971, and as its name suggests, was originally closely affiliated to the Round Table of Great Britain & Ireland movement (RTBI).
We meet at Shelton, on typically the third Thursday of the month between October and April (excluding December).
Lodge meetings are typically held in two parts. The first involves some of the administrative procedures, such as proposing and balloting for new members and receiving news about charitable fundraising both Nationally and locally. In addition, the functioning element of the Lodge is carried out – a process made up of three stages, each one marked by a special ceremony as you progress to become a Master Mason.
True to the sense of friendship and togetherness among Freemasons, meetings are also social events, providing an occasion for members to dine together which forms the second part of our meetings. Outside of the Lodge, activities include community fundraising and volunteering activities, as well as a varied programme of events where spouses, partners and families are welcome.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of being a Freemason is having the opportunity to meet many more like-minded people from other Lodges across the Country and even the World. Whether attending NSRTL as a Mason, or meeting at another Lodge, you are always assured of a warm welcome amongst an immediate group of friends – some of which will last for the rest of your life.
One of the key points of Freemasonry is how we apply what we learn when we are together, into our everyday lives.
Alongside the scheduled events between October and April, we hold sessions throughout the year to advance our Masonic knowledge through what we call "Lodges of Instruction"
These more informal evenings are good fun as well as invaluable learning and a chance to work on real life skills such as presenting, leadership and team working but in a relaxed and informative way
As part of the wide network of fellow masons in our immediate area, we also get the opportunity to share our knowledge and learning, and receive the same from others, via the Staffordshire Provincial office (http://www.staffordshirefreemasons.org.uk).
This helps build new friendships and widen our network into new communities and Lodges across the county.
