Ionic Lodge

My name is David Mellor; I live in Linlithgow, Scotland with my wife Caroline and Poppy, our Boston Terrier, happily traveling regularly to London to fulfil my Masonic duties.

In relative terms I was a late entrant into Freemasonry, joining 25 years ago at the age of 50. Over the years I have belonged to numerous organisations and looking back there has been a strong theme of charity work, supporting others. This background – along with my insatiable curiosity – has been invaluable in developing Wellman Connected.

My Career

On leaving school, I had a couple of short-term jobs before embarking on what became my career as a banker; joining Williams Deacons Bank in Derby as clerk, in the days of handwritten ledgers. What ensued over a period of 38 years was a career beyond my wildest dreams, ending with the role of Regional Retail Managing Director for London, the South of England and South Wales for The Royal Bank of Scotland. The training and development was of the very highest standard and gave me the confidence and skills to pursue an extraordinarily diverse portfolio career post corporate life, which I have brought into my Masonic work.

My Journey in Freemasonry

After two Round Tables, Three 41 Clubs, Two Rotary Clubs, 25 years ago I discovered Freemasonry and was Initiated into New Morning Lodge No 9207. I subsequently joined its mother Lodge, Brotherly Union No 8649, passing through the Master’s Chair in both Lodges. I am also an affiliate of Florence Nightingale Lodge, the Almoners’ Lodge.

I was introduced into Royal Arch Masonry, exalted into New Morning Chapter No 9207 and joined the Chapter of Reunion No 5618 in 2014, serving as Principal in New Morning Chapter on two occasions and with three years In Reunion Chapter.

I achieved London Grand Rank in 2016 and London Grand Chapter Rank in 2020.

In 2017, I was appointed Almoner of the Lodge of Brotherly Union, where the secretary was Darrel Palmer, our Metropolitan Grand Almoner. He very persuasively recruited me firstly as an ASO in 2018 and then as an Operational Assistant in 2023, both of which have proved to be hugely rewarding.

Living in Scotland, my father-in-law also introduced me to the Caledonian Railway Lodge No 354 in Glasgow.

The development of Wellman Connected

In 2022, Darrel conceived the idea of Wellman Connected; a directory of services for our members. The objective at the outset was to focus on mental wellbeing, general physical wellbeing, Cruse Bereavement Counselling, cost of living challenges, the services delivered by Carers UK, the Chaplains Department and the Tea Room. Those objectives have been refined but fundamentally remain the key areas of focus.

Whilst initially conceived as a directory for Almoners, it was soon decided that it should be distributed to all members, to allow them to access a range of services with anonymity.

I was asked by Darrel to take the lead in developing the project, with input from his wider Almoners’ team. Subsequently I have been joined by W Bro Robert Rees, who helps curb my wildest ideas and provides valuable input to the directories on the drive.

At an early stage, we agreed that the main document setting out what Wellman Connected would deliver should be on no more than two sides of A4; and that has been maintained. The idea was that detailed signposting would be hidden away and accessed from the main document. I fully understood the concept but had no idea or the requisite skills to deliver this. However, W Bro Martin Vidler suggested using Google Drive – extremely helpful but not within my skill set. So not being prepared to be defeated, I then set about teaching myself how use it. It’s not particularly complicated, especially based on the principle of “learn by your mistakes” – and there were more than a few!

Initially the content came from the Almoners’ team. This has been expanded through internet research and suggestions from a broad range of members.

The content of Wellman Connected is now seamlessly updated on the Google drive. In the interest of good governance, the signposting is regularly audited for content, with due diligence carried out on all the organisations noted.

This is a project that is forever developing. Our latest initiative is Staying Connected, which brings valuable support to our widows with a directory in both electronic and paper format.

The concept of Wellman Connected has longevity, but how it’s delivered in the future provides an exciting challenge for me and my ultimate successor.

Click here to access Wellman Connected directly: http://www.florencenightingale-thealmonerslodge.org.uk/Forms/Wellman-Connected-Information.pdf

This article is part of the Arena Magazine Issue 58 – Summer 2025 edition.
Arena Magazine is the official online magazine of the London Freemasons – Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Metropolitan Grand Chapter of London.

Read more articles in Arena Issue 58 here.

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