They are still seen by many as a secret society, but this could be about to change as the Masons attempt to attract younger members. Laura Davis reports

OUTSIDE Liverpool’s Masonic Hall, on Hope Street, hangs a banner that appears to contradict the organisation’s secretive reputation.

True, it is quite understated, but even so there was a time when you wouldn’t have expected to see the Masons advertising for members, particularly ones whose typically boozy lifestyle surely conflicts with its strict moral code of conduct.

In line with an incentive from Grand Lodge, its London headquarters, Liverpool’s 155 branches of Freemasonry are attempting to attract recent university graduates to swell their numbers and are going even further than those in most regions by setting up a Lodge exclusively for students.

This will be open to under-graduates of the city’s three universities, and will be run on a similar basis to those that already exist at Oxford and Cambridge.

Like any club with an ageing membership, the Masons needs to draw younger people into its ranks if it is to survive well into the 21st century. But what attraction could a three- centuries-old organisation hold for a 21-year-old who has grown up with the internet and mobile phones?

“When you go out with your friends to pubs and clubs you only get to meet people your own age,” explains 29-year-old Christopher Phillips, who has been a Freemason for four years.

“In the Masons, you get to mix with people of all ages – the chairman of our Lodge is 92 years of age – and learn about their experiences.

“We talk about things – day to day life, football, what we have done . . . ”

Also tempting Christopher was the opportunity to be involved with fundraising – last year, the organisation’s Grand Charity gave £4.6m to Masonic and non-Masonic charities – but perhaps a greater influence in his decision to apply for membership was a family link to Freemasonry.

“My grandfather was a Mason,” he reveals, reeling off from memory the exact date of his initiation in 1955.

“He told me all about it when I was a child and, as he had five daughters and no son, he was keen for me to join.”

Christopher, who is an executive officer in Borders and Enforcement at the Home Office, was approached by a friend who knew of his interest and who later proposed his membership.

“I was intrigued by the idea of joining and went along to a couple of evenings, like the ‘Wives to dine’ event, and I could see how relaxed it was,” he says.

“Some of the best nights I’ve had have been at events with the Masons, and I find you get an excellent insight into local communities through the charitable work.

“We have raised money for St John’s Ambulance, Air Sea Rescue, the Lifeboats and Cancer Research.”

Anyone can apply to become a Mason, unless they are female of course (although women-only Lodges do exist) or have a criminal record.

Members are of all different religions and races, and their careers range from plumbers to chief constables.

“A lot of people associate it with being elitist. It’s not elitist, but it is selective, because we want people who are good people and who will be good for the Masons,” says Christopher, who lives in Maghull but attends the Lodge of Loyalty in Prescot (founded in 1753).

“You have got to show you are of good character,” adds Michael Hill, an assistant provincial grand master, whose St George’s Lodge of Harmony meets at the Adelphi hotel.

“There’s nothing in the Masons that is incompatible with religious beliefs, in fact it is a very good way of bringing people of different religions together.”

While this is all fair enough, there is no getting away from the fact that the Freemasons are still seen by many to be a secret society.

This was emphasised by Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code, which linked the Masons with the Knights Templar and the quest for the Holy Grail.

Christopher is quick in his defence: “Dan Brown wrote a lot of fiction people mistook as facts. The Masons isn’t a secret organisation, it’s an organisation with secrets.

“We hold open days because we like to show people we’re normal people with normal jobs and normal lives.”

Michael adds: “We used to have quite a bad reputation for being very secretive, but in the last 20 to 30 years we have tried to be much more open and that has been very much to our benefit.”