Freemasons are renowned for having secrets but did you know that the biggest secret is that Father Christmas, sometimes known as Santa, is actually a Freemason! Yes, that’s right, he is Ill. Bro. David Claughton 30°, Recorder of the Saint Margaret Rainham Chapter 1029 since 2022.
Why have we revealed this secret now you may ask? The answer is simple, because we should know something about good work he does in conjunction with so many others and how it all started. This really is a festive fillip !
In 2013 David was asked by his mother Lodge, Honor Oak, if he would act as Father Christmas at a charitable event that the Lodge was hosting. The brainchild of the Worshipful Master, Mark Lawson, the event was in aid of Step and Learn.
Step and Learn is a Kent-based charity dedicated to providing free Conductive Education to children with neurological conditions such as Cerebral Palsy. The system is designed to teach individuals the skills needed to meet the challenges of everyday life.
Ill. Bro. David has been Father Christmas for this event every year since and along with support from the Province of East Kent Brass Band they have raised nearly £13,000. A tremendous achievement!
Father Christmas has informed us that it is not easy doing his job, but he gets great motivation from the expressions of sheer delight and joy on the faces of the children when they see him in his business attire (Lol). David has helped raise significant sums for many other charities and he also opens events. His festive travels extend every year all the way up to Bollington, Cheshire, after a plea from his Brother in 2015 to switch their town lights on. It doesn’t stop there, since 2020 David has switched on the Christmas Lights in Maidstone and is their official Father Christmas!
Amongst the many Kent-based charities that have benefited from his magnificent work are Making Miracles who offer families the support, services and tools they need to help find their “new normal” following trauma and grief. Another charity which has benefited is More than Words, which offers support to parents and carers with young children who need help in developing and improving the child’s communication and language skills.
We thought this secret needed to be shared so we can express a big “thank you” for all this wonderful work. It might seem a while away, but the sound of ringing bells will soon fill the air and herald the call to Ill. Bro. David to commence polishing his black boots and putting on his red-velvet work outfit in readiness to put a huge smile on the faces of all the children that just may need a little extra festive cheer.