With their centenary only 3 years away, the members of James D Murray Chapter face an uncertain future following a dramatic decline in membership in recent months and little prospect of attracting candidates from among the greatly diminished number of Craft Masons in Burnley.

The beautiful Lodge room in Burnley, which can comfortably seat 90 brethren, had a mere 9 members and visitors present for tonight’s meeting, with over the half the offices either occupied by willing visitors or left vacant. The meal was, as is customary for Burnley, hearty and thoroughly enjoyed by the 5 die-hards who remained to dine after the meeting.

And so to January 2016 when the Chapter members will hold an emergency committee meeting to which I have been invited as a guest and objective ‘facilitator’, to discuss the future and what options remain. Let’s hope there is still a light at the end of what seems a very dark tunnel and the Chapter can find a way forward to celebrate their centenary and honour the memory of their illustrious namesake, Colonel James Daniel Murray.