Royal Masonic Trust for Girls & Boys Steward Jewel — 1986 | Province of South Wales Eastern Division | Toye Kenning & Spencer | Very Good

Some medals are earned with medals. Others are earned with time, effort and a quiet determination to do good.

This handsome 1986 Steward’s Jewel was awarded to a brother in the Province of South Wales, Eastern Division, who stepped forward as a Steward for the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls & Boys annual festival.

Freemasons are members of the world’s oldest and largest fraternal organisation — a group of men who meet in lodges to support one another, improve themselves, and, above all, give back to their communities through substantial charitable work. One of their longest-running causes is the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls & Boys (now part of the Masonic Charitable Foundation), which has been helping the children of Freemasons in need with education, welfare and life opportunities for well over a century.

To receive a jewel like this, a brother didn’t simply write a cheque. He became a Steward — committing to raise a significant sum (often several hundred pounds in the 1980s, a serious amount at the time) through personal effort: organising events, rattling tins, persuading friends and fellow Masons, and generally putting in the legwork for the provincial festival. In return he was presented with this jewel, which he could wear with pride on his Masonic regalia throughout the festival year as a visible mark of his contribution.

The front carries the Trust’s coat of arms in rich gilt and enamel, dated 1986, with the proud word “STEWARD” across the top bar. On the reverse is the clear mark of one of Britain’s finest regalia makers: Toye Kenning & Spencer, London. It still has its original white ribbon with the distinctive turquoise stripe and all its original fittings.

A tangible reminder of real charitable endeavour — the sort of piece that once sat on a proud man’s lapel after months of hard work for children who needed a helping hand.

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