Interviews

Johns charitable journey began when in 2006 his daughter, Tara, was diagnosed with lupus and became seriously ill. She was undergoing dialysis, had received four blood transfusions, and the family were told she may have only weeks to live. After extensive testing, it was confirmed that John was a 100% match to donate a kidney to his daughter. Shortly after the successful transplant, he bought a bike and set himself a formidable first challenge: cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats in just nine days. That little jaunt saw him cycling around 114 miles each day through continuous rain and sleeping each night in a tent.

After that John worked with the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys (RMTGB) and became a Festival Ambassador for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight 2020 Festival. He then toured Hampshire, Dorset, London, Wiltshire, and Kent, speaking at more than 40 lodges and helping to raise a considerable amount of money for the RMTGB.

Take a deep breath and read what John has done over the past 25 years…

He cycled from the Rock of Gibraltar to Branksome in Dorset raising £17,000 for the RMBI. John then rode from Edinburgh to Portsmouth, raising £7,000 for the Royal College of Surgeons. In 2010, he cycled to every masonic centre in Hampshire for the RMTGB (some even let him in!), raising £15,000 for the RMTGB.

In 2011, his cycling challenges for Help for Heroes raised over £10,000. In 2022, John completed a 50-mile sponsored swim raising £7,000. In 2024, he cycled the Camino del Norte trail to Santiago de Compostela, with W. Bro. Nigel Edwards, raising £20,000. Then in 2025 he again cycled the France Camino to Santiago trail and onto Finisterre, raising £20,000 for the MBF Mark Degree.

Obviously, he quite liked the area (or maybe the food), because in 2026, he cycled the northern route over the Picos mountains in Galicia to Santiago de Compostela and back again, covering 800 miles. This resulted in another £13,000 for the Freemasons’ Charity and £1,740 for Lifelites Children’s Charity.

And, at 71 years old, he’s not done yet! He says “I’m not intending to stop raising funds for the Freemasons’ Charity. My cycling days are nearly over, but I’m thinking of abseiling down the Spinnaker Tower next year!”

To date, John has collected approximately £787,000 for charity, including £554,000 for the Freemasons’ Charity. An incredible amount of money raised by an incredible Freemason.

I think most people in the New Forest area will know Norman — and if they don’t, they have probably still been let in somewhere by him, directed somewhere by him, or gently corrected by him at least once.

Norman was born in New Milton around 90 years ago, which means he has been a local fixture for so long that he may well appear on some of the older maps. After school, he joined the Merchant Navy for five years. Unfortunately, the sea and Norman never quite reached a full understanding, and after deciding that being seasick was not the career path for him, he enlisted in the Royal Horse Guards based at Windsor.

His Army service also took him to Germany and Cyprus, before he returned home to New Milton after five years. He then spent the rest of his working life with New Forest District Council.

Norman married Dot in 1957, and they are still together — a remarkable achievement by any standard, but particularly impressive given his numerous Masonic commitments. Dot’s patience, it must be said, may deserve its own certificate.

Norman joined Freemasonry in 1986, becoming a member of New Forest Lodge No. 319. He was also a member of the Royal Arch and Mark Master Masons and will be well remembered for Tyling at numerous Lodges and Centres. In fact, Norman’s reputation as a Tyler was such that he even Tyled twice for a Lodge while on holiday in Canada — proving that while some people bring back souvenirs, Norman brought back masonic minutes.

He also looked after the Centre at New Milton and was responsible for many renovations over the years. If there was a leak, a loose hinge, a doubtful light switch, or a mysterious noise in the corner, Norman was very often the answer - or at least the person everyone expected to have the answer.

On 5 February 2026, Norman was presented with a 40-year Certificate to commemorate his service to Masonry by APGM Chris Lockwood — although, knowing Norman, he may well have checked that the certificate was straight before accepting it.

The final word is from George Bernard Shaw, who said, “A gentleman is one who puts more into the world than he takes out.” I don’t think Shaw was a Freemason - though, to be fair, if he had met Norman Edwin Brian Taylor, he might well have applied on the spot. It sounds very much as though he wrote the quote with Norman in mind; and knowing Norman, he’d probably have improved the wording, corrected the punctuation, told Shaw to straighten his tie, and then quietly got on with his job!