I invite you to take a few moments to read the latest update from W Bro Peter Gregory, which I believe will fill you with a renewed sense of pride in being a Nottinghamshire Freemason. It tells a powerful story of how our Province is living the Third Pillar Strategy through meaningful community engagement- working alongside partners, responding to real local needs, and quietly making a life-saving difference across the county. The article demonstrates our values in action, and I hope it will both inspire and reassure you of the positive impact Freemasonry continues to have within our communities.

Community Engagement and the Stop The Bleed Project in Nottinghamshire.

Introduction to the 3rd Pillar Review

I have been tasked by the Provincial Grand Master to lead Nottinghamshire’s 3rd Pillar review. My initial responsibility was to clarify the requirements of the role, determine what we could realistically deliver, and gain a clear understanding of the concept of community engagement.

Defining Community Engagement

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Like many, I began by searching online for a definition of community engagement. The first description I encountered resonated deeply with me:

“Community engagement is the collaborative process of working with groups of people (defined by geography, interest, or affiliation) to build relationships and involve them in decisions affecting their well-being, aiming for shared understanding, joint action, and positive, sustainable change in policies, programmes and outcomes.”

Assessing Provincial Skills and Current Involvement

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Following a comprehensive skills audit of the Province, it became evident that many members are already involved in a wide range of voluntary work within their communities. Like other Provinces, we have a longstanding tradition of making financial contributions to various charities. However, it was also apparent that we do not regularly collaborate with other groups.

Initiating Collaboration: The #inthistogether2025 Campaign

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During a conversation with my friend Liz Barrett OBE, Principal of Ashfield Transformation Trust of Further Education and Deputy Lord Lieutenant for the county, I enquired about potential collaborative projects spanning our Province and County. Liz had just launched the #inthistogether2025 campaign, prompted by an incident involving one of her staff members.

Liz generously made her college’s resources available for the project and established a partnership with citizenAID, a national charity that provides “battlefield first aid” training for managing severe bleeding and supplies bleed kits. citizenAID has also developed a free app offering valuable guidance on emergency responses, which I highly recommend downloading by searching 'citizenAID' in your app store.

The Stop The Bleed Project: Aims and Urgency

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The project, Stop The Bleed, set out to train 2,025 people in our community in emergency response to severe bleeding incidents until professional help arrives, and to distribute emergency bleed kits in public spaces, much like defibrillators. The urgency is underscored by the fact that a person suffering a serious bleed can bleed out in under four minutes, while even the fastest ambulance may take eight minutes to reach them. We were honoured to be invited to participate in #inthistogether2025.

Context: Knife Crime and Community Need

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Recent distressing incidents of knife crime in Nottingham and Southport prompted us to consider what immediate contributions we could make. After careful discussion, we identified two practical ways to help: offering our Halls as venues for training sessions and making charitable donations to fund bleed kits.

Early Actions and Building Momentum

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Six training sessions were quickly organised, hosted at each of our Halls. We also made a £5,000 donation to purchase bleed kits. Working closely with Liz and keeping the Provincial Grand Master informed, the project gained momentum. Liz facilitated collaboration with Emergency Services at the highest levels, partly driven by two further knife crime incidents: one local to Ashfield and another on the LNER train in Cambridgeshire, which attracted national attention.

Expanding Partnerships and Support

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These tragic events led to new opportunities for collaboration. The Mansfield Community Volunteer Service contributed £5,000 for bleed kits in their area. A local County Councillor, whose area was affected, donated £1,000 from his budget. Our Province also provided an additional £1,000 from our Emergency Fund. The East Midlands Mayor for Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire pledged £10,000 for use across her region and agreed to speak at our Grand Officers Mess on the subject of Community Engagement.

Engagement with Football Clubs and Wider Communities

The LNER train incident brought us into contact with Nottingham Forest Football Club, as one of the heroes involved was a fan of the club. This inspired us to create a short video (under three minutes) on how to stop a bleed, sponsored by and promoting Freemasonry. The video has already been shown at Mansfield Town and Notts County home matches and is scheduled for screening at Nottingham Forest. We also promoted the project at Nottingham Forest’s Fanzone during a recent home match.

Our Provincial Grand Master, Rt W Bro Julian Townsend, spoke with W Bro Bob Curzon (Director of Luton Town FC), who introduced us to the Chair of the English Football League Community Trust. Together with Liz, Bob, our Provincial Grand Master, and myself, we met with him online to present the project. As a result, we have been invited to speak at a national Teams meeting of the English Football League in the Community.

Wider Impact and Training Success

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Each football club has a community trust working within their local areas. We aim to have our video shown at all club matches and to promote training courses more broadly. By December 2025, over 3,500 people had already been trained in Stop The Bleed, with many more set to follow. School trusts have requested training for staff and pupils. The training is free, lasts just a couple of hours, and is suitable for everyone. While we may not be able to prevent knife crime or terrorism, we can strengthen our community’s resilience. It is also vital to recognise that many more deaths from bleeding are due to accidents rather than crime. Let us become confident in responding effectively during emergencies.

Collaboration with Emergency Services and Future Plans

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The East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) has now agreed to install a bleed kit in each of their 577 defibrillator boxes throughout the county. This is a remarkable example of collaboration. Through the new MCF Community Fund, Nottinghamshire is working to secure grants to equip every EMAS defibrillator with a bleed kit. These kits will be tracked on EMAS’s database, ensuring proper maintenance and replacement.

The next step is to collaborate with the families and friends of victims. Many of these small groups have been fundraising for bleed kits in memory of loved ones. If we can provide the initial kits, we hope these groups will use their funds to maintain and refresh them over the years.

Conclusion: Exemplifying Community Engagement

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The Stop The Bleed project is a true manifestation of the definition of community engagement set out at the beginning of this article. None of these achievements would have been possible without the trust and support of Liz Barrett OBE, who has worked in partnership with our organisation to deliver tangible benefits for our community. Our heartfelt thanks go to Liz.

This initiative provides a fantastic opportunity for other Provinces to get involved. You can use your Halls as training centres, volunteer to become a trainer (at no cost), and provide funding for bleed kits. Together, we can make a real difference for the whole of England and Wales.

W Bro Peter Gregory.