THE Freemasons have been the subject of plenty of conspiracy theories over the years.

The Masons may be widely regarded as an organisationof secret handshakes and mysterious rituals behind closed doors, but Southend’s Freemasons seem determined to prove they have nothing to hide.

The town’s lodges, based at Saxon Hall, in Aviation Way, are promising to shine some daylight on their organisation with an open day at the building next month.

The hall is home base to 2,000 Freemasons from 45 lodges, who meet there as much as six times a year.

Saxon Hall’s chairman, Mick Cowen, 67, a former Southend postman and trade unionist, says the Masons do a great deal of work in the local community.

He said: “Each year in Essex alone, we give more than £1million to 556 different charities, but people don’t knowwhat we do.

“They haveamisguided idea of what we do. We are not a secret society and never have been.

“Back in the Thirties, Freemasons were regularly seen in the community, but Hitler didn’t like Freemasons. He sent many in Germany and other European countries to the concentration camps.

“People in this country were worried, they went very quiet about their involvement, and we never really came back from that.

“Then the conspiracy theories started, but we are a totally informal organisation for good.”

As for those secret handshakes, Mr Cowen said they were a remnant from the days when most of the craftsmen who were Masons were illiterate.

He added: “When they were training people, they would entrust them with signs and symbols.

“They could be working on a job for ten to 15 years, and when the job finished, they would move on, sometimes hundreds of miles away.

“When theywent to start other jobs, they would say they were Freemasons and be asked to prove it. We keep active those signs and symbols but there is definitely no Holy Grail.

“It is just an organisation that does a lot of good. It inspires confidence in people. They can join and get used to speaking in public and in front of their peers with people who know and support them.

“I have never met a Freemason I didn’t like. It is an incredible fellowship and we would like towelcome new members. My own lodge has a two-year waiting list.

“At the top end, we have people who have been Masons for many years, but there are new ones coming in. Saxon Hall is a very vibrant centre.

“Freemasonry is different for organisations such as the Round Table and Rotary Club.

“They do an incredible job, but they are for the business community, whereas Freemasons come from every single walk of life.”

Mr Cowen said the 300 Masonic lodges across Essex, welcomed a diverse membership “aged from 21 until they pop their clogs”.

He added: “We are incredibly inclusive and recognise and support all religions in a global organisation.

“There are Muslims, Hindus, Christians and Sikhs. They are all welcome in Freemasonry.

“In fact, Freemasonry is huge in India.

“In pretty much every country in the world, you can find a lodge with the power to do good in the community.”

However, women still seem to have a way to go to be welcomed into Mr Cowen’s big, happy inclusive family.

He said: “There are very popular ladies’ Masonic lodges, but they meet separately from the male lodges.

“Every lodge raises money for different charities. Its own members do it with social events, but they don’t do it publicly.

“We don’t go down high streets rattling tins. We just want to quietly support charities.

“In the A&E department at Southend Hospital, for instance, they give away teddies to traumatised children.

“That charity started in Southend and is now being adopted around the world.

They’ve given awayamillion teddies.

“The EssexAir Ambulance has also benefited from our support over the past 15 years. Essex Freemasons have given the air ambulance £500,000, but there has been no publicity over it.”

* THE Masons areopening the doors of Saxon Hall, in Aviation Way, Southend, on Sunday November 16.

Chairman Mick Cowen said: “We want to show people what we do, with tours of the temple and presentations where Masons will talk about every single aspect of Freemasonry.

“Wewant to tell the public to come and find out the truth about Freemasons. We arepart of the community and want to do more socome and talk to us.”

For details colin@cfa-group.com