Even when beloved brethren of Alfred Lodge are gone, they are not forgotten. Neither are their widows or surviving family members.

One such person is the late Norman Langdale OBE, a fondly remembered member of the Alfred Lodge for many years.

The happy picture on the right shows a radiantly smiling Mrs Julia Langdale his lovely widow. (I'm sure Julia will forgive us for revealing that she is 99 years young.)

We are very pleased to say that Julia is a regular VIP guest at our Alfred Lodge luncheon club.

She has no family nearby, with her daughter living in Norway and grand daughter in the Midlands.

Our Lodge Almoner also discovered that Julia had no family visitors over the Christmas period. So decided to lay on a little treat for this grand lady at the home of a lodge member.

The spread included roast beef and all the trimmings, plus the essential fluffy Yorkshires, followed by gateau and fresh cream.

Over a warming glass of non-alcoholic wine, and in front of of an open fire, Julia recalled her travels with Norman. These included trips to India and British Columbia, where Norman was engaged in the important work of setting up engineering training establishments within universities.

We are all enjoyed the company of this very special person. It's a sign of the times that direct family members can't always be around at festive times, because they live so far away

This year we wanted to remind Julia that she was still very much part of our Alfred Lodge No 340 family.