A Dorset Freemasons’ lodge has donated money to one of the county’s museums.

Blandford’s Lodge of Honour and Friendship recently donated £500 to the Blandford Fashion Museum, to help with the restoration and preservation of its exhibits.

The members of the lodge and their partners were given a talk by two members of the team from the fashion museum.

This led to the lodge loaning items from their collection of Masonic regalia and memorabilia to the museum.

Masonic regalia are the symbols, emblems and decorations indicative of an organisation and its members.

They are tell-tale signs of a person being a member of Freemasonry.

The fashion museum has created a display recording the history of Freemasonry in the town of Blandford.

The display will be shown at the museum for two years from February 2018.

The exhibition includes Masonic aprons, regalia, jewels and photographs, providing an insight into the history of the group in Blandford.

Jean Longley, of the Fashion Museum, said: “This donation will help so much.

“Preserving our collection can be very expensive, with a storage box for one dress costing up to £25.”

The museum receives no external support funding and raises everything needed through donations and admissions.

The museum is open Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10am until 4pm, featuring ten rooms of fashion history from 1740 to 1970.

The displays aim to show visitors the connection between fashion and social history and there is a rolling programme of exhibition changes.

The Lodge of Honour and Friendship has an open day on May Bank holiday (Monday, May 28), when Blandford Masonic hall will be open to the public.

The open day will give visitors a chance to look around the hall and ask any questions of the lodge members that are on their mind.

Everyone is welcome.embers.