Thanks for the PM Colyn. I'm now on the trail of a lodge not far away. I've already visited the grand lodge in London however, and they were not helpful with my questions. But they were perfectly open about the fact that membership would open up "networking" opportunities with people I might not otherwise be able to approach.

This is the constant theme of freemasonry. Someone above said "join - then start networking away" or words to that effect. And the Guardian article linked by Jeanie included this: "... she admits that Masons network in much the same way as any other society."

But it is not the same way as any other society. Manitas, few would join EFDSS to improve their business opportunities, and if they did they would be disappointed. More critically, many freemasons (unlike EFDSS members) still refuse to admit they are members. It's no good the apologists saying the graft and the cronyism and the secrecy ended in the 1990s, because many still join precisely for those things - and are determined to perpetuate those values.