Freemason given new grand title for services to Hartlepool community

John Paul Thompson was recognised for his magnificent achievements towards Freemasonry and charity when he was appointed and invested as an Assistant Provincial Grand Master at an event at the Lancastrian Suite in Dunston, Gateshead.

John, from Harte Lodge which meets in Raby Road in Hartlepool, has for the last two years successfully co-ordinated The Provincial Grand Lodge of Durham’s charity festival in aid of the Masonic Charitable Foundation.

A spokesman for the Freemasons said: “They had set themselves a target of raising £2.7million by the end if 2021 and have already reached £1.75million within the appeal’s first 18 months.

“Businessman John has proved to be a popular, inspirational character within the Masonic Community and has proved the skills he has showed in his business life.”

John was born in Billingham in 1968 and was educated in the town, where he has lived all of his life.

He followed members of his family and became a qualified electrician in 1989.

His career took him to all parts of the UK as he worked in the food and confectionary industries.

The opportunity came in 1997 for John along with fellow colleagues to start a new electrical business on Teesside.

The first business Intelect UK Ltd specialised in the food industries and expansion came with the start of further engineering business in 2005, 2008 , 2011 and 2014.

The group of companies now offer a full engineering package and has over 200 employees who work locally, nationally and world-wide for many of the top food manufactures.

John has been married to his wife Andrea now for over 27 years and has three children, Danni, Joseph and Katie.

The family have a static caravan at Ripon which they love to visit as often as they can.

In John’s new Masonic role, he will look after the Lodges within the West Area of the Province and also continue as the Durham 2021 Festival Director.

The Province of Durham is the local governing body of lodges within the old boundaries of County Durham, south of the River Tyne to Darlington.

Formed in 1788, the Province includes 5,500 Freemasons spread across 180 Lodges in 38 different Masonic Halls.