The SMSA takes a peek at the almost-complete Dingwall & District Men’s Shed, ‘built by the community, for the community’ on a former skate park and now one step closer to an official opening after 19 months of hard graft from its members and supporters.
Brian Liddle, Dingwall Men’s Shed Chairman, said: “Back in 2017, our founder Dr Andrew (Andy) Foley mooted the idea of setting up a Men’s Shed in our area. A small group of us were very keen on the concept and for my sins, I put my hand up to volunteer to become the Chairman and we began to meet regularly to discuss our plans.
“To kickstart our get-togethers, we were offered the community centre at Ross County Football Club and that is where we spent hours talking, planning and dreaming.
“After a year, we were then given use of the local scout hut in exchange for doing up the place and maintaining it. For the first time, we had a space to make things but the downfall was that there was no heating in the hut and it was just not do-able in the winter months. We explored many alternative premises and gained none until one day, we queried the large expanse of land (1 acre) adjacent to Ross County FC which was formerly a skate park and had not been used for over a decade.
“We prepared a detailed business plan for Highland Council and were thrilled when we were offered a peppercorn rent on a 30-year lease. Initially, we thought about portable cabins being placed on the site but then our aspirations for what was needed in Dingwall and the surrounding area started to grow arms and legs. We wanted an intergenerational community facility incorporating a community craft village for local people to go to socialise, make connections and have fun and a purpose with the aim to improve their mental and physical health and wellbeing; gain confidence, learn new skills and utilise and share existing ones, partake in their hobbies and interests and improve their awareness of health matters relevant to them.
“Our outcomes for the project evolved in line with national outcomes to live longer and happier and healthy lives, improve our environment and build a strong and resilient community that supports each other.
“The next step was to get an architect on board and our plans were passed by the planning department just as Covid reared its head and scuppered progress. We continued to fundraise and apply for grants during this time and also purchased some containers which are still on site now but mostly used as storage.
“In 2021, we started building once we had reached £46,000 – we connected to the sewer which was a massive job and one of the few times we have had to hire in professionals. Then, power was connected to the site from 400 yards away. In March 2021, the foundations went in and we started to attract locals and trades people with real skills and we all acted as their labourers.
“We had people from all walks of life including an airline pilot, medical professionals and photographers all rolling up their sleeves to help with anything that needed doing at the time from digging trenches and making kindling. The Department for Work and Pensions was also sending people down here to gain experience. It is amazing what people will do for a cause like this.
“We have spent just under £90,000 so far to transform the site and today, we have a high-quality and fully-accessible social unit, metal and wood workshops, a second workshop, polytunnel, log cabin, kitchen, the community craft facility and ample storage. Funding has been achieved through donations, grants and income generated through our project work.
“We don’t wish to highlight any specific individuals or funders for the success of this project, it really has been a fantastic team effort but we must recognise the legacy of our founder, Andy Foley, who sadly passed away. He recognised a need to create something very special here in Dingwall and it will now be here for many generations to come.
“The biggest highlight for me personally through all of this is when we made the building watertight. Right then and there, I knew success was guaranteed and we could finish this project. We are now delighted to have 36 officially members with around 16 regularly coming along two days a week on Wednesdays and Fridays. We have big ambitions for up to 100 members and to open additional days and attract all ages.
“Future short-term plans include obtaining our occupation certificate, installing our fire and smoke alarms and concentrating on our Christmas production line to raise funds then we can start planning for our official opening and raising awareness with our local media for a recruitment drive. To even say we are immensely proud of the joint achievement by everyone involved would be an understatement. Many hurdles have been put in our way and together we overcame them. Let’s see what the future brings.”
Follow the Shed’s journey on Facebook.
