“I began to absolutely love working with wood and started making garden benches, planters and even playhouses for my daughter and her friends in their respective gardens. Over time, my daughter Olivia’s playhouse grew with her—in the end I had almost turned it into a two-storey house complete with a spiral staircase! Knowing my history with DIY, my wife still struggles to believe that I am ever asked to make, build and fix things.
 
“Working with young offenders in the prison service comes in handy when peace making with 15-25 guys in a Shed every day. There is always someone not having a good day—so it is certainly a useful transferrable skill! Saying that, the members are all great—all from different backgrounds that come together as a team. They are all so welcoming and inclusive.

“Being the youngest at the Shed, I initially worried that we would have nothing in common but the banter and friendships were almost instantaneous. We are all there to help and support each other.

“For someone that was unable to talk, I now never stop—I do love to blether a LOT! But also, I try not to dominate those all-important chats in the Shed and I always try to make time to listen to others.

“In lockdown, we all missed the Shed so much. I was bored and craved the banter so we started holding video conference calls—checking in on each other and cheering each other up. In fact, we held a surprise birthday party video call for one of our members—he was delighted. Each of us had party hats on, balloons and banners on the walls behind us which made it a lot of fun for everyone involved.
 
“My wife says I fight against my health condition. Yes, the Shed does take up a lot of my time—more so now I am Chair—but it replaced work for me and gave me purpose. With my MS, I felt tired and run-down all of the time to the point of feeling useless but now, I want to get up and go, I want to better myself and do things for the guys at the Shed and the wider Shed community.

“My mental health really did receive a huge boost. In all honesty, there are so many people out there all with either physical or mental health issues that, I would say, going to a Shed could be just what you need. It is an amazing sight when you see a new member come into the Shed and all the guys greet them, chat away to them and within 10 minutes have made a new friend.
 
“Our Shed recently purchased a CNC machine and members have been familiarising themselves with this new piece of kit as well as learning computer skills whilst making intricate designs and this knowledge is being passed on to other interested members.

“Every Shed has got their own speciality, that could be specific to their area or something a member has learned in their personal or working life and can bequeath this to other Shedders. One of our members Fred did stick dressing as a young boy and has passed his skills and knowledge of this on to his fellow members. Fred sadly passed away not that long ago but his memory lives on when the guys are doing this activity.

“I have been at the Shed for ten years now and last year took over the reins from our former Chairman David Dickson who is now our Honorary President. We are a Shed run by its members, for its members and we have welcomed quite a few new guys recently ranging in age from their 40s to 80s. We have so much potential to grow the Shed, and it’s great to see some younger guys, the next generation, joining—we are not just here for the retired after all.
 
“Future plans include the addition of two new cabins to the yard which we have secured funding for through the Community Health and Wellbeing Fund and National Lottery Community Fund. Two of our members were featured on BBC Radio 4 specifically talking about their experience of joining a Men’s Shed. The producer of that show has asked us to launch a podcast about the Shed which would be produced by the BBC. This will afford the opportunity to promote the Shed and stories from the Shedders to raise awareness but also teach skills around video editing and radio presenting. There was even talk of taking the show on the road to other Sheds to get their stories, which would be fantastic. This project is still in its infancy just now but it is a project that I feel would be worthwhile and hope to pursue.
 
“In the past, we have connected with the community—young and old—and we have exciting plans to step this up a gear and get a van full of tools and start up a ‘Men’s Shed on the Move!’ and visit different places to spread the word. We can bring the Shed to communities and hopefully, as a result, they will then check out and join the actual Shed. We plan to hit the road to connect with schools, colleges and care homes etc in the surrounding area and really promote what we have to offer to ensure we are still around in 30+ years!
 
“To think that all of this started just by offering to give a couple of friends a lift to a Men’s Shed. That, I feel, proves the totally infectious and positive results of the Shed effect.”

“On my way to leave the store and feeling very disheartened, a man brushed the back of me and asked me why I was there. I informed him that I had travelled all the way down from Scotland to meet the manager but he was not working that day. The gentleman turned out to be the owner, Brian Marks and he was keen for me to show him a set of the clubs that I had brought with me. There and then, I received an order for £6,000 for 15 half sets of clubs and it was also the beginning of a life-long friendship between myself and Brian.

“I waited a few weeks and finally, an envelope plopped through the letterbox. It contained a big cheque—ya beauty—and then there was also a letter with an order for 2,000 more sets!

“More orders quickly followed so I purchased a building in Stonehouse for £500 and started manufacturing. I brought in people from the Larkhall labour exchange and bought grips from Goodyear, maple heads from Canada and iron shafts from three foundries in Douglas in Lanarkshire all shipped via Motherwell Railway Station.

“I really had a great, loyal and trustworthy team working with me and I trained the men on every step of the process—how to make, polish and finish the clubs.

“I really did make an awful lot of money with my business back then but to be honest, the workload almost killed me. Towards the end, we were making over 500 clubs a week with a team of just four and I have to say, it was such a relief when I retired.”

John was delighted that he had built up McGhie Golf Clubs to become a well-known and highly-respected brand in the golfing world, famed for its quality, but all good things must come to an end. Avid car enthusiast John, who at one time owned five much-treasured cars, then went on to invest in Jaguar motor cars and was then asked by the Managing Director of Taggarts to deliver Jaguar cars across Scotland. Not one to turn down a great offer, John then began driving all across Scotland delivering his favourite luxury car.

John said: “When I retired—for the final time—I then just started staying in the house. I didn’t go out much—I had nothing to go out for! But then one day, I noticed some building work taking place at an old toilet block near my house. Intrigued, I went over to chat to the builders to see what was going on. 

“On arrival in Lossiemouth, everything was new and exciting to me—but having grown up and worked in Yorkshire, before moving for work abroad—you will appreciate, I was still somewhat at a loss living here. Things were so different and one of the main things I had to adjust to was the Scottish accent.

“Fortunately, I was blessed with wonderful neighbours who helped, advised and guided me through everyday life and, it was through them that I found out about the Men’s Shed.

“The Shed has been the most spectacular thing that has ever happened to me. They invited me into their community and through their meetings, chats and general get-togethers, I have opened an entirely new chapter in my retirement.

“I have made so many new great friends and am developing new skills such as wood turning! We have outings to other Sheds in the area, visits to local places of interest and visiting speakers capable of enlightening us on many different topics, particularly men’s health issues.

“Through the Shed, I have also become more aware of our community which has broadened my scope of living. I now have a bus pass and am informed of local events, such as the Highland Games and have joined the local rowing club. I also take part in Christmas Fairs and Charity Fun Days etc.

“I’m 80 now, but feel about 50 in the head! Maybe I should slow down a bit, but hey ho, maybe not! I am enjoying everything that life has to offer right now. My life has been enriched beyond anything I could ever have imagined or wished for. I can truly say that the Shed has brought me a new and exciting era.

“I have found that everyone at the Shed has a unique background, and we all have stories we can tell. This is what makes it so interesting and the companionship is fantastic. I recommend to any gentleman with time on their hands or feeling a bit lonely, living on their own, or just getting under the wife’s feet a bit—go down to your nearest Shed, take part, enjoy the blether, learn something new or just put the kettle on!

“I guarantee you will enjoy the experience. It’s all free, and there are no rules for you to attend at certain times, you just go when you want and take part if you want to. It’s your choice! And, it’s a healthy choice!

“I hope by sharing my experience with others that it even encourages one more person to join the wonderful association which is the SMSA and connect with your local Shed. Don’t sit at home in front of the telly. Head to the Shed—you certainly won’t regret it!”