**THIS EVENT HAS NOW PASSED AND WAS FULLY SUBSCRIBED**
The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA), in conjunction with Age Scotland, held its first National Shed Network meeting online (through Zoom) to share all our findings from regional Shed meetings; the latest Shed guidance from the Scottish Government; what’s happening in other countries with Sheds; the future reopening of Scottish Men’s Sheds and hear your thoughts on it all.
SMSA’s Executive Officer, Jason Schroeder, and Age Scotland’s Community Development Officer (Men’s Sheds), Tim Green, facilitated this online meeting on the day.
The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) has today opened its prestigious ‘Shed of the Year’ Awards to applications from Men’s Sheds across Scotland.
***THE 2020 AWARDS ARE NOW CLOSED FOR APPLICATIONS***
The awards recognise and reward the contribution and impact Men’s Sheds make to society – telling the story to raise awareness of the benefits of Sheds to men, their family and friends and the community as a whole. The awards event will take place virtually on Zoom this year, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and has been timed to coincide with the Association’s Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 16th September 2020. If you want to attend the virtual event, through Zoom, click here to register.
Jason Schroeder, SMSA’s Executive Officer, said: “We are delighted to launch this year’s awards to celebrate and showcase the life-changing work being carried out in Men’s Sheds across Scotland. The Men’s Sheds Movement began in Scotland in 2009 – and the first Shed opened in 2013 – and we now have an impressive 188 Sheds across the nation – all dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of men over the age of 18 through friendship, support and camaraderie.
“We want to hear from Sheds across Scotland – their background, their journey and the impact they have had within their localities. We also want to know about the challenges they have faced and how they overcame them so that other Sheds can learn from their experience. Although, the event is being carried out online this year, it certainly will not stop the Shedders ‘meeting’ digitally to network and learn from each other.”
Shortlisted Sheds will be selected from all of the applications by SMSA’s Trustees before going to a public vote in the run-up to the event – the winner and two runners-up will then be announced on the day.
The winner will receive the esteemed targe trophy – designed and collectively created by SMSA and several Sheds – to display at their Shed for a year on top of a cash prize, a free machine competency and woodwork training day from David Young Training and a £100 gift voucher from Axminster Tools & Machinery.
Last year saw Aberchirder & District Men’s Shed (pictured above), scoop the title of the first Scottish ‘Shed of the Year’ in September 2019. The Shed was recognised for the incredible work carried out since its inception in 2016 and the team of seven men who carried out 30,000 man-hours over the 104-week construction process on its Shed build before its official opening in May 2019.
Mike O’Brien, Chairman of the Aberchirder & District Men’s Shed, said: “Since winning the title in 2019, we have had a busy and successful time – our reputation just seemed to escalate. We will not be applying for the award this year—proud in the knowledge that we were the winners of the inaugural competition—and wish our fellow Scottish Sheds the best of luck and urge them to apply. We hope that this year’s winner receives as much attention that we have had as a result of winning the targe.”
Scottish Sheds – that are SMSA members – can apply by midnight on Sunday 30th August 2020.
| Opens for applications: | Tuesday 28th July 2020 |
| Closed for applications: | Midnight on Sunday 30th August 2020 |
| Shortlist announced: | Monday 7th September 2020 |
| Open to public vote: | Monday 7th September 2020 |
| Closed to public vote: | Midnight on Sunday 13th September 2020 |
| Winner announced: | Wednesday 16th September 2020 |
The Scottish Men’s Shed Association (SMSA) is today announcing a number of changes to its Board of Trustees.
Chairman Derek Keiller has stepped down after four years on the Board – two as Chairman – and has handed over the reins to David Gardner, Vice-Chairman of the Garnock Valley Men’s Shed.
Derek, a member and former-Chairman of Carse of Gowrie & District Men’s Shed, said: “I am stepping down from my role as Chairman to concentrate on my advertising business and have more time with family and friends and my local Shed. I have enjoyed my time on the Board immensely, learnt so much and made friends for life. I am delighted that David is taking over the role and am confident that he will make a huge impact. I wish the staff and Board continued success with the SMSA, a charity that is crucial for men’s health and wellbeing throughout Scotland.”
David Gardner joined the SMSA Board in July 2018 and took on the role of Secretary in July 2019. David becomes the new Chairman with immediate effect. David said: “I wish to personally thank Derek and recognise his valuable input and leadership over the years and more recently through the Covid-19 crisis to navigate unprecedented challenges and adapt to new ways to support Sheds.
“All of our Trustees are Shedders, first and foremost, and understand the importance and impact of Men’s Sheds. Post Covid-19, there is going to be an upturn in the demand for our services and I am honoured to take on this active role, regionally and nationally, to continue to support the SMSA team to grow the Scottish Men’s Sheds Movement.”
Further changes to the Board include Charlie Miller (Secretary of Glasgow Area Men’s Sheds) stepping down as Treasurer – after six years in the role – with Jon Searle (Chairman of Wee County Men’s Shed) taking over the position.
The role of the Board is to develop strategies that ensure the charity is effective, robust and financially capable of supporting its members and growing the Movement. The recent changes and appointments offer a significant refresh of the Board and to further strengthen the team, the Association is on the lookout for a new Trustee to represent the Highlands and Islands region to ensure Scotland-wide representation and contribute to ambitious growth and development plans. If you are in this region and are passionate about Men’s Sheds, the SMSA would love to hear from you and what you could bring to this key role.
     |
The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) is today (16th June 2020) announcing a change to its annual Shed Membership scheme structure.
SMSA Shed Members currently renew their membership on the anniversary of the date that they joined however, SMSA has made the decision to shift its membership year to align with the financial year in order to better streamline the administration of the charity. With immediate effect, the subscription year will now run from the 1st April to 31st March.
How will this affect Shed membership?
SMSA Shed Member benefits – what does your Shed get?
Scottish Men’s Sheds can join the SMSA and receive an array of exclusive membership benefits including:
Volunteers’ Week 2020 (1st-7th June) is a time to recognise our volunteers and celebrate their achievements.
Our Scottish Shedders devote their time – thousands of hours each year – to the Sheds voluntarily and their contribution must be recognised and commended.
Please take some time this week to share your photos, stories, poems and videos about your volunteers or one in particular – we would love to hear them! Tag us in and Volunteers Scotland with the hashtag #volunteersweekscot and we will also share it far and wide.
Let’s give our volunteers a great big THANK YOU this Volunteers’ Week!
The video below features some words from our Executive Officer, Jason Schroeder.
Volunteers Week is a time to recognise our volunteers and celebrate their achievements! Our Scottish Shedders devote their time voluntarily and their contribution must be recognised and commended. Please SHARE your photos, stories and videos with the hashtag #volunteersweekscot pic.twitter.com/DP86rRwCip
— Scottish Men’s Sheds (@ScottishMSA) June 2, 2020
Small premises now eligible for £10,000 grants.
Properties occupied by charities can now apply for the £10,000 Small Business Grant Scheme to help with pressures caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The extension of the scheme is expected to result in an additional £31 million being made available to more than 3,000 small properties occupied by charities – including day centres, workshops and halls. It will apply to properties which are in receipt of any Charitable Rates Relief or Sports Relief, but are otherwise eligible for the Small Business Bonus Scheme.
Finance Secretary Kate Forbes, said:
“Our package of business support is under constant review as we look for improvements that can be made to existing schemes, or any gaps we are able to fill.
“It had become clear that many charities which run small premises, such as day centres and halls, had been hit hard by loss of revenue during the pandemic. This is particularly pressing for small and medium-sized charities which deliver health and social care support, and are heavily reliant on income from their retail operations.
“In order to support these vital charities we have therefore taken the decision to open up the Small Business Grant Scheme to allow them to apply for grants of £10,000 on the first eligible property and £7,500 on any additional eligible properties.”
Full details – https://senscot.net/extra-support-for-charities/
The latest briefing (April 2020) from the Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) Sheds for Sustainable Development Project (funded by the National Lottery Community Fund) is now available.
What the study suggests is that Men’s Sheds not only have positive impacts on the physical, mental and social health of their users, but also on member’s behaviours and attitudes around their health and the health of others.
This includes INCREASES IN MEN’S HEALTH SEEKING BEHAVIOURS, such as learning about health issues in a ‘male friendly’ way, or improving diet and exercise. IMPROVEMENTS IN MEN’S RESILIENCE AND ABILITY TO COPE WITH ILLNESS, such as managing pain or stress. And finally, men’s INCREASED ABILITY TO RECOVER FROM ILLNESS through physical activity, social contact and sharing experiences with others.
However, what is clear is that Men’s Sheds do not have the capacity to become a ‘formalised’ or alternative health service as this is simply outside of their remit and does not fit with the Shed ‘ethos’. Therefore, health practitioners and policymakers may need to find new novel ways of working in partnership in Men’s Sheds to benefit.
Although we may be going through some tough times with current lockdowns, we look forward to continuing to share this work and keep the conversations going!
Click here to download the latest briefing
