The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA), the national support hub for Men’s Sheds across Scotland, has launched its latest animation to attempt to break down misconceptions that this successful health and wellbeing pathway is just for the retired.
In the one-minute film, viewers get to meet Bob, a 32-year-old busy professional who is finding life just a little bit dull before stumbling across his local Men’s Shed and finds connection, community and camaraderie to recharge his life.
SMSA Chief Executive Officer Jason Schroeder said: “Our latest animation is a simple key message to promote widely that Men’s Sheds are for all men, from all walks of life, aged 18 or over and that life shouldn’t just be all work and no play for today’s working man.
“Many believe that Men’s Sheds are just for older, retired men but that simply is not the case and we are striving to break down these perceptions. With over 202 Men’s Sheds groups – open or developing – across Scotland, many are thriving with intergenerational bonds and projects working with local schools, colleges, universities and nurseries. Men, young and old, are coming together in a welcoming environment to learn from and mentor each other and pass on traditional and new skills but most importantly make friends and have some fun. It is a win-win situation for all.
“Over the years, Sheds have evolved to offer a wide variety of activities to attract younger Shedders – and not just focus on the workshop – including music/bands, arts and crafts, 3D printing, sport, day outings and much, much more. We hope that this latest film will encourage men to use our ‘Find a Shed’ map to search for their nearest Shed and go check it out and see if it is for them. After all, what have they got to lose?”
The ‘Meet Bob’ animation, available to view on the SMSA You Tube channel, is the latest in a series of animations from the Association designed to raise awareness of men’s health matters and all Men’s Sheds have to offer. In late 2022, the SMSA launched ‘The Three Amigos’ which focuses in on men’s sex lives and toilet habits to draw attention to possible health issues men can experience like the changes in the hidden ‘third nut’, the prostate gland. Whilst, the ‘Guitar Mike’ film promoted that men do open up and talk about health matters in Sheds which can be life-saving.
PLEASE SHARE THESE AWARENESS-RAISING ANIMATIONS WIDELY WITH YOUR NETWORKS.
The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA), the national support hub for Men’s Sheds across Scotland, today announces the appointment of a new Trustee. Francis Edwards brings three decades worth of health experience from working in the NHS and will represent Sheds in island communities.
Francis, a member of the newly-formed Sanday Men’s Shed in the Northern Isles of Orkney, is recently retired after 30 years of palliative care nursing within the NHS and hospice movement.
The appointment sees Francis join six long-standing Trustees to extend the SMSA’s reach of regional representation as the voice of the Men’s Sheds Movement across Scotland.
On the news of his appointment, Francis Edwards said: “I am delighted to be welcomed as an SMSA Trustee and further represent the Scottish Men’s Sheds Movement in Orkney.
“When I retired here to live the dream of island life, I joined Sanday Men’s Shed mainly for the fellowship but also to pick up a few DIY skills. In my early days of nursing, I was involved in setting up a ‘Well Men’s Clinic’ and, as a recent convert to the Men Shed Movement, feel that my background is a good fit with the SMSA’s values and mission.”
SMSA Chairman David Gardner said: “We are delighted to have Francis, and his wealth of skills and experience, on board and I am confident that he will be an invaluable asset to the Scottish Men’s Sheds Movement and the national hub that supports it. This appointment will allow us to support even more members – inevitably, reaching more men across the nation with the aim to raise awareness of Men’s Sheds, combat social isolation and loneliness and improve men’s health and wellbeing.”
SMSA Chief Executive Officer Jason Schroeder added: “As a membership organisation, all of our Trustees are Scottish Shedders that know the Men’s Shed model and its benefits inside out. They strive to ensure that the charity is effective, robust and financially capable of supporting the needs of our 3,200+ Individual Members and Shed Members across Scotland and develop strategies to further grow and support this thriving men’s health Movement.
“We are appealing for additional enthusiastic, dedicated and visionary Shedders to join our board to extend our regional representation even further. We are particularly keen to hear from individuals in the East and West Highlands, Edinburgh and Angus. The time commitment involved is quarterly Board meetings and an informal catch-up with Trustees. Expenses are reimbursed for visits to Sheds and representation at events. If this sounds like you, please do get in touch.”
The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA), the national support hub for Men’s Sheds across Scotland, has received a funding boost from the National Lottery Community Fund’s Awards for All Scotlandprogramme to upgrade vital resources for its growing membership and deliver quality-assured data on this thriving men’s health Movement.
The member-led national association plans to implement a new Customer Relations Management database interlinked with an upgraded website to maintain records securely online – for its 3,200+ membership and 202 Men’s Sheds across Scotland – and increase the level of information held to enable improved recording and monitoring to feed into the charity’s long-term development plans and support delivery.
SMSA Chief Executive Officer Jason Schroeder said: “An Awards for All grant back in 2016 paid to launch our original website, when the Movement was in its early stages, and the resource has certainly been well utilised supplying Scottish Shedders with the resources required to set up and sustain Men’s Sheds across the nation. As the Movement grew substantially to what it is today, it became apparent that we require to record the increase and variety of support requests being received, speed up our processes, improve navigation so members can find what they are looking for more quickly and store wider key information on the sector to report back to our stakeholders – members, board, funders, partners and supporters.
“On average, we are receiving a staggering 40 new individual members each month to this Movement which is remarkable however, the current manual administrative processes are profoundly impacting on the time of the SMSA team. We plan to simplify our systems for joining the Association but also for our popular ‘Find a Shed’ map which receives thousands of hits each month and make things much easier to find in our online ‘one-stop shop’ members’ portal.
“Through this second award from the National Lottery Community Fund Scotland, we will be able to easier maintain data on the Movement safely and securely and be able to evidence and report on its immense success and impact more efficiently – freeing the team up to support the nation’s Shed volunteers.”
The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland Chair Kate Still said: “This project, delivered by the SMSA, is a great example of community activity in action, showing just what can be achieved when people come together for a common cause or to help others. It’s all thanks to National Lottery players that we can help give charities and community groups throughout Scotland greater certainty during challenging times.”
The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) – the national support hub for Men’s Shed groups across Scotland – welcomed Liam McArthur MSP’s exchange with the First Minister at this week’s First Minister’s Questions on the proposed cuts to the charity’s discretionary funding.
Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, questioned the First Minister on the decision and highlighted the cross-party support received from over 40 MSP’s who this month co-signed a letter to Deputy First Minister John Swinney to allow this ‘invaluable public health movement to be maintained and expanded.’
The First Minister responded to confirm that the Scottish Government is in ongoing discussions with the SMSA and a financial offer had been made. SMSA Chief Executive Officer Jason Schroeder said: “Although we are pleased to finally now be in discussions with the Scottish Government to reverse the decision to withdraw our core funding, in reality, the current offer on the table would only keep the Association’s doors open for another four to six months and we will be back in this situation again.
“The offer does not take into account our in-depth proposal to not only expand the national hub to meet the needs of and reflect the rapid growth of the movement to what it is today – with 202 Shed groups and a reach to 10,000+ men in all 32 local authority area– but also disregards the proposed start-up and development funding pot for new Shed groups to emerge. These community groups are needed now more than ever to improve men’s health and wellbeing and combat social isolation and loneliness in a post-Covid world and need immediate financial discretionary government backing during the present cost-of-living crisis.
“We applaud yesterday’s news on the appointment of the first Women’s Health Champion for Scotland and hope that a Men’s Health Champion is also in the wings to work in co-production with to represent, support and promote men’s health and wellbeing. The Scottish Men’s Sheds movement, which we co-ordinate, is Scotland’s men’s health voice and is evidenced in recent research as a unique and effective preventative health measure for the men of Scotland. It is worth its weight in gold, given the immense saving to public health services and reducing the workload to the NHS. It deserves not only long-term financial core commitment from the Scottish Government but also developmental support to grow to ensure all communities across Scotland have the option of access to a Men’s Shed pathway.
“We thank our cross-party supporters and look forward to continuing our discussion with the Ministers involved to revisit our original proposal at this critical time.”
Today (Tuesday 17th January 2023), Liam McArthur MSP has written a letter (shown below) – co-signed by 40 cross party MSP’s – to the Deputy First Minister John Swinney calling for a rethink of the decision not to award core and development funding to the Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) in the draft budget published last month.
The MSP’s are asking the Deputy First Minister to revisit the funding to the SMSA so that it can continue to support and expand the network of men’s sheds across Scotland, helping tackle social isolation and making a positive impact to improving men’s health.
The SMSA will keep members informed of the response.
The Scottish Shedder features the latest news, events, DIY projects, personal stories and health matters relevant to Men’s Sheds in Scotland. Read this issue at your leisure using the downloadable pdf or flipbook version (below).
Click the image to access the pdf version
Inside this edition:
SMSA NEWS: ‘Talking Sheds’ by SMSA CEO Jason Schroeder SMSA CEO Jason Schroeder provides an update on the Association’s latest developments and appeals to members to ‘SAVE THE SMSA‘.
SMSA NEWS: Men’s health animation promotes keeping the ‘three nuts’ healthy The SMSA has launched the second in a series of men’s health animations with the latest encouraging men to keep a check on their ‘three nuts’ and to take quick action if they experience any changes.
SCOTTISH MEN’S SHED OF THE YEAR: Men’s Shed Govan takes home the title The SMSA announces the winner of the ‘Scottish Men’s Shed of the Year’ Awards 2022. The awards event capped off weeks of public voting for three worthy finalists – Inverurie & District Men’s Shed, Lanark Men’s Shed and Men’s Shed Govan – as they battled it out to get their communities and supporters behind them to cast those all-important votes.
SHED IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Rhins Men’s Shed Donald Peers, Secretary of Rhins Men’s Shed in Stoneykirk, Dumfries and Galloway shares their seven-year journey and how they turned a run-down village hall into a hive of Shed activity for their 50+ members.
MEN’S SHED SONG: ‘At the Menshed’ ‘The Shedbellies’ from Dunfermline Men’s Shed have created a fab new Shed song entitled ‘At the Menshed’. The players on the recording are Tim Clark and Alastair Wood from the Shed band.
COMMUNITY VETERANS’ SUPPORT David Devenney, Director of Community Veterans Support, reflects on how much their military veterans and the Men’s Shed movement share in common.
SHED AWARDS: Dunoon Shedders presented with QAVS The Lord-Lieutenant for Argyll and Bute Mrs Jane McLeod, accompanied by Lieutenant Colonel Peter McDill—Depute for Dunoon and East Cowal, presented Dunoon Community Shed with The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS) crystal and certificate last month.
SHED AWARDS: Accolade awarded to Stanley & District Men’s Shed Stanley and District Men’s Shed recognised for their tremendous efforts to create a living legacy and lasting tribute in honour of the Queen last month.
SHED LIFE: Perth Men’s Shed sponsors and installs outdoor learning experience for pupils Rural Skills pupils at one of Scotland’s newest secondary schools has benefitted from the installation of a polytunnel to enhance their outdoor learning experience thanks to Perth Men’s Shed’s Intergenerational Programme.
SHED LIFE: Carluke Men’s Shed secures Community Asset Transfer Carluke Men’s Shed is celebrating an early Christmas present as they announce their Community Asset Transfer for their new Shed home on Carluke’s Kilmory Road.
And much more…
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Christmas has come early for Scottish Men’s Sheds as the Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) and its partner, Axminster, announce that the market leader in the mail order tools and machinery industry will double its discount to SMSA Shed Members from 5% to 10%.
In order to access these savings, Shed members are required to contact a member of the SMSA Team (Michelle Wibrew, Communications Officer or Jason Schroeder, CEO) in the first instance to advise that your Shed wishes to set up an exclusive SMSA/Axminster account. The SMSA will then provide you with a link to the online application form.
Once the application is submitted and approved, the Axminster team will then create a new account record for the applying Shed and assign the discount which entitles most purchases through the Shed to the 10% discount.
PLEASE NOTE:Existing Shed account holders do not need to re-apply and the discount will be allocated to your account already.
Products that are already on promotion are excluded from the discount and there are also a couple of exceptions including branded power tools: Bosch; Makita; Festool; and DeWalt.
The discount applies to the ‘Shed’ rather than ‘Shedders’ however if the Shed is happy to manage orders from its members, then those orders can be placed through the Shed account. So, your members can benefit too even if they are not buying directly for the Shed.
The SMSA aims to support and inspire Scottish Men’s Shed to sustainability and hope that this increased discount will save you money when buying new or replacing machines from one of the UK’s biggest tool providers.
Men’s health animation promotes keeping the ‘three nuts’ healthy
The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) has launched the second in a series of men’s health animations with the latest encouraging men to keep a check on their ‘three nuts’ and to take quick action if they experience any changes.
The three-minute animation entitled ‘The Three Amigos’ focuses in on men’s sex lives and toilet habits to draw attention to possible health issues men can experience like the changes in the hidden ‘third nut’, the prostate gland, which is usually the size and shape of a walnut inside the body.
The prostate can enlarge as we get older causing peeing habits to change and can also become cancerous. The characters and theme aim to attract men of all ages to watch and learn in an educational, entertaining and informal way. The animation features different thematic scenes as the organs have their own very unique characters, ‘The Three Amigos’, medical information and the benefits of attending a Scottish Men’s Shed.
SMSA Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jason Schroeder said: “We are extremely proud of how the national association has a targeted educational health element to the services we provide and how we work in co-production with our partners to promote their specialised services. We also worked with various Scottish Shedders who had experienced prostate cancer and Prostate Scotland who deliver awareness raising presentations in the Sheds. We were very lucky to get the famous and much-loved Scottish actor Ron Emslie while he was performing the one man show, Man Shed at the Edinburgh Fringe to do the voice over which is so important in this type of media.
“Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men and as we age, the risk of developing this type of cancer increases significantly however it can also still affect younger men too. Through this latest short film, we aim to raise awareness of the symptoms for men to look out for and to talk to their GP’s, fellow Shed members and nearest and dearest, and to not suffer in silence which can often be the case with some men.
“The Men’s Shed environment is a welcoming and friendly place where men come together socially and feel safe enough to have these conversations amongst themselves. Shed members will often find that there are other men who have been through the same journey as them and can offer unique and invaluable advice and support. Early detection is key and this is one of the most successfully treatable cancers. Through this film, we aim to educate and inform, encourage men to talk and reach out for support and ultimately, save lives.”
Luxury homebuilder Bancon Homes today (Thursday 8th December 2022) announces that it has formalised its partnership with the Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA). As part of the arrangement, the company will provide one year of rent-free accommodation for the SMSA’s headquarters at the Banchory Business Centre where it has resided since 2016.
Allan Clow, Managing Director of Bancon Homes, with SMSA CEO Jason Schroeder
A registered Scottish charity, the SMSA is the national association providing support and resources to 200+ Men’s Shed groups across Scotland. Its sole focus is to inspire and support men over the age of 18 with time on their hands to become engaged, in a healthy way, by voluntarily creating their own Men’s Sheds in their local communities across Scotland. The Association provides practical help, information and advice for Shedders throughout their journey from the initial seed of an idea to the running of a successful and sustainable Men’s Shed.
Allan Clow, Managing Director of Bancon Homes said: “Providing a home for people is what we do so we are delighted to support this incredible charity, ensuring they retain their office space and are able to deliver their important services. Men’s Sheds build communities and create an environment for people to come together and this in turn, reduces social isolation and loneliness and that too is our vision for our developments and the communities we work within.”
Jason Schroeder, SMSA Chief Executive, said: “Bancon has always been extremely supportive of the SMSA and our work to support Men’s Sheds across Scotland and we are delighted with this charitable act to reduce the running costs of the charity.
“This means even more during an extremely difficult time when many charities like us are struggling with the current cost of living crisis and all applying for the same pots of grant funding out there whilst trying to recover from a pandemic and still deliver services. This extremely kind gesture provides our charity with the foundation to remain open to support this fast-paced grassroots movement that exists to improve the health and wellbeing of men and support their communities.”
Established more than 40 years ago, luxury homebuilder Bancon Homes is part of the Bancon Group. It currently has developments in Aberdeen, Banchory, Strathaven and Mintlaw and has an exceptional reputation for the quality of its workmanship and its design led approach. This year the company was a finalist in three categories of The Scottish Home Awards, two for its Aden Meadows development in Mintlaw and one for The Reserve at Eden in Aberdeen. In 2021 the company was also nominated as a finalist in three categories, two for its Lochside of Leys development in Banchory and one for the Housebuilder of the Year (less than 100 units).
Excellent customer service is at the heart of the company’s ethos and for the past five years Bancon Homes has won one of the building industry’s highest accolades for customer service, The In-House Gold Award for Customer Satisfaction. In addition to this, the company was given an Outstanding Award for the fourth year in a row, placing it in the top 10% of companies measured. These awards are directly influenced by home buyers and their level of customer satisfaction.
The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) is today announcing the winner of the ‘Scottish Men’s Shed of the Year’ Awards 2022 as Men’s Shed Govan.
The awards event capped off weeks of public voting for three worthy finalists – Inverurie & District Men’s Shed, Lanark Men’s Shed and Men’s Shed Govan – as they battled it out to get their communities and supporters behind them to cast those all-important votes.
With over 200 open or developing Men’s Shed groups now in existence across all 32 local authority areas in Scotland, Men’s Shed Govan was unveiled as the winner – live by the SMSA at the awards ceremony on Tuesday 6th December 2022. Inverurie & District Men’s Shed then pipped Lanark Men’s Shed to the post to claim second place.
Commenting on the award, Men’s Shed Govan Chairman Martin Haddow, said: “We are absolutely delighted to win this award. We have purposefully offered a wide and varied range of activities to meet our members’ needs – after all, not everyone likes woodwork and that is not the be all and end of Men’s Sheds. There is such a strong sense of camaraderie and the Shed has improved the quality of lives of its members by giving them a purpose, people to talk to and things to try and do. We are extremely proud to have turned a previously derelict nursery and undeveloped outdoor space that was being used as a dumping ground into a vital resource for our community that is hugely benefitting the physical and mental health and wellbeing of 70+ members.”
Men’s Shed Govan, which became a Scottish charity in January 2018, has a strong ‘make it, build it, grow it’ ethos with activities on offer including arts and crafts, photography, music, model railway, cooking/baking, bike repairs, woodworking and growing vegetables and herbs in their raised beds and polytunnel in the Shed garden and nearby allotments. Their events over the years include art classes, Tai Chi, wicker craft, community fairs, musical events, quiz nights, author talks and day trips to name but a few.
Award-winning practice nurse Sarah Everett, who won the Royal College of Nursing Institute Patients Choice Award for UK and the Glasgow Times Community Champion Award in 2019, set up the Shed when she saw an unmet need in Govan. Interested members came together to refurbish a derelict ex-nursery into their new Shed premises. Sarah began offering health checks to members on a voluntary basis and she also gave advice on long-term conditions.
The Shedders are encouraged to keep fit through the use of their exercise room and plan to start outdoor walks and cycle rides. The Shed hosts healthy talks on topics such as prostate cancer, bowel cancer, Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm screening and First Aid and has created partnerships and worked on projects for local schools and hospices. The Shed also offers a garden tidy service for older people and provides produce from its allotment and polytunnel to a local food poverty project, Moogety Community Meals.
Following the tragic death of one of their Shedders’ family members, George Benson, the Shed understood that he could have survived if there had been a defibrillator nearby. Making it their mission to secure this life-saving kit, the Shed organised a sponsored 12-hour Exercise-a-thon, where they worked as a team to use their exercise bike, treadmill and cross-trainer in relay for a constant 12-hour period – raising £1,645 towards the cause. The local church then raised £375 through their congregation to hit the target to install a defibrillator for use to the general public 24 hours a day.
Jason Schroeder, SMSA Chief Executive Officer, said: “The purpose of the awards is two-fold – we unite to recognise and celebrate the often-unsung contributions made by Men’s Sheds and the men, who are all volunteers, that attend them. Additionally, the awards exist to break down the perceptions that Sheds are just for older, retired men, that want to tinker in the workshop. They are so much more than that and Men’s Shed Govan certainly highlights this. Each of the Men’s Sheds groups across Scotland is unique in that the activities it offers is led by the members’ needs to benefit the health and wellbeing of all local men aged 18 or over.
“For the awards this year, we received the largest number of applications and public votes to date and it is fantastic to see the public rally together to support a vital resource in their communities.”
Men’s Shed Govan will now receive the esteemed SMSA targe trophy – created and designed by former SMSA Chairman Derek Keiller and several Men’s Shed members – engraved with the Shed name and displayed in a unique stand designed and produced by inaugural winner, Aberchirder & District Men’s Shed. The two runners up will also receive a replica of the trophy, created by David Young Training, to be displayed in their Sheds to recognise them as 2022 finalists.
The winner and runners-up also receive a range of prizes from the SMSA and their partners and sponsors. The winner and runners-up also receive a range of prizes from the SMSA and their partners and sponsors. Men’s Shed Govan receives over £2,300 of prizes to support their Shed including a £500 cash prize from the SMSA (paid for through SMSA Shed Membership fees); a £150 voucher from Axminster Tools; a £250 voucher from Scotmid Co-operative; a £400 cabinet tool kit from Cromwell; a free Machine Competency and Woodwork training day from David Young Trainingworth £660; a year’s free Shed accounts package fromThyme Accountantsworth £360 to support the Shed Treasurer; and goodies from Scottish shortbread maker, Dean’s of Huntly.
Men’s Shed Govan is open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10am – 2pm. All welcome. For more information, please visit www.mensshedgovan.online.
