During the pandemic, the Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) secured funding from the Scottish Government to provide vital funds to support Men’s Sheds in Scotland in crisis.
The purpose of the £30,000 emergency pot was to reach those Sheds most severely affected by the pandemic that were struggling with financial pressures and/or facing permanent closure as a result of Shed closures in lockdown. The funding was quickly put in place to ensure these Sheds were still around to support their members when able to safely open their doors once again.
The funds were allocated to over 20 Sheds to support them with their core running costs including rent, heat and light and insurance bills and/or materials and training to support them with their safe reopening.
Phil Cave from Biggar and District Men’s Shed said: “The emergency funding received through the SMSA was a great help in time of need and was paid directly to our landlord to cover the outstanding utility bills.”
Brian Beattie from Edzell Men’s Shedsaid: “The money awarded to us from the SMSA was allocated to rent and electricity to keep us going for ten months whilst the Shed was closed and we could not generate funds.”
Maryburgh Men’s Shed applied for funding towards their air filtration ventilation system to assist them to reopen. Shed Treasurer Andy Barnett said: “We originally applied to the SMSA using our original (and very high) contractor quotes. Following advice from the SMSA, we looked closer at how we could make it cheaper by doing a lot of the work ourselves and sent a revised application through. With the lesser amount secured through the SMSA, we could get going with our plans which gave us a real boost.”
Alan Watson, Chairman of Kirkmuirhill and Blackwood Men’s Shed said: “Thank you very much for this funding, it means a great deal to our Shed. It will enable us to supply each individual member who uses the workshop with their own kit, in a sealed box, to ensure no cross contamination. On behalf of all our Shedders, a BIG thanks to you and your team.”
Jason Schroeder, SMSA’s Executive Officer, said: “When COVID-19 forced Sheds to close temporarily this called a halt to their fundraising activities and impacted on their ability to generate income. In some cases, this threatened their Shed’s survival with the inability to pay for just the basic running costs.
“The SMSA is delighted to have secured this funding to help these Sheds in their time of need, and offset their lost income, to ensure they did not have to resort to closing their doors on a permanent basis.”
The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) represents the Scottish Men’s Sheds Movement across many sectors as well as through our Scottish Ministers in Westminster.
At the recent Westminster Hall Debate for International Men’s Day 2021 various Ministers shared the difficulties men and boys face in our modern society today. Men’s health is more than often being overlooked by governments but there are new organisations and movements which celebrate and support a healthy masculine role model emerging to rectify the negative toxic male stereotype we have inherited and Scottish Men’s Sheds is one of them. The Scottish Men’s Sheds Movement welcomes men over the age of 18 to join Men’s Sheds which can create a unique intergenerational experience for all involved to experience camaraderie with purpose in a ‘shoulder to shoulder’ mentoring way.
Margaret Ferrier, Independent MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West, recognised the vital work of the SMSA and her recent meeting with Jason Schroeder, SMSA Chief Executive Officer commended the enormous impact Men’s Sheds have on the wellbeing of men of all ages that attend in her speech. Margaret’s speech begins at 21.40 mins into the video (below).
Check out the Hansard (Official Report) here. Margaret’s speech prompted some of the Members that followed to also acknowledge Men’s Sheds including Mrs Maria Miller (MP for Basingstoke) and Gavin Newlands (MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire).
Check out the video below for the full debate that took place on Thursday 25th November 2021:
The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) has today presented Westhill & District Men’s Shed with the esteemed ‘Scottish Men’s Shed of the Year’ targe trophy to mark and celebrate International Men’s Day.
Westhill & District Men’s Shed, the first-ever Men’s Shed in Scotland which opened in 2013, was crowned the winner at the ‘Scottish Men’s Shed of the Year’ Awards 2021 event earlier this month after receiving over a third of the votes from the public. The SMSA team hand-delivered the targe trophy, now engraved with the winning Shed’s name, to be displayed at their premises on Hay’s Way in Westhill, Aberdeenshire over the coming year.
The Association also presented a replica runner-up trophy, created by SMSA partner David Young Training, to Stonehaven & District Men’s Shed who came in a close second.
International Men’s Day, on the 19th November each year, celebrates the positive value men bring to the world, their families and communities – putting the spotlight on positive role models and raising awareness of men’s health and wellbeing. Jason Schroeder, SMSA Executive Officer, said: “Today, we are delighted to recognise men from all walks of life and the contribution they make to society. We can think of no better way to mark International Men’s Day than to showcase and reward the tremendous impact that Men’s Sheds are making in their communities and the life-changing effect and benefits this brings to their members.
“The Scottish Men’s Sheds Movement, now in its seventh year, has grown exponentially and we now have 192 known open and developing Men’s Shed groups across the nation and it continues to grow thanks to these men.”
Chairman of Westhill & District Men’s Shed, David Thomson, said: “On behalf of our trustees and members, I am delighted to receive this exceptional trophy today. I would like to thank our Trustee Stuart Ellis who prepared and submitted our application for this award and would also like to recognise our supporters who voted for us – not just from the UK but also many from overseas. I am extremely proud of the contribution that each of our 300 members have made to make our Shed such a huge success.”
The SMSA’s targe trophy was collectively created in 2019 by several Men’s Sheds and designed by former SMSA Chairman, Derek Keiller of Carse of Gowrie Men’s Shed for the first year of the Awards.
Derek designed and woodturned the targe from mahogany supplied by the Carse of Gowrie Men’s Shed from a 100-year-old billiards table followed by French polishing by Hamish Shepherd of Strathmore Men’s Shed in Coupar Angus. The trophy will now be displayed for a year at Westhill & District Men’s Shed on a unique stand designed by inaugural winner, Aberchirder & District Men’s Shed.
The winner and runners-up also receive a range of prizes from the SMSA and their partners and sponsors. The winner, WDMS, receives over £2,000 of prizes to support their Shed including a £500 cash prize from the SMSA (paid for through SMSA Shed Membership fees); a £125 voucher from Scotmid Co-operative; a £200 voucher for tools from Balfour Beatty; a £50 voucher from Axminster Tools; a free Machine Competency and Woodwork training day from David Young Training worth over £630; a year’s free Shed accounts package fromThyme Accountants worth £360 to support the Shed Treasurer; and goodies and hampers from their local Asda, Co-op and Tesco stores.
Professor Barry Golding AM – an internationally-published researcher and writer, associated with Federation University in Australia, who wrote ‘The Men’s Shed Movement: The Company of Men’ book in 2015 – has now produced a timely sequel entitled ‘Shoulder to Shoulder: Broadening the Men’s Shed Movement’.
The book was published in the US in late October and is available with a special offer to SMSA members! Anyone wishing to buy the 2015 book on the same order as the sequel will receive a 25% discount when they use the code—SHOULDER2021.
Essential reading for all Shedders, Shed-based organisations and anyone interested in learning more about the 3,000 very diverse Sheds open in community settings in more than ten nations around the world, check out the links below for more information on the two books:
A carefully researched and easy-to-read, evidence-based book about how and why the Shed model works and how the Movement, the scope and reach of Sheds might be broadened post COVID-19. The book features 130 illustrative case studies about Men’s Sheds and national movements across Australia, the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, the US, Canada and Denmark. Inclusive of women’s Sheds and research evidence about impact.
Chapter 3 of the new book, called ‘Men’s Sheds in the UK’ (pages 119-186) includes information on Scottish Sheds and the SMSA. The book also includes 20 diverse UK Shed case studies (including six from Scotland) amongst the 131 case studies from around the world.
The public has voted and, out of five worthy finalists, Westhill & District Men’s Shed (WDMS) – the first-ever Men’s Shed in Scotland – has been crowned ‘Scottish Men’s Shed of the Year’ 2021 after receiving 35% of the total votes.
WDMS was announced as the winner live by the Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA), with 667 votes, at the Association’s AGM & ‘Scottish Men’s Shed of the Year’ Awards 2021 virtual event on Thursday 4th November 2021. Stonehaven & District Men’s Shed came a close second with 450 votes and next up was Dunoon Men’s Shed with 305, followed closely by Aboyne & District Men’s Shed with 277 and Dumfries Men’s Shed with 216.
Chairman of Westhill & District Men’s Shed, David Thomson, said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive this prestigious title that recognises the achievements, over the last eight years, from our extremely active and committed Board of Trustees and members. We have grown significantly over the years and now welcome over 300 members through our doors—averaging nearly 100 member visits per week.”
The first of its kind in Scotland, WDMS has been used as a good practice model for many Scottish Sheds and has evolved and diversified to meet the needs of its growing membership since its inception in 2013. The Shed offers impressive facilities to local men age 18 or over including a fully-equipped workshop and social, meeting and administration areas. Activities include lawnmower refurbishment, a bridge group, music group, 3D printing, model railway making and their new clock/watch repair service to name but a few on top of their projects for their local community including making benches, pergolas, garden furniture, planters, and signs for walking trails to generate income towards the Shed’s running costs.
The Shed also holds a series of talks on a variety of subjects including men’s health and wellbeing and local history and presents to local groups and hosts visits to raise awareness of their Shed and the Scottish Men’s Sheds Movement as a whole.
The Shed recently expanded, with an additional portable cabin, creating more much-needed space to accommodate its growing popularity. In June of this year, WDMS also received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service recognising the invaluable work carried out in their community and with special recognition for its COVID-19 work to produce 2,700 face visors for keyworkers. Their future plans include repairing the leaky roof of their original Shed building but first and foremost, their focus lies with encouraging existing members to return to the Shed with confidence.
Jason Schroeder, SMSA Executive Officer, said: “We are delighted that the first-ever Men’s Shed in Scotland has claimed the ‘Scottish Men’s Shed of the Year’ 2021 title. This year’s entries were of an incredibly high standard and were blind-judged by our Board of Trustees before letting the public decide on their winner.
“The pandemic and temporary Shed closures have certainly not put a stop to these men and they have demonstrated extreme resilience. The awards event not only showcases and recognises the immense achievements of individual Men’s Sheds and the impact they are having at a local level – to improve men’s health and wellbeing and make a real difference in their communities – but also celebrates the incredible growth of the Men’s Sheds Movement in Scotland over the last eight years to what we have today – over 190 Men’s Shed groups nationwide – and it continues to grow.”
The winning Shed will receive the esteemed targe trophy – created by 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 trophy will be hand-delivered to WDMS by the SMSA Chairman and staff team to mark International Men’s Day on Friday 19th November 2021. Each of the four runners up will also receive a replica of the trophy, created by David Young Training, to be displayed in their Shed’s to recognise them as 2021 finalists.
The winner and runners-up also receive a range of prizes from the SMSA and their partners and sponsors. The winner, WDMS, receives over £2,000 of prizes to support their Shed including a £500 cash prize from the SMSA (paid for through SMSA Shed Membership fees); a £125 voucher from Scotmid Co-operative; a £200 voucher for tools from Balfour Beatty; a £50 voucher from Axminster Tools; a free Machine Competency and Woodwork training day from David Young Training worth over £630; a year’s free Shed accounts package fromThyme Accountants worth £360 to support the Shed Treasurer; and goodies and hampers from their local Asda and Co-op stores.
TheAnnual Report and Financial Statements for the period 1st April 2020 to 31st March 2021 is now available from the Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA).
The publication features reports from the SMSA Chairman, Treasurer and Executive Officer; key highlights from the reporting period; future plans; and the financial statements.
There is still time to register for the SMSA AGM & ‘Scottish Men’s Shed of the Year’ Awards 2021 this Thursday (4th November), 10am to 1pm on Zoom. Click here to register.
The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA), a membership organisation supporting men’s health and wellbeing through Scottish Men’s Sheds, has scrapped the traditional five-day working week and implemented ‘Wellbeing Wednesdays’ for its committed employees.
The initiative – proven successful in Japan, New Zealand and Sweden – involves staff working reduced hours for an improved work-life balance and employee engagement. The Association consulted with its staff to prepare a proposal for its Board of Trustees identifying how services would still be delivered and the list of benefits for staff and the organisation as a whole. In mid-October, the SMSA Board approved the proposal.
David Gardner, SMSA Chairman, said: “In post-COVID recovery and as a Men’s Health Movement, the SMSA is delighted to lead by example and implement a well-deserved four-day week for our dedicated staff team. Longer hours do not necessarily mean higher productivity and evidence suggests that working fewer hours can increase morale, reduce stress and lead to happier and healthier employees.
“Instead of having a three-day weekend, we feel that a mid-week break on a Wednesday would benefit the team further. This offers the opportunity for our hard-working staff to take a day off to relax, do things they love, spend time with family and friends and/or carry out any personal appointments. It is a win-win situation for both the organisation and the staff.”
The SMSA Board will trial the new working hours pattern and review this in December 2021.
SMSA members can register to attend the virtual SMSA AGM and ‘Scottish Men’s Shed of the Year’ Awards 2021 on Thursday 4th November 2021, 10am to 1pm on Zoom.
Hear from the SMSA on its key highlights of the year and future plans. On the day, the SMSA will also announce who will be crowned 2021’s ‘Scottish Men’s Shed of the Year’.
Confirmed speakers (pictured left to right) include: Sir Harry Burns (SMSA Patron), Charles Wallace (Scottish Veterans Commissioner) and Professor Barry Golding (Internationally-published researcher and writer – talking about his new book, ‘Shoulder to Shoulder: Broadening the Men’s Shed Movement’).
This not-to-be-missed event is for SMSA members only and has limited places. If you are not already an individual member, why not join for FREE today?
This online national gathering, on Tuesday 5th October 2021, hosted and organised by the Scottish Government was targeted at community groups with an interest in asset transfer.
With over 100 delegates logging on through Microsoft Teams – with an interest in making an asset transfer request, learning more or wishing to share their experience of the process – there was good representation from Men’s Sheds across Scotland and the Scottish Men’s Sheds Association.
Scottish Government’s Asset Transfer Policy Manager, Malcolm Cowie, has shared the presentations and associated information with the SMSA to send out to the Shed Networks.
Jason Schroeder, SMSA’s Executive Officer, said: “The SMSA is delighted to have received such an excellent response, and an incredibly high standard of applications, for this year’s awards. This year, the SMSA Board of Trustees changed the process to ‘blind judging’ and all references to names, areas, regions, partners etc were removed. This afforded the opportunity for the Trustees to review the applications based on the Men’s Shed model, their growth, their response to members’ needs and the impact they have in their communities without knowing who the application was from.
“As with previous years, this was an extremely difficult decision for our judging panel. The decision was also made, given the volume of applications received, to increase the number of finalists from three up to five to give more Sheds the opportunity to be showcased and promote good practice through the Awards.
“It is inspiring to read about the life-changing impact Sheds are having in their localities and these Awards recognise and reward this work being carried out by vital volunteers across Scotland who are striving to improve the health and wellbeing of men over the age of 18.”
Bill Allan, Chairman of Stonehaven and District Men’s Shed, said: “We are delighted to receive the news that our Shed is on the shortlist, especially on reading the other applications and seeing the effort and dedication of the other Sheds involved. It is heartening to see such involvement by men to the benefit of the community, and the SMSA is to be congratulated for such an outcome.”
Brian Kerr, Secretary of Dumfries Men’s Shed, said: “It is an honour, and huge achievement for our Shed and community as a whole, to be shortlisted for this award as recognition of what has been achieved over the last year. After successfully obtaining our new much larger premises in November through the Community Asset Transfer process, we completed the move from our old Shed during the pandemic, navigating through lockdown.
“Since then, we have carried out repairs to the building; decorated downstairs; and set up the workshop, games rooms, kitchen and main dining/social room. We have also recently received funding from the National Lottery Community Fund to purchase computers and printers to set up a new computer suite so that our members can learn basic computer literacy and internet training to ensure we always stay connected. It has been an extremely busy and eventful year and I hope we will continue to grow and be able to help more people in Dumfries as we continue to add to and improve our facilities. I would like to thank the members of our Shed who have freely contributed their time, hard work and support in order to make all of this possible.”
Stuart Ellis, a Trustee of Westhill and District Men’s Shed, said “We are thrilled, immensely honoured and thankful to the SMSA Trustees for shortlisting our Shed for this award. The amount of effort freely given by our members to help and support our community, and each other, has been truly inspirational as demonstrated by our recent award of the Queens Award for Voluntary Service. During the year, we have also completed the fit out of an extension to the Shed, with all work carried out by our members. Re-organisation of the workshops and social area has provided more space in each area, allowing us the opportunity to add more services and activities to our already busy programme and accept more new members.”
Ian Graham of Dunoon Men’s Shed said: “Our Shed is delighted to be shortlisted for this award. We are hoping that the community of Argyll and Bute will vote for us for this prestigious honour.”
Mike Brooks, Chairman of Aboyne & District Men’s Shed, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been shortlisted for SMSA’s ‘Scottish Men’s Shed of the Year’ 2021. Whilst the Shed has only been open for a few weeks, we as a group have been working since 2016 to get a Shed up and running. Little did we know then that we would be building a Shed from scratch, and in doing so would also end up providing a wonderful hub space for other community groups to use.”
The awards event will take place virtually on Zoom again this year and will coincide with the Association’s Annual General Meeting on Thursday 4th November 2021, 10am to 1pm. The winner will receive the esteemed targe trophy – designed and collectively created by the SMSA and several Sheds – to display at their Shed for a year on top of a cash prize and other goodies.
The public had two weeks until midnight on Sunday 17th October 2021 to vote.
The 2020 ‘Scottish Men’s Shed of the Year’ title went to The Inverclyde Shed.
***DATE FOR YOUR DIARY*** SMSA AGM & ‘Shed of theYear’ Awards 2021
SMSA members can register to attend the virtual SMSA AGM and ‘Scottish Men’s Shed of the Year’ Awards 2021 on Thursday 4th November 2021, 10am to 1pm on Zoom.
Hear from the SMSA on its key highlights of the year and future plans. On the day, SMSA will also announce who will be crowned 2021’s ‘Scottish Men’s Shed of the Year’.
Confirmed speakers include: Sir Harry Burns (SMSA Patron), Charles Wallace (Scottish Veterans Commissioner) and Professor Barry Golding (Internationally-published researcher and writer – talking about his new book, ‘Shoulder to Shoulder: Broadening the Men’s Shed Movement’).
