Christine Grahame MSP brought another Men’s Shed debate to the Scottish Parliament chamber today (16th June 2022) to discuss and recognise the work that has gone into the production of the one-act play, ‘Men Don’t Talk’ and Men’s Sheds in general as a vital support for many in Scotland’s communities.
Jason Schroeder, SMSA Chief Executive Officer said: “The SMSA would like to thank Christine Grahame MSP and all the MSP’s who supported the motion and their ongoing support to us and the Scottish Men’s Sheds Movement.
“A very important, at times frank, discussion around the issues of the lack of central government funding support and the ongoing community asset transfer challenges. Again, due to the amount of MSP support the session was extended another 30 minutes so all speakers had a chance to speak. This shows that there is real belief and support for this unique men’s health movement but so far not the monetary investment it requires to really thrive and be supported like in Ireland and Australia.
“I feel we have made a step, albeit a small one, in the right direction to support the Movement at this critical junction in the development of the Sheds.”
On Saturday 7th May 2022, SMSA’s CEO Jason Schroeder and Development Officer Tim Green attended the reading of ‘Men Don’t Talk’ co-written by Clare Prenton and Peebles and District Men’s Shed.
Jason Schroeder, SMSA Chief Executive Officer, said: “I had the privilege of attending this professional reading of Men Don’t Talk at the Duns Play Fest. The play is an important and vital thread in the much needed understanding and reweaving of a new cultural story. If we are going to continue succeeding in creating a healthy and thriving world for everyone we need to have these types of opportunities to witness, experience and discuss what needs to change and how we can create the changes together. Clare Prenton and Peebles & District Men’s Shed have triumphed on behalf of us all.”
Tim Green, SMSA Development Officer, said: “The actors (including award-wining Billy Mack, Dougal Lee and Greg Powrie) did brilliantly capturing the characters we meet in the Sheds.
“The script managed to encapsulate the magic that goes on in Sheds in a warm, humorous and authentic way. Many of the lines echoed conversations and moments I’ve experienced over the last three months visiting Sheds all over Scotland. I felt very at home during the performance and I know many men, and Shedders in particular, will feel the same.
“Clare is now seeking funding and interested producers, programmers and venues to tour the play across Scotland and beyond. Let’s hope plenty more folk get to see the play!”
The SMSA interviews Andy Lorimer, Vice-Chairman of Stonehaven & District Men’s Shed, who won the title of ‘Shedder of the Year’ 2021 in recognition of the work he carried out during the course of the pandemic to keep the Shed operating in a safe and secure manner.
Andy (73), who was in the Royal Navy for 13 years and a mechanical fitter to trade, was kept completely in the dark about the award until the surprise announcement was made at the Shed’s Christmas lunch on the 16th December.
Shed Chairman Bill Allan sourced a decorative ship’s wheel and transformed it into an impressive trophy. The ethos behind the award is to recognise and reward the members who have gone over and above to steer the course of the Shed.
Andy said: “I was absolutely delighted when the announcement was made. The members certainly did a good job of keeping that under wraps.”
“I have been involved since the beginning and attended the first meeting at the Town House arranged by our local Rotary in 2016 when Jason from the SMSA came to present to us about the concept of Men’s Sheds.
“I was enthused by Jason’s talk and was just about to retire, so volunteered to become a Trustee from the start.
“I go to the Shed most days—it is a huge and important part of my life. My wife died a few years ago and it has provided me with companionship and friendship. When we went into lockdown, I wanted to ensure Shed projects, that could still run safely, kept going but also wanted to keep our members connected to support each other.”
Shed Chairman Bill Allan said: “Andy put so much effort and hard work into keeping the Shed operating by organising the rotas for Shed supervisors and the duty phone holder; ensuring that we have a safe environment to work in; encouraging and helping out on all fronts on administration, organising meetings, liaising with other groups, particularly on welfare activities; issuing SMSA’s Pathfindr Safe Distancing Assistants; and creating and distributing the weekly Shed newsletter to keep us all informed about what is going on.
“Andy didn’t just sit and accept that the Shed was closed, he worked very closely with NHS Grampian on health and safety and risk assessments and put together robust procedures to keep us all safe. Andy steered all of that.”
A very modest Andy added: “To me, I just do my thing at the Shed and get on with it so I was gobsmacked to be presented with the award for our ‘Shedder of the Year’ 2021.
“There have been so many highlights over the years—too many to cover—but the biggest has to be actually getting our Shed building. This was a monumental moment and although it then hit us that we would now have to find the funds to do up this building, it was great to be a part of that journey. Being part of the team, raising funds and seeing each milestone reached is something we will never forget.
“Painting our huge wall mural in the Shed is also a great memory. Our resident artist Paul Ralph involved the members in it. He sketched out the design and we pretty much painted it like a painting by numbers kit. He then finished off the fine details to make it what it is today—something we are all immensely proud of.
“Being on the Stonehaven Farmers’ & Produce Market Support Team—alongside Paul Tosh, Peter Cooper, David Lomax, Jim Mackenzie, Bill Emslie and Mike McInally—is also great. Tom Hannan has been the driving force behind this and leads the team of volunteers. When lockdown measures eased, we supported the Farmers’ Market to get back up and running again with stewarding support and introduced a one-way system. It was great to be back together and supporting our local community.
“Not only is the market work good for our Shed funds but, more importantly, it is a resource for local produce and wares to be made available in our community once again and an opportunity for us to be at local events raising awareness of the Shed activities to potential new members.
“The biggest part of being a Shed member for me is the friendships made and giving back to our community. A group of us have formed a quiz team and meet on a Wednesday night in the local hotel. We recently won the quiz in early March and any money we win goes straight into Shed funds. These friendships are priceless and I thoroughly enjoy it.
When asked about what the future holds for Andy, he simply replied: “Well, I will just keep coming back to the Shed and keep doing what I do.”
The SMSA chats to Henry Johnson, founding member of Garnock Valley Men’s Shed (GVMS) and Chairman since its inception in 2018.
At 77 years young, Henry recently announced that—after four years at the helm—he plans to step down as Chair at the next AGM.
Henry said: “I have three sons and three grandsons in Australia and, pre-Covid, I visited them at least every two years. It was there, in rural Victoria, that I first heard about Men’s Sheds—not knowing at that time that some had already popped up across Scotland.
“Well, I thought that Men’s Sheds were an amazing concept and would be in high demand in my community back home. At the time, I was a trustee of Project Kilbirnie—aimed at revitalising one of the three small towns in the Garnock Valley—and I put the notion to my fellow trustees on my return. They were excited by the idea and we very quickly got to work to follow it through.
“Unlike many developing Sheds, we found premises first before calling a public meeting. We were extremely fortunate that North Ayrshire Council offered us use of a semi-derelict building in our local park to get us up and running.
“As the first Shed to start-up in the area, we have always had, and continue to have, an excellent relationship with the council—largely through our local Community Development Officer, Stewart Beck. We have deliberately cultivated and maintained good relationships with all of our local politicians at all levels and of all parties and none, kept them informed and invited them to get involved in our work. This has been key to our success.
“There was a great buzz at the inaugural meeting, held in the rundown building we had been offered for use. There were around a dozen enthusiastic men in attendance including David Gardner who was so taken by the potential of Sheds that he is now Chairman of the SMSA. We quickly got a committee together and obtained charitable status in May 2018.
“We soon discovered that there were other Sheds up and running across the country. We got a grant from the Scottish Community Alliance’s Learning Exchange Programme and used it to visit Sheds in Barrhead (our nearest neighbour), the Wee County, Westhill and Inverurie to ‘steal’ ideas from them. After all, there is no point in reinventing wheels when a tried and tested model works well. We remain grateful to these other Sheds. In the course of these visits, we found out about the SMSA and joined as a subscribing Shed member. We have received splendid support and guidance there.
“We were overwhelmed by very generous support from local people and businesses and we successfully approached national funders. We’ve raised around £80,000 in total since we set up and used it to vastly improve the interior and exterior of our building and to kit it out for our member-led activities. There was a lot to do. We had resident rodents, the internal walls were black with damp, the roof leaked and we had no water supply or toilet facilities. But for us, ‘the Shed’ was not so much about a building as about a group of men getting together and working towards a shared vision. Seeing these guys transform a ‘hovel’ into a much-valued community asset was a brilliant project to be a part of.
“Our building is situated in a public park and is at risk of vandalism – or worse. So, an early priority was to make it secure by installing alarm systems, security fencing and anti-climb paint. We even have security cameras that not only record external activity but are linked to my own and David’s phones so that we can check on the building at any time.
“I am not your stereotypical Shedder. I’m legally responsible for health and safety so I’ve never dared to use any of the machinery in the workshop. My only useful ‘tool’ has been my laptop keyboard. I was a mid-ranking civil servant before I retired and I have used skills developed then by completing many a funding application, writing many a begging letter and composing, with pleasure, the occasional letter of thanks.
“I was thoroughly bored at times afterI retired. I’d suffered, as many retirees do, a huge loss of mental stimulation. My Shed activities have certainly filled this gap. I go to the Shed for a while most Tuesdays and Thursdays if only to have a blether with the guys. Thanks to the Shed, I now have a much wider group of friends. Friends for life.
“The Shed has given me a renewed sense of purpose and fulfilment. I enjoy watching previously isolated men—some unemployed, redundant, retired, divorced, bereaved and in recovery – blossom into active Shedders. One of the many highlights for me was watching a group of GVMS Shedders help improve a community garden in the local village of Barrmill. Seeing these guys working together as a team to create a gorgeous shrubbery out of nothing is something I’ll always remember.
“The lengthy COVID closure of the Shed was not only a setback to our progress but tragically, we also lost one of our trustees to the virus. We kept in touch with as many Shedders as we could including via Zoom and through several remotely organised events but it wasn’t the same as running an active Shed. Our immediate priorities, now that we have reopened, are to attract members back and to extend a warm invitation for new members to join us. The pace of returning to active shedding is however slow. Some vulnerable members are understandably still hesitant but we will be there when they are ready.
“We have accumulated funds during lockdown to make further improvements to the Shed building, including installing heating and insulation. We will work on this in readiness for next winter and then develop a chunk of space which we use only for storage at the moment. Something SMSA’s Jason Schroeder said at a training day he held for us early on has always stuck with me – ‘A Men’s Shed is not just a workshop’. For some men, a workshop area can actually be unwelcoming. So, with that in mind, I envisage creating a cosy social area with comfy seats and tables for games to attract members who only want to sit and banter and have a cup of tea or a game of dominoes.
“It has been fantastic being a part of this journey over the last four years. It’s been challenging at times with many highs and occasional lows but I am immensely proud of what our Shedders have achieved and it is only going to continue. It has also been a privilege to support other emerging Sheds in our part of the country, to help set up the Ayrshire Men’s Shed Network and to encourage the growth of the Men’s Shed movement. We are close to finalising our 25-year Community Asset Transfer lease of our restored building which has been much delayed by Covid. We should reach that landmark soon so that GVMS can be around for the generation after mine.
“When I step down later this year, I’ll be very wary to avoid boredom reappearing. I will of course still be involved with the Shed in some way or another. The guys might even let me stay on as a trustee. But I think the time is right for me to take a back seat—I’ve got two continents still to visit and a lot left on my bucket list.”
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.
Springburn Park Men’s Shed with their defibrillator
The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) has partnered up with Scotland’s only dedicated first aid charity and leading first aid training provider, St Andrew’s First Aid, to provide free Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to ten Scottish Men’s Sheds.
The SMSA put a call out to the 190+ Men’s Sheds across Scotland inviting them to apply for the Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) and received 44 applications showing a huge demand for this vital equipment (retailed at just over £1,500) to be located at Shed premises across Scotland.
The ten recipients will use the equipment to not only protect their members but – with the addition of an outdoor cabinet purchased by the Shed – will also make them accessible to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Sudden cardiac arrest strikes 7 million people a year worldwide with no warning and no pattern. There’s little time to react and even less time to think, this means an AED must be close at hand, easy-to-use and ready to shock. Chris Jowsey, Treasurer of Glenkens Men’s Shed, said: “One of our members had a cardiac arrest whilst at the Shed and sadly passed away despite the prompt actions of his fellow Shedders to get medical assistance. We can’t help but wonder if we’d had a defibrillator that day, if the outcome might have been different.
“We are delighted to have received this defibrillator through the SMSA and St Andrews First Aid and to be able to make it accessible to our entire community.”
Tom Bennett of Springburn Park Men’s Shed said: “We have been trying to raise funds for a defibrillator for over two years for our Shed located within a public park in our village. We are thrilled to accept and maintain this defibrillator and make it accessible to our members, other community groups, park users and the general public.”
Brian Kerr, Secretary of Dumfries Men`s Shed, said: “We are very pleased to have been one of the ten Sheds selected to receive one of the defibrillator units. We really appreciate it, and being in larger premises with new members already joining, it is re-assuring to know that in the unfortunate event that it is needed, we could possibly save someone`s life with this kit. It doesn’t get any more serious than life and death and we are very grateful to both the SMSA and St Andrews First Aid for their donation.”
Jim Dorman, Director of Campaigns and Public Engagement at St Andrew’s First Aid, said: “Knowing that these vital pieces of equipment will be available to both members of the ten Sheds and to the wider communities will hopefully bring considerable peace of mind. With every minute that passes following a cardiac arrest, the chance of survival drops by 10%. Swift use of a defibrillator is all the difference needed to significantly increase a person’s chance of survival. We are delighted to donate these defibrillators to help more communities save lives.”
The successful Men’s Sheds across Scotland are: Aberchirder & District Men’s Shed; Forfar and District Men’s Shed; Glenkens Men’s Shed; Inverurie & District Men’s Shed; Macmerry Men’s Shed; Mens Shed Dumfries; Pentlands Men’s Shed; Peterhead & District Men’s Shed; Springburn Park Men’s Shed; and Whale Firth Men’s Shed.
Glasgow Caledonian University has launched a new ‘toolkit’ to help increase the number of Men’s Sheds across the UK after research showed they improve the mental and social wellbeing of older men.
The community spaces offer the chance for men to take part in practical activities, such as woodwork, metalwork, model making or gardening, and are credited with tackling loneliness and social isolation.
Originating in Australia in the 1990s, the number of Sheds in Scotland has increased from one in 2013 to more than 190 today. There are more than 1500 across the UK and Ireland.
Researchers at GCU have been working with Men’s Sheds in Scotland to make the movement financially and socially sustainable, as part of a project backed by the National Lottery Community Fund.
It’s resulted in a new ‘toolkit’ for communities, a guide full of information on how to access funding, source sites, set up committees, run services and offer social activities.
Dr Danielle Hutcheon, research associate at the Yunus Centre for Social Business and Health at GCU, said: “The Sheds offered a lifeline for a lot of people struggling with social isolation and loneliness, especially for men who live alone or are carers.
“What we’ve seen with the Sheds being closed, since March last year, is a real decline in men’s health and wellbeing.
“A lot of the Shedders we spoke to only left the house a couple of times a week to go to the shop or to go to the Men’s Shed. That was the only social contact they had throughout the week.
“Going to the Shed gives a lot of the men a sense of purpose, they treat it almost like a job. It gives them a sense of confidence and value in their lives that they didn’t have before.
“The key to the success of the Men’s Sheds is men’s ability to talk ‘shoulder to shoulder’, while doing a task, rather than sitting face to face in a lunch club or a pub. It’s a relaxed, informal, welcoming environment.”
The toolkit, created in partnership with a range of stakeholders, including the Scottish Men’s Shed Association, Scottish Government, and Age Scotland, will be made available throughout the UK and Ireland.
Dr Hutcheon added: “It comes at an important time. There is a lot of competition for funding at the moment. The toolkit will hopefully help Sheds expand, survive and sustain.
“There’s no doubt the Sheds are having a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of a hard to reach group of men.”
Bill Core is a co-founder and trustee of Barrhead Men’s Shed, which opened in 2014. He’s 78-years-old and used to work in the furniture trade.
Barrhead’s Shed has 58 members and is based in an industrial unit in the town.
He said: “When I was semi-retired, I remember sitting in the house fed-up, thinking to myself what is my life going to be like when I’m fully retired? What the hell am I going to do?
“It’s fine in the summer if you can get out and do things but, in the winter, when the weather is bad, it can feel as if the walls are closing in. You find yourself looking up into the sky and thinking how long do I have before I’m up there?
“The Shed gave me a purpose to get up in the morning, it was a place to go to meet people like myself, keep busy, have a laugh and enjoy myself.
“The guys look forward to coming and arrive with a smile on their face and leave with a smile on their face.
“You get satisfaction from helping other people, from keeping minds active. A lot of members had high powered jobs in the past, there’s a real cross-section of society.
“I thoroughly enjoy making clocks from chunks of wood. I get an immense amount of satisfaction from it. Some of the stuff we’ve produced has been donated to local schools and nurseries, so the whole community is benefiting from the Shed.
“If anyone is sitting at home and thinking they would like to come along my advice would be put on your coat and do it. You won’t regret it, it will change your life for the better.”
Glasgow Caledonian University’s Sheds for Sustainable Development Project has announced the publication of a new paper on the physical health effects of Men’s Sheds on their users.
The Irish Men’s Sheds Association (IMSA) has produced this manual to raise awareness of dementia as well as offer advice for Shedders, their families, carers and Shed committees on supporting a member with dementia.
Adapted from a version created by The Australian Men’s Sheds Association (AMSA) and Alzheimer’s Australia NSW, the ‘Your Shed & Dementia’ manual has been launched to better facilitate men with the condition and make sure there’s a place for them in local groups.
Developed in partnership with the HSE’s Dementia: Understand Together campaign and The Alzheimer Society of Ireland, the manual offers tools to help Shedders recognise signs of dementia, as well as offering practical communication and listening tips.
Men’s Sheds in the UK have been highlighted for the impact they can have on men’s social wellbeing but less is known about their ability to address social isolation and loneliness, especially among retired and unemployed men.
This report outlines findings from in-depth interviews with 62 Men’s Shed members from five Scottish Sheds, exploring the ways in which Shed activities address risk factors for male social isolation and loneliness.
The findings suggest that Men’s Sheds offer a range of activities that are conducive to meeting new people and forming social networks where this had been previously lacking. In particular, Sheds were found to be beneficial to those who were socially isolated due to retirement or living alone.
Although Sheds are not a formal healthcare service, there is potential for partnership working with policymakers and practitioners through models such as social prescribing or signposting.
The study also explores the role Sheds could take in post-COVID-19 recovery.
Dr Danielle Hutcheon (nee Kelly) Glasgow Caledonian University
