Ten Scottish Men’s Sheds receive life-saving kit through charity partnership

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.

NEW RESEARCH PAPER RELEASED: The impact of community Men’s Sheds on the physical health of their users

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.

Read the latest research paper at: www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1353829221001453

The main highlights of the report include:

· Men face inequities in their access to and use of primary health services

· Research has called for more male friendly approaches to physical health engagement

· Findings suggest links between Men’s Shed activity and improved physical health of users

· Men’s Sheds may provide an alternative route for male physical health improvement

Your Shed and Dementia: A manual from the Irish Men’s Sheds Association

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.

Click here to view/download the manual.

Briefing Report: How Men’s Sheds are addressing male social isolation and loneliness

The latest briefing report from Glasgow Caledonian University’s Sheds for Sustainable Development Project on how Men’s Sheds are addressing social isolation and loneliness is now available to download from the SMSA website.

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

Prostate Scotland ToolBox Workshops for Sheds

Following the recent release of Men’s Sheds in Scotland research from Glasgow Caledonian University on the health benefits of Sheds, Shedders may be thinking more about health awareness and education for their members. With this in mind, Prostate Scotland would like to let Shedders know about a new opportunity available for Sheds to raise awareness of prostate disease/cancer. Prostate Scotland can offer its new Zoom ToolBox Workshop to individual Sheds or Sheds coming together online.  

Why?

A survey for Prostate Scotland found that just over 50% of the general public surveyed and only 1/3 of men over the age of 55 could name a symptom of prostate disease/cancer. Yet an enlarging prostate or Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) affects almost 1 in 2 men over the age of 50.  Prostate cancer is the most common cancer for men in Scotland with a 1 in 10 lifetime risk of a man developing prostate cancer. Prostatitis can affect men from the age of 18 with it being most common between 30 and 50 years.

Interested in a Zoom Toolbox Workshop?

So why not get in touch with Mae Bell to find out more and organise a Zoom ToolBox Workshop? It will be well worth 30 minutes of your Shedders’ time!  Contact Mae on 0131 603 8663 or mae.bell@prostatescotland.org.uk

Men’s Sheds as an alternative healthcare route? A qualitative study

Men’s Sheds Research Update

Men’s Sheds as an alternative healthcare route? A qualitative study of the impact of Men’s Sheds on user’s health improvement behaviours

Glasgow Caledonian University’s latest paper from the three-year Sheds for Sustainable Development Project has been published by the Bio-Medical Central (BMC) Public Health on the 20th March 2021 and is available on their website at:

https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-021-10585-3​

As men’s health is an underrepresented area of policy and practice, there have been calls for more ‘male-friendly’ approaches to get men to think about and look after their health. While Men’s Sheds are recognised for the health and wellbeing impacts they can bring to their users, less is known about the effects that Sheds can have on men’s behaviours and attitudes towards their health. 

While Sheds aren’t formal healthcare providers, this paper outlines the ways that Sheds encourage men to look after their health and wellbeing in both obvious and non-obvious ways in an alternative informal and supportive ‘male-friendly’ environment. For example, the ways that Shed activities can provide a distraction from illness or adversity, how men can become educated on aspects of male health and how the support that Shedders receive can make them feel better about their health situations. 

For more information about the GCU Sheds for Sustainable Development Project (funded by The National Lottery Community Fund), please contact Dani at Danielle.kelly@gcu.ac.uk 

Research paper released—Men’s Sheds in Scotland: the potential for improving the health of men

The latest research paper ‘Men’s Shed in Scotland; the potential for improving the health of men’ from Glasgow Caledonian University’s three-year Sheds for Sustainable Development Project has now been published in the Journal of Public Health Policy.

Recently policy has focused on the role of community-based organisations and the ways that they are tackling local health issues, such as social isolation and loneliness. 

Men’s Sheds have been recognised for the health and wellbeing impacts they have on those who use them, therefore, questions have been raised over their ability to become deliverers of formal healthcare to ‘hard to reach’ men in communities. 

With this in mind, a study was conducted with Sheds in Scotland to identify challenges to Shed sustainability and development that may affect their ability to deliver formal healthcare. 

Findings showed that a reliance on ageing and retired volunteers to undertake operational tasks and generate income to fund activities affected the ability of Sheds to sustain and develop. 

Shed members also did not wish their Sheds to become formal healthcare deliverers, preferring to keep their activities informal and flexible to fit with the needs of their members. 

In conclusion, although Sheds are recognised for their health and wellbeing benefits to men, policymakers must recognise that formalising their activities might detract from the Shed’s primary aims. Therefore, there must be a consideration of tensions that exist in placing expectations of Sheds to expand their remit and formalise into service delivery. 

Read the full research paper here.

Dr Danielle Hutcheon (nee Kelly)
Yunus Centre for Social Business and Health
Glasgow Caledonian University

Sir Harry Burns announced as patron of the Scottish Men’s Sheds Association

The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) is delighted to announce the appointment of Sir Harry Burns – Professor of Global Public Health, University of Strathclyde – as patron of the charity for the next three years.

Sir Harry Burns was the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland for nine years (September 2005 to April 2014) and became renowned for his accomplishments in addressing health inequalities. Sir Harry was knighted in 2011 in recognition of his outstanding achievement and service to society.  He is a member of the Council of Economic Advisers in Scotland and, in December 2014, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon presented him with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the inaugural Scottish Public Service Awards, recognising his lasting contribution to public service.

Sir Harry joins the SMSA – the national charitable body of Men’s Sheds for Scotland – that supports and inspires men to set up and run their own Sheds in their local communities to improve health and wellbeing.  A Men’s Shed is a shared space where men – from all walks of life – attend voluntarily to work on practical projects or simply find camaraderie, conversation and friendship. 

Jason Schroeder, Executive Officer of the SMSA, said: “We are honoured to welcome Sir Harry Burns as our patron.  The Men’s Sheds movement began in 2009 in Scotland and there are now 188 known open and developing Sheds (engaging over 7,000 men) across Scotland and they are continuing to grow at a rapid rate.  Sir Harry’s support will be key to create awareness and gravitas of the vital work that we do to improve men’s health and wellbeing.  We are very much looking forward to working closely with him.”

On his appointment, Sir Harry Burns said: “I have always admired the concept of Men’s Sheds and the growing grassroot movement in Scotland and am delighted to become the patron of the SMSA.  I look forward to supporting the great work that they do in my new role.”