The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) charity, the national support hub for 200+ Scottish Shed groups, and its founder Jason Schroeder, celebrate a decade championing men’s health and wellbeing and the growth and diversification of the Men’s Sheds movement in Scotland.

SMSA Chief Executive Officer and founder Jason Schroeder said: “We are extremely thankful to be where we are today thanks to our main drivers, supporters and 4,200+ members over the years believing in this life-changing and life-saving men’s ‘health by stealth’ model since day one. Without them, the Association would not exist and men’s health would not now have a platform to be more readily spoken about openly. Everyone wins through this model and we hope the support for this grassroots movement long continues.”

At the SMSA’s 10-year anniversary celebrations and national gathering, hosted with civic hospitality from Perth & Kinross Council, Mr Schroeder was presented with a surprise Men’s Shed style commemorative plaque from James (Jim) Paterson from Aberchirder & District Men’s Shed, which was the first-ever Shed to claim the ‘Scottish Men’s Shed of the Year’ title back in 2019. The unique plaque – created from whisky oak barrels and featuring deer antlers, a sgian-dubh (skene-dhu) with Damascus steel blade and the national association’s membership pin badges and metal studs and engraved with the anniversary dates using pyrography – was presented to the charity founder during the event proceedings.

Jason said: “We are extremely grateful to Jim from Aberchirder & District Men’s Shed for this very special plaque to mark such a huge milestone for the SMSA and myself. The plaque will take pride of place at the SMSA’s HQ in Banchory. As we reflect on how it all began and how far we have come – we are immensely proud today to be now known as Scotland’s largest member-led men’s health and wellbeing charity and that is thanks to our members, funders, partners, committed staff team and Board of Trustees, past and present.

“I wish to thank and recognise our three chairmen over the years – the late Brian Mackay, Derek Keiller and current Chairman, David Gardner. Inaugural trustees Willie Whitelaw (our first Secretary) and Charlie Miller, who is still on the board today, who signed up as our first Treasurer. Trustees, Harry McVeigh, David Searle and Jo Hobbett, were also pivotal to get the Scottish Men’s Shed model and Association off the ground.

“My own story is what started me on my path to find something more for the men of Scotland. Back in the financial crash of 2008/9, I found myself working two jobs yet still unable to pay my bills. I was divorced and trying to be a single parent and a better dad to my teenage son, I had a breakdown which resulted in several months off work and even contemplated suicide. I began to look for elders, men who had been through a similar situation, to guide me. After emigrating from South Africa to Scotland in 1997, I could not find men of that calibre in my community and felt I had nowhere to turn.

“So, I started a men’s group, called the Suns of MAC in 2009, which began slowly meeting at my house once a month and we would gather, create, cook and talk around a campfire. We kind of built my own temporary rustic Men’s Shed and began to really understand how men work shoulder to shoulder and how this, and taking rest breaks, builds connection and heart to heart communication. Then I heard about a talk being delivered by Dr Neil Bruce, Chairman of the New Zealand Men’s Sheds Association, taking place in Inverurie in Aberdeenshire and it changed everything.

“After the phenomenal success of the first Men’s Shed which opened in February 2013 in Westhill, Aberdeenshire after four years of development, I moved from my role as Aberdeenshire Council Development Officer to become the first employed Men’s Shed Development Officer hosted by Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action in Scotland. I was a founding member of the United Kingdom Men’s Sheds Association (UKMSA) which is based in England but due to funding never coming to Scotland in September 2014, I created the SMSA charity. I became the first Chairman and then in 2016, the Association received Scottish Government seed start-up funding for the first time and I became the CEO.

“Since the charity’s inception, we have created a tailored and unique solution-focused step-by-step pathway for new Men’s Shed groups to successfully tackle the developmental requirements keeping a voluntary group of men engaged month after month. Today, the movement has evolved so much – we are now supporting men’s health promotion, suicide prevention, documentation and policy, representing the movement and being the voice of ‘Shedders’ locally and nationally and much more.

“There is however still much work to do and now an estimated 10,000+ Men’s Shed volunteers (and growing) across Scotland that require our support so they do not get overwhelmed with running a Men’s Shed in their local community. The Sheds that are currently in development require our assistance, the open Sheds need to remain sustainable and to grow and thrive for future generations and even more new Sheds are required in communities where there is disadvantage and social exclusion.”

“Although the movement has grown significantly, unfortunately due to a lack of any increased core funding since 2016 from the Scottish Government – as we see for our counterparts in countries like Ireland – I truly believe we have unfortunately only reached a third of Scotland’s full development potential. It is our vision that one day, every man aged 18+ in Scotland will have access to, and the opportunity to attend, their local Men’s Shed if they choose to do so to improve their quality of life and we will strive to achieve this aim for as long as it takes. Here’s to the next ten years.”