If you missed the opportunity of the sold out Scottish Men’s Sheds Association national online conference on the 21st January 2021 you can now enjoy an edited version of the first half of the conference.
Big thanks for all the Sheds input, Tim Green (Age Scotland Men’s Shed Development Officer), Dr Dani Kelly (Glasgow Caledonian University), Maurice Corrie (Cross party Armed Forces & Veterans Chairman and MSP) and our SMSA Trustees.
Listen to how the Sheds have fared over the last 10 months of the Pandemic, our new Emergency Shed Funding, the ground breaking Pathfindr safe distancing assistant now available through the SMSA for free to all Scottish Men’s Shed members and lastly the latest status of the SMSA Reopening Shed Guidance.
Today (Thursday 18th February 2021) at 5.05pm, The Scottish Parliament debated on the Scottish Men’s Sheds Movement during Members’ Business led by Maurice Corry MSP alongside four-minute speeches from Kenneth Gibson MSP, Rona McKay MSP, Stuart McMillan MSP and Christine Grahame MSP.
The debate is in reference to the ‘Scotland’s Men’s Sheds Movement’ motion (S5M-23991) lodged by Maurice Corry MSP on the 27th January 2021.
During the course of the pandemic, many Men’s Sheds adopted new ways of conducting meetings by carrying these out virtually. The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) is advising that the governing documents of some charities do not allow for this online approach and therefore must be updated.
On the 30th September 2020, the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (Meetings of Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisations) (Coronavirus) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 made legal provision to enable ‘virtual’ methods whether or not governing documents permit this. These temporary provisions were extended until the 30th March 2021.
OSCR is advising charities that this is likely to be the last extension to these provisions. Therefore, it is vital that Sheds make sure they are ‘future-proofed’ in terms of being able to conduct meetings virtually by allowing for them in governance documentation.
SMSA’s Shed-specific Constitution template
SMSA has worked with OSCR to revise its Shed-specific Constitution templates available to Sheds across Scotland:
Generic – Men’s Shed Template Constitution – Available in the SMSA Resource Library (member log-in required) under Open Sheds and Shed Development.
Ownership – SCIO Community Asset Transfer building ‘Ownership’ Constitution – Available in the SMSA Resource Library (member log-in required) under Open Sheds and Shed Development.
The changes advised by OSCR were to include the wording ‘in person and virtual’ into four different places. The above templates have been updated to reflect these recommendations.
These documents are in an editable format for your benefit and are not to be changed in any other way than adding your personal Shed charity criteria for OSCR submission. If you have adopted our SMSA/OSCR approved Shed constitution you MUST update it to this format to remain operational and legal after the March grace period. Sheds then need to notify OSCR, send the Regulator a copy of the revised constitution and ideally, the Resolution (e.g. Minute of the Board passing of the change).
If your Shed requires support, please contact Jason Schroeder, SMSA Executive Officer at ceo@scottishmsa.org.uk or call 07397382533.
In lockdown, the SMSA is still advising all Sheds to remain closed—until further guidance is issued from The Scottish Government. The Association has taken this time to consult with its Shed members and partner organisations on its reopening guidance that it has been working on for several months.
The guidance (containing a 16-page document, risk assessment, new member registration form, shed visit rota, track and trace form and a cleaning checklist) provides advice and examples only for Men’s Sheds in Scotland on steps and safety measures in relation to Covid-19 to follow to safely reopen their doors again when the time is right.
SMSA wishes to thank everyone that took the time to respond to the consultation including our Shed members, Healthy Working Lives, Public Health Scotland, Age Scotland and the Scottish Government. SMSA is now currently collating all of the feedback received and will revise the document accordingly.
This guidance is by no means definitive and is something that will be reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis over time.
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.
SMSA’s ‘Scottish Men’s Shed of the Year 2020’ winner, The Inverclyde Shed, has featured in the Comic Relief: Red Nose Day 2021 national campaign for the first time.
The Scottish Men’s Shed movement continues to grow daily and two things are always guaranteed in a Men’s Shed… a cup of tea and a belly laugh! It’s the glue which binds the men together.
It’s simple to make a safe donation to support the Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) using your credit or debit card, PayPal, a CAF Charity Account or CAF Charitable Trust.
When you make a donation, your name and address will be passed onto SMSA (unless you choose to remain anonymous). Keeping your identity to yourself is easy – simply tick the ‘Donate anonymously’ box when you select your donation amount.
Thank you for supporting the SMSA to save the Sheds and ultimately, save lives!
The SMSA has been trialing the Pathfindr Safe Distancing Assistants in ten Scottish Men’s Sheds – made possible with funding from its partnership with the Scottish Community Alliance. Due to the success of this trial, the Association has now received full supported funding from The Scottish Government to roll this out to other interested Sheds across Scotland.
Moffat Men’s Shed demonstrates Pathfindr devices
Check out Moffat Men’s Shed’s video demonstrating the Pathfindr Safe Distancing Assistants in action at their workshop.
The clip (filmed before the second lockdown) shows this simple piece of kit – available for free to SMSA Shed Members – being used to assist with training and awareness of social distancing.
The device which can be worn around the neck or clipped on to clothing emits a short audible or vibrating alert when another wearer is detected within 2 metres, advising both wearers to check and increase their distance.
The range can be changed from its pre-configured 2m, as a result of revisions to the legislation. This effective piece of technology has no complicated set up, no software to install and no training.
If your Shed would like to request some devices from the SMSA for use when lockdown measures ease, please complete this short online form.
As part of the Scottish Government’s winter package funding to tackle social isolation and loneliness, the Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) has secured vital funds to support Men’s Sheds in crisis in Scotland.
The £30,000 emergency pot will assist Sheds, most severely affected by the pandemic, that are struggling with financial pressures and/or facing closure to ensure they are still here to support Shedders when they are able to safely open their doors once again.
Jason Schroeder, SMSA’s Executive Officer, said: “SMSA is delighted to have secured this crisis grant funding for Scottish Men’s Sheds through the Scottish Government. Covid-19 forced our Sheds to close temporarily, calling a halt to much of their fundraising activities and this is impacting heavily on their income generation. This fund will support new and existing Sheds, large and small, to cover core running costs to offset this lost income. We will aim to help those Sheds in crisis to give them the peace of mind to ensure they are still here in the future when Sheds will be needed most.
“A huge area of concern is how this pandemic has impacted on people’s health and wellbeing and we need to ensure the survival of our Sheds for when men can attend them again, hopefully in the spring time. This funding has the potential to do so much good. We will strive to stretch it as far and wide as we can to prevent any closures.”
The fund is now open for SMSA Shed Members (click here to join for free) to apply online through the Association. Sheds can apply for core running costs (e.g. rent, heat and light, insurance etc) to keep them open in the upcoming months. Priority will be made to Sheds with an unrestricted funds bank balance of less than £1,000.
The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) – in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support – wants to hear from Shedders that have cancer, have had cancer or who are supporting or caring for someone with cancer.
Cancer doesn’t just affect the person; it also affects family members, friends, carers and communities. A life-changing diagnosis can influence relationships, finances, careers and emotions. Men’s Sheds offer an empowering place for men to come together voluntarily to make friends, re-engage with purpose, enjoy healthy lives and even learn new skills. Even though Sheds are temporarily closed, due to Covid-19 restrictions, these strong connections with fellow Shedders are still being maintained.
SMSA is looking to bring together a group of men willing to meet online to share their cancer experiences and stories. What helped most? What were the challenges/barriers? What type of cancer? What was missing on your journey? What improvements could have been made? All these real-life experiences, from a male perspective, will assist SMSA to develop effective resources and ultimately, save lives.
This invaluable information will be used to produce health-focused information leaflets and a series of animations for Men’s Sheds across Scotland to support men going through this journey. The aim of this project is to raise awareness of the impact cancer has in men’s lives (of all ages) and to encourage more men to be aware of it earlier on. The Shed is the perfect place for these conversations and for the knowledge to be shared.
Interested?
Please contact Jason Schroeder, SMSA Executive Officer, by email or call 07397382533.
