Scottish ‘Shed of the Year’ Awards 2020 opens for applications

The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) has today opened its prestigious ‘Shed of the Year’ Awards to applications from Men’s Sheds across Scotland.

***THE 2020 AWARDS ARE NOW CLOSED FOR APPLICATIONS***

The awards recognise and reward the contribution and impact Men’s Sheds make to society – telling the story to raise awareness of the benefits of Sheds to men, their family and friends and the community as a whole.  The awards event will take place virtually on Zoom this year, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and has been timed to coincide with the Association’s Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 16th September 2020. If you want to attend the virtual event, through Zoom, click here to register.

Jason Schroeder, SMSA’s Executive Officer, said: “We are delighted to launch this year’s awards to celebrate and showcase the life-changing work being carried out in Men’s Sheds across Scotland. The Men’s Sheds Movement began in Scotland in 2009 – and the first Shed opened in 2013 – and we now have an impressive 188 Sheds across the nation – all dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of men over the age of 18 through friendship, support and camaraderie.

“We want to hear from Sheds across Scotland – their background, their journey and the impact they have had within their localities.  We also want to know about the challenges they have faced and how they overcame them so that other Sheds can learn from their experience.  Although, the event is being carried out online this year, it certainly will not stop the Shedders ‘meeting’ digitally to network and learn from each other.”

Shortlisted Sheds will be selected from all of the applications by SMSA’s Trustees before going to a public vote in the run-up to the event – the winner and two runners-up will then be announced on the day. 

The winner will receive the esteemed targe trophy – designed and collectively created by SMSA and several Sheds – to display at their Shed for a year on top of a cash prize, a free machine competency and woodwork training day from David Young Training and a £100 gift voucher from Axminster Tools & Machinery.

WINNER – Aberderchirder & District Men’s Shed
Pictured Left-Right: James Paterson, Derek Keiller
(Former SMSA Chairman) and Mike O’Brien

Last year saw Aberchirder & District Men’s Shed (pictured above), scoop the title of the first Scottish ‘Shed of the Year’ in September 2019.  The Shed was recognised for the incredible work carried out since its inception in 2016 and the team of seven men who carried out 30,000 man-hours over the 104-week construction process on its Shed build before its official opening in May 2019.

Mike O’Brien, Chairman of the Aberchirder & District Men’s Shed, said: “Since winning the title in 2019, we have had a busy and successful time – our reputation just seemed to escalate.  We will not be applying for the award this year—proud in the knowledge that we were the winners of the inaugural competition—and wish our fellow Scottish Sheds the best of luck and urge them to apply. We hope that this year’s winner receives as much attention that we have had as a result of winning the targe.”

Scottish Sheds – that are SMSA members – can apply by midnight on Sunday 30th August 2020.

Opens for applications:     Tuesday 28th July 2020
Closed for applications:  Midnight on Sunday 30th August 2020
Shortlist announced:    Monday 7th September 2020
Open to public vote:  Monday 7th September 2020
Closed to public vote: Midnight on Sunday 13th September 2020
Winner announced:  Wednesday 16th September 2020

Changes to SMSA Board

The Scottish Men’s Shed Association (SMSA) is today announcing a number of changes to its Board of Trustees.

Chairman Derek Keiller has stepped down after four years on the Board – two as Chairman – and has handed over the reins to David Gardner, Vice-Chairman of the Garnock Valley Men’s Shed. 

Derek, a member and former-Chairman of Carse of Gowrie & District Men’s Shed, said: “I am stepping down from my role as Chairman to concentrate on my advertising business and have more time with family and friends and my local Shed. I have enjoyed my time on the Board immensely, learnt so much and made friends for life.  I am delighted that David is taking over the role and am confident that he will make a huge impact.  I wish the staff and Board continued success with the SMSA, a charity that is crucial for men’s health and wellbeing throughout Scotland.”

David Gardner joined the SMSA Board in July 2018 and took on the role of Secretary in July 2019.  David becomes the new Chairman with immediate effect.  David said: “I wish to personally thank Derek and recognise his valuable input and leadership over the years and more recently through the Covid-19 crisis to navigate unprecedented challenges and adapt to new ways to support Sheds.  

“All of our Trustees are Shedders, first and foremost, and understand the importance and impact of Men’s Sheds. Post Covid-19, there is going to be an upturn in the demand for our services and I am honoured to take on this active role, regionally and nationally, to continue to support the SMSA team to grow the Scottish Men’s Sheds Movement.”

Further changes to the Board include Charlie Miller (Secretary of Glasgow Area Men’s Sheds) stepping down as Treasurer – after six years in the role – with Jon Searle (Chairman of Wee County Men’s Shed) taking over the position.   

The role of the Board is to develop strategies that ensure the charity is effective, robust and financially capable of supporting its members and growing the Movement.  The recent changes and appointments offer a significant refresh of the Board and to further strengthen the team, the Association is on the lookout for a new Trustee to represent the Highlands and Islands region to ensure Scotland-wide representation and contribute to ambitious growth and development plans.  If you are in this region and are passionate about Men’s Sheds, the SMSA would love to hear from you and what you could bring to this key role.

Change to SMSA Shed Membership

    

The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) is today (16th June 2020) announcing a change to its annual Shed Membership scheme structure.

SMSA Shed Members currently renew their membership on the anniversary of the date that they joined however, SMSA has made the decision to shift its membership year to align with the financial year in order to better streamline the administration of the charity.  With immediate effect, the subscription year will now run from the 1st April to 31st March.

How will this affect Shed membership?

  • existing SMSA Shed Members will be invoiced annually with the next single renewal date being the 1st April 2021
  • if you have a direct debit in place to renew your membership please notify your bank to reflect the date change (1st April)
  • existing memberships paid after the 1st April 2020 can request a refund (due to Covid-19 and the closure of Sheds) if that helps with your cash flow.  Contact SMSA’s Executive Officer, Jason Schroeder, (with ‘Covid-19 Refund’ in the subject line)
  • new members (from today’s date) will reap the full benefits of membership and will pay their first annual subscription on the 1st April 2021
  • from the next renewal date (1st April 2021), Shed membership will increase slightly from £20 to £25 per year – for the first time in five years – to cover the increased production and postage costs of the Shed Membership packs

SMSA Shed Member benefits – what does your Shed get?

Scottish Men’s Sheds can join the SMSA and receive an array of exclusive membership benefits including:

 
For more information on joining the SMSA, please click here.

Funding ensures charity’s survival to keep Scottish Shedders connected

The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA), on the brink of closure, has secured vital funds to remain open and ensure Scottish Shedders stay connected during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The £50,000 grant will allow SMSA to keep operating and innovatively create new pathways to social connectivity amongst the Men’s Sheds Movement in Scotland. 

Jason Schroeder, Executive Officer of the SMSA, said: “We welcome these much-needed funds from the Scottish Government to enable us to continue this vital work for men’s social connection and wellbeing.  The ethos of Men’s Sheds is to reduce social isolation in our society and it is essential, whilst the Sheds across Scotland are temporarily closed, that these cyber Shedders stay connected during these unprecedented times.

“Even though they cannot physically go to the Shed, they can still stay in touch with their fellow Shedders for friendship, support and camaraderie.  We have researched the online conferencing facilities available for simplicity, functionality and reliability and will support those Shedders who are not overly confident to access these opportunities.  Over the coming weeks, we will expand the online programme to include guest speakers and activities and give the men a chance to get creative and share ideas for ‘Shedding at home’.

“The response from our Shedding community to Covid-19 has been truly incredible.  It is heart-warming to see Shedders support each other and rise to the challenge to create personal protective equipment for our frontline workers from the safety of their homes.  It is imperative that SMSA is here to support these men now and continue to do so in the years to come.  In recovery from Covid-19, the men in our communities will need Men’s Sheds more than ever to feel connected with their communities once again.”

Local Business Raises Vital Funds For Stonehouse Men’s Shed

A family-run plumbing and heating business based in Lanarkshire is fundraising in a unique way during lockdown for Stonehouse Men’s Shed.

David Baxter of David Baxter & Sons Ltd is marking his 50th birthday by carrying out a sponsored walk in his garden for the charity.  David said: “My wife, Lynn, and I have done several charity walks over the years and this year I decided to come up with a different way to still do this from home.  We have previously walked the West Highland Way – a 96 mile footpath running from Milngavie north of Glasgow to Fort William in the Scottish Highlands – and we measured up the perimeter of our garden to see what it would take to walk the same distance.  I will be walking on average 265 laps of my garden per day for five days – with my black Labrador, Shadow by my side – to raise vital funds for a local charity that I am passionate about.”  

David’s wife, Lynn Baxter, added: “We wanted to do something big to mark David’s 50th year and raise money for a charity that is really making a difference in our local community.  As a business and a family, we were already aware of what the Shed is doing for our community and strongly support the concept of Men’s Sheds.  Our plumbing and heating business was invited to tender for the works to Stonehouse Men’s Shed and we agreed that we wanted to offer our labour for free and only charge for the materials required to further support the charity.”

Stonehouse Men’s Shed plans to carry out a £30,000 conversion on its new Shed – an unused former public convenience block in King Street in the village – to create a workshop, kitchen, meeting space and disabled access toilet.  On 6th March 2020, Stonehouse Men’s Shed signed the concessionary lease of £1 per year for a new home for its 30 members and before lockdown had demolished the interior of the Shed.  

Brian Adams of Stonehouse Men’s Shed said: “We are thrilled with the support received from this local business, David Baxter & Sons Ltd, to not only help with the conversion of our Shed but also to fundraise for us during this time.  Although we are all currently on pause right now, we are looking forward to planning for the future of the Shed especially now that we have also just received the news that we have secured £17,000 towards the work.  The funding – from the National Lottery Community Fund and the Kype Muir Wind Farm Community Trust – will go towards the project and the purchase of a portable cabin to expand the space available to our members.”

Jason Schroeder, Executive Officer at the Scottish Men’s Sheds Association, said: “We are delighted to see communities really rally together to continue to support Men’s Sheds during the outbreak.  When lockdown is over, there will be more men than ever in need of Men’s Sheds for friendship and to feel connected in their communities again.”

Click here for a video of David Baxter starting his walk today (Monday 20th April 2020).

Every penny raised through David Baxter’s walk will go towards the conversion to form Stonehouse Men’s Shed’s new premises. To donate to this worthy cause, please visit https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/DavidBaxter21

Briefing – Sheds for Sustainable Development Project: Men’s Sheds as an alternative route for male health engagement

The latest briefing (April 2020) from the Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) Sheds for Sustainable Development Project (funded by the National Lottery Community Fund) is now available.

What the study suggests is that Men’s Sheds not only have positive impacts on the physical, mental and social health of their users, but also on member’s behaviours and attitudes around their health and the health of others.

This includes INCREASES IN MEN’S HEALTH SEEKING BEHAVIOURS, such as learning about health issues in a ‘male friendly’ way, or improving diet and exercise. IMPROVEMENTS IN MEN’S RESILIENCE AND ABILITY TO COPE WITH ILLNESS, such as managing pain or stress. And finally, men’s INCREASED ABILITY TO RECOVER FROM ILLNESS through physical activity, social contact and sharing experiences with others.

However, what is clear is that Men’s Sheds do not have the capacity to become a ‘formalised’ or alternative health service as this is simply outside of their remit and does not fit with the Shed ‘ethos’. Therefore, health practitioners and policymakers may need to find new novel ways of working in partnership in Men’s Sheds to benefit.

Although we may be going through some tough times with current lockdowns, we look forward to continuing to share this work and keep the conversations going!

Click here to download the latest briefing

Kinross & District Men’s Shed 3D Prints Face Shields For Key Workers

Kinross & District Men’s Shed (KDMS) is producing face shields to protect key workers on the front line during the Coronavirus pandemic.
 
This vital piece of kit provides a barrier to stop workers from touching their face and also protection from the patient if they cough or sneeze.
 

KDMS is using 3D printers to make the Polylactic Acid (PLA) face shields and requests are coming in at a tremendous rate from the community.  KDMS Chairman, David Conner, said: “KDMS wanted to help and one of our Shedders, Jim Forbes, started working in his shed at home to come up with a solution to meet the demand for this life-saving protective equipment.  The Shedders have really stepped up and there is a team of around 12-15 of us involved in taking and recording orders, administration, printing, assembly, quality checks and delivery.  More and more Shedders are becoming involved each day to lend a helping hand to this cause.
 
“Orders are coming in thick and fast from NHS workers, carers, testing hubs, postal workers and shop workers across Ayrshire, Perthshire, Fife, Forth Valley and Clackmannanshire.  We had to set up a business model quickly and efficiently to get this right.  Everything is done safely from our homes and we communicate through phone and video calls.  We have fulfilled over 100 orders so far and now have an order for 100 more.  We have been receiving photographs and video calls from the key workers when they have received their face shields and it makes everything that we are doing worthwhile.”
 
Jim Forbes, 81, said: “I had a vision to do this and researched face shields online and came up with a quality product – quick to produce, washable/reusable and light –  consisting of four simple parts: the shield’s top frame; standard A4 acetate sheet protector screen; bottom support; and elastic to keep the shield firmly on the face.  An advantage of the design is the bridge between the forehead and the face plate which greatly reduces breath aerosol mist (possibly infected) from entering the users’ eyes.  This 3D printed version needs no tools to assemble except for a pair of scissors to trim the face plate.  For Shedders with no access to a 3D printer, we also developed a second product where no tools are required other than scissors.  

“Every single item is checked and the shield comes with an instruction leaflet for the end user.  We initially had our one Shed 3D printer and my machine but now Culture Perth & Kinross has dedicated their five printers bringing us up to seven solely dedicated to this task.  A local lady in Powmill who has been printing hundreds of shields has also bought herself another one and offered that second printer to help us if she has any free space.  We are now able to produce an output of 40-50 shields per day. When it comes to delivery, there is obviously no contact.  The order is simply placed in our gardens when we are notified that the person is on their way to collect.”

Shedders have been creating the products at home but are running low on supplies and have set up a Go Fund Me page to pay for much-needed supplies.  The Shed has already raised over £2,000 towards materials to date.

KDMS has created assembly instructions, spreadsheets, instruction leaflet and 3D Printer files (STL files and G-codes) – now available in the SMSA members’ online resource library (log-in required) – that it is happy to share with other Sheds interested in becoming involved to help with their orders or wishing to replicate the model in their local area.  Interested Sheds are urged to contact David Conner, Chairman of KDMS.

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.”

SMSA Hits Membership Milestone To Mark International Men’s Day

The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) is celebrating reaching a significant milestone on International Men’s Day by welcoming its 2,000th individual member.

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 wellbeing.  Men’s Sheds provide community-based places to connect men through activities and social interaction and epitomise what International Men’s Day is all about.   

Brian Tait, Chairperson of Dalkeith Men’s Shed – which opened its doors at Dalkeith Thistle FC to Shedders within six weeks of its first public meeting – registered as the 2,000th individual member of the SMSA.  Mr Tait said: “By becoming an individual member of the SMSA – and also Dalkeith Men’s Shed becoming an official Shed Member – we can already see the benefits and our members are very keen to be involved in the growth of this movement.”

Jason Schroeder, Executive Officer at the SMSA and co-founder of the first Men’s Shed in Scotland in Aberdeenshire back in 2013, said: “We are delighted to see the advancement in this grass roots men’s health movement which recognises men from all walks of life and the contribution they make to society.  In addition to our 2,000 supporters, Dalkeith Men’s Shed is amongst almost 200 Sheds in Scotland that can access a wealth of support, guidance and resources through SMSA to assist with their development and aid in our aim to reduce social isolation and improve the health and wellbeing of men.”

The SMSA exists to inspire and support Shedders (age 18+) to create Men’s Sheds across Scotland.  The Association draws on its extensive experience to support new and existing groups seeking to develop and sustain a Men’s Shed through the provision of information, advice and guidance to make them operate as smoothly as possible in the local community. 

The Association enables information sharing, communication and co-operation amongst Men’s Sheds in Scotland through ‘The Scottish Shedder’ magazine, interactive website, social media channels and community-based events and workshops (regarding good practice in advancing the education, health and wellbeing of men).  It is free to become an individual member of SMSA and receive regular information updates and access to its online resource library and full Men’s Shed membership (with various benefits and discounts included) is only £25 per year.

Sheds for Sustainable Development Project: The Health and Wellbeing Impacts of Men’s Sheds on their Users

The Glasgow Caledonian University ‘Sheds for Sustainable Development Project’ – now in its second year of a three-year project – has released its next policy briefing outlining emerging findings from their in-depth study on the health and wellbeing impacts of Shed activity.

The University will continue to produce these short policy briefings throughout the remainder of the project.  For further information on the project and for previous publications/reports please click here.