Voluntary Arts Epic Awards – Get your Shed in the Headlines

Voluntary Arts Epic Awards are currently open for nominations.epicawards-hands-768x512

This is our annual call for voluntary-led cultural groups across Scotland (am drams, choirs, visual arts groups, community-led festivals etc) to tell us about something special they’ve done over the past year. If you know of any groups in your area who you feel should be nominating themselves, please forward on the attached flyer or point them in the direction of www.epicawards.co.uk.

This is a great way for groups to raise their profile locally and nationally, and there are a range of prizes up for grabs, including cash and developmental support.

There is a simple application process and the deadline is 12 January 2017.

SMSA – ‘Meet the Shedders and Members’ Event – 17 November!

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If you are a Shedder and/or a SMSA Member you are invited to an event we are holding at the Carse of Gowrie Men’s Shed, Dundee, 11am-3pm on the 17 November 2016.

The morning session will be an opportunity to hear what the SMSA is all about and an opportunity as Shedders to share your successes and frustrations you face in your Sheds.

We want to hear from you!

The afternoon session will be our second AGM where we shall share what we have been up to over the past year since the launch in Glasgow, how we are looking financially and where we are heading into 2017!

We would like to hear from our members what they feel is required of the SMSA in the supporting of the grassroots Scottish Men’s Shed Movement. If you cannot be there on the day, please send us an email with your thoughts.

If you would like to join us on this important day at the fantastic Carse of Gowrie Men’s Shed, please book your place and free ticket through the EventBrite link below before the 15th November.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/smsa-meet-the-shedders-and-members-event-tickets-29055997270

There are only 30 tickets available, so please make sure you can make it for the whole event!

If you would like an event like this in your area please do let us know – info@scottishmsa.org.uk

Living It Up – Scotland. We are in the News!

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Keen to find out more about what happens at the Sheds, we spoke to the Founder and Chairman of SMSA, Jason Schroeder, to find out more. Jason told us:

“[Men’s Sheds] aren’t just for benefitting men; they are providing a new place for men to meet in a healthy environment which can directly impact on their relationships with their family, work place and community. … In this type of environment men are more relaxed and happier, which can lead to people living a healthier lifestyle – it is producing a positive cultural change in men’s behaviour and ways of communication.”

To read the full article and see what else is of interest on their great website click here

Men’s Sheds: The Movement in Scotland & the Big Picture Internationally Seminar

 

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Sometimes the planets are in alignment. Thursday 13 October is one such occasion, when three international visitors with diverse and deep insights into the now international Men’s Shed Movement are in Glasgow. They have teamed up in an event hosted by University of Glasgow with the Scottish Men’s Sheds Association, the Glasgow Area Men’s Sheds, the Australian Men’s Shed Association and the International Men’s Shed Organisation* to present a Forum to update and explore where and how the Movement has suddenly ‘taken off’ across the UK and Ireland, most recently into Scotland and around Glasgow.

If you are interested in any aspect of this remarkable and transformative grassroots international Movement: as a participant, policy maker, organization or government representative, student, member of the public or researcher, this free Forum is for you. The latter part of the session will provide an opportunity to discuss how the Scottish movement might be expanded to benefit men, families and communities and also provide the essential data government and community organisations find useful to help them ‘get on board’ an already fast moving ‘train’.

Venue: University of Glasgow, School of Education,5th Floor Common Room, 11 Eldon St., Glasgow G3 6NH

Date : Thursday 13 October 2016

Time: 1pm-4.30pm

RSVP and Book your place : cradall@gla.ac.uk

Full information :  www.cradall.org  – sheds-movement-scotland-big-picture-internationally

 

Year of Listening 2016 Competition

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Are you a budding poet, writer or photographer? If so we’d love to hear about what listening means to you!

Email your photo (<2MB), short story (<500 words), or poem (<40 lines), which answers the question:

What does listening mean to you?

to: info@breathingspacescotland.co.uk

 

Listening can mean different things

An act, a moment, a mood

For some it’s lending a caring ear

Or making others feel good

Whatever it is, let’s hear your thoughts

And make this one of those years

When Scotland’s time to listen

Brings music to your ears

 

The closing date for entries is Friday 28th October 2016. One winner from each category will receive an MP3 player. See the competition terms and conditions for more details.

Full Information : http://www.breathingspace.scot/news/2016/year-of-listening-2016-competition/

STONE MASONS @ THE SHED AT THE BRAES – 19th August

StoneMasonry at The Shed

 

Date : Friday 19th August 2016

Time : Drop in between 11.00 and 13.00
Cost : FREE
Venue : The Shed at The Braes, Bank Street, Slamannan, Falkirk, FK1 3EZ

Join Historic Environment Scotland’s stone masons for a lunch time of demonstrations and hands on activities. Learn about this traditional craft skill with other men from the community.

For those 16 years of age and over.
Refreshments provided.

For further information please contact Vicky Grandon on telephone: 07449 342 438

Email: Vickygrandon@hotmail.co.uk

All the best Shed videos – join the SMSA Video You Tube Channel

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The SMSA have created our own You Tube channel, to host our own videos and those of other Sheds and Shed Associations which we feel are worth watching. Be sure to subscribe to our channel which is free, so you can find us easily. If you have a You Tube video from your Shed which you feel would benefit the Scottish Men’s Sheds Movement and would like us to have it in our library, please email us for consideration: info@scottishmsa.org.uk. You can also find the You Tube link at the bottom of all our pages on this website.

Big Lottery – Community Assets Funding – not looking good for Sheds!

Community Assets: The essential update

by Steven Shanahan

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It is now over three weeks since Community Assets opened and interest is very high. We’ve been getting far more phone calls and emails than normal as a result of this. Many of these have been fairly complex. Due to this increase, it has been taking us longer than usual to reply. Sorry if you’ve been affected by this and do please bear with us.
We have also been getting lots of questions that are unfortunately a less good fit with Community Assets.

Based on the budget for this funding, we are only expecting to fund between 10 and 15 communities over the next year. It means the level of competition for grants will be very high. We will in turn only encourage requests that will very strongly address inequality or disadvantage.

What we’re less likely to consider

Although we realise the benefits of the work of these organisations, we’ve found a harder case for applying might be from:

  • Sports groups delivering sports only activities
  • Scout groups
  • Heritage focused
  • Men’s sheds
  • Play parks or park improvements
  • Community Councils
  • Churches (when the church will still own it)
  • Car parks

From all organisations, requests we are less likely to consider are:

  • General refurbishment
  • A lease (unless exceptional circumstances are involved)
  • A building that will only be used for headquarters

National Sheds Grant Fund launches to a great success!

NEWS UPDATE – 10 July 2016

 

The funding window is now closed. Please do not send in anymore applications until it opens again in 2017. Well done to all the Sheds who applied and were successful – successful Sheds should know by the end of August!

 

Communities urged to apply for funding to set up Shed spaces

Local community groups across Scotland are today being encouraged to apply for a share of a new grant fund to help support the set-up of community Shed spaces.
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