How does a man find his purpose when he grows old and major life events come thick and fast? Should he retire to the solitude of The Shed as usual and escape from the world, or get out and try something new? When the familiar rules no longer apply, is it too late to change the habits of a lifetime?
Man Shed is a bitter-sweet one-man theatre piece which explores the joy of sheds, the pain of loss and the comfort of friendship. The play has been inspired by Men’s Sheds around the world, but more specifically by the work of the Scottish Men’s Sheds Association.
Man Shed is written by Euan Martin, directed by Dave Smith, and produced by Right Lines Productions. Writer Euan Martin from Right Lines said: “After an extended period of inactivity due to the pandemic, it is fantastic to be presenting live theatre once again. Man Shed was due to premiere in May 2020, but because of the national lockdown, the tour had to be cancelled. We were fortunate to be selected for the Pleasance Edinburgh National Partnerships programme, supported by Eden Court Theatre, Inverness. This will allow us to present Man Shed in one of the most prominent and prestigious venues at the Edinburgh Fringe.”
Susannah Armitage, Senior Producer at Eden Court Theatre, said: “Eden Court is delighted to be supporting Man Shed by Right Lines as part of our inaugural involvement in the Pleasance Edinburgh National Partnership project. Man Shed is a very touching and pertinent tale about loneliness, friendship and where you find community. It is also warm and funny and will speak to lots of different audiences and we are sure that it will do well at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Right Lines have long been established as a theatre company making and touring work across the Highlands and we are really pleased to be collaborating with them in this context.”
The Edinburgh Fringe run at The Pleasance marks the world premiere of the show. The show previews on the 3rd and 4th August and continues until Monday 29th August (with the exception of Wed 10th, Mon 15th and Mon 22nd August).
On Saturday 7th May 2022, SMSA’s CEO Jason Schroeder and Development Officer Tim Green attended the reading of ‘Men Don’t Talk’ co-written by Clare Prenton and Peebles and District Men’s Shed.
Jason Schroeder, SMSA Chief Executive Officer, said: “I had the privilege of attending this professional reading of Men Don’t Talk at the Duns Play Fest. The play is an important and vital thread in the much needed understanding and reweaving of a new cultural story. If we are going to continue succeeding in creating a healthy and thriving world for everyone we need to have these types of opportunities to witness, experience and discuss what needs to change and how we can create the changes together. Clare Prenton and Peebles & District Men’s Shed have triumphed on behalf of us all.”
Tim Green, SMSA Development Officer, said: “The actors (including award-wining Billy Mack, Dougal Lee and Greg Powrie) did brilliantly capturing the characters we meet in the Sheds.
“The script managed to encapsulate the magic that goes on in Sheds in a warm, humorous and authentic way. Many of the lines echoed conversations and moments I’ve experienced over the last three months visiting Sheds all over Scotland. I felt very at home during the performance and I know many men, and Shedders in particular, will feel the same.
“Clare is now seeking funding and interested producers, programmers and venues to tour the play across Scotland and beyond. Let’s hope plenty more folk get to see the play!”
Towards the end of 2021, Biggar and District Men’s Shed moved to its new permanent location, at the former Walston Primary School, in Elsrickle. A few months into its new home, the Shed reflects on its journey so far and announces big plans for the future.
Richard Crosse from the Shed said: “Peter Brotherstone was the man responsible for getting the Men’s Shed in Biggar started whilst in his role as Beadle of Biggar Parish Church in the early months of 2018.
“He had seen many situations where men, whose wives had passed on, were at a loss as to what to do with themselves. He felt that most women, in a similar situation, handled the situation better than men as they found companionship with other women. Unfortunately, not all men open up to other men as easily.
“Initially, the meetings were mainly held in the Gillespie Centre in Biggar but some more suitable accommodation was found in Symington, sharing a corner of an industrial unit used by the Albion Foundation, leased from the Hometown Trust.
“Upon starting in Symington, it was amazing how much tools and equipment we acquired from donations. Initially, the members brought in tools that were surplus to their needs but once word spread about the Shed, the general public began making donations, including 16 surplus office chairs and surplus office desks.
“During the later part of 2018 and the early months of 2019, the search for more suitable premises continued. However, it became more focused, when the Hometown Foundation gave the Albion Foundation notice to quit the premises in Symington by the middle of May 2019. This meant that the Men’s Shed would also be required to vacate.
“The search for new premises went into top gear. Various locations were identified including the old Police Station in Biggar, and Loaningdale (a former outward bound centre). Thankfully James Cameron, who owned Loaningdale, was open to helping us and offered us the possibility of using two vacant adjoining semi-detached properties, which had previously been used as staff accommodation, to which we readily agreed.
“We moved to Loaningdale in Autumn 2019 and it took a bit of getting used to as it was completely different from the industrial unit we had just left. It did not have the large spaces that we had before and a lot of thought had to go into making best use of the space available. However, we all adapted and were eternally grateful to Loaningdale for allowing us to set up our Shed in these premises.
“We got involved in local events including The Biggar Agricultural Show and The Biggar Vintage Vehicle Show to promote the Shed and its activities and seek to increase our membership. We started 2020 with great ambition and ideas. Membership had grown to 30 and there were a number of interesting projects in the pipeline. These included working with the local Beavers to create a garden at the rear of the Legion Hall in Biggar and working with the nursery at Symington Primary School.
“Then, the pandemic hit and everything drew to a halt. The Shed was unable to meet due to lockdown but we continued the search for a better and more permanent home. After some long negotiations with South Lanarkshire Council and much hard work, we managed to secure a 10-year lease of the former Primary School at Walston.
“We have now been in our new premises for just over six months. So far, the woodwork shop is up and running and a ramp for disabled access is in place. We have also made a start on improving insulation and preliminary work has started on the garden area. Membership is back up to 35 and the future looks bright.
“Before our takeover, the school building was unused for a considerable period of time and had deteriorated somewhat, becoming rather cold and damp. We have big plans to update and improve matters but this will take time.
“Heating the building with its current system is proving very challenging. However, we are getting through winter and our enthusiastic membership is working hard.
“Some of the projects in the pipeline include: installing new double glazing; upgrading to ECO heating; creating an allotment area, with polytunnel, for our green-fingered Shedders; finalising the woodworking area; and clearing the middle hall to create an arts and craft area.
“We are grateful to the many enterprises and individuals for their generous donations of tools, materials etc. and for the excellent support we are receiving from the community and are confident that we will be able to create a first-class facility that will benefit all in our surrounding communities.”
The Shed meets every Wednesday and Thursday, from 10am – 4pm—all visitors are very welcome. For more information, please contact info@biggarmensshed.ukor call 07471 491099. You can also visit their websiteand follow them on Facebook.
The SMSA interviews Andy Lorimer, Vice-Chairman of Stonehaven & District Men’s Shed, who won the title of ‘Shedder of the Year’ 2021 in recognition of the work he carried out during the course of the pandemic to keep the Shed operating in a safe and secure manner.
Andy (73), who was in the Royal Navy for 13 years and a mechanical fitter to trade, was kept completely in the dark about the award until the surprise announcement was made at the Shed’s Christmas lunch on the 16th December.
Shed Chairman Bill Allan sourced a decorative ship’s wheel and transformed it into an impressive trophy. The ethos behind the award is to recognise and reward the members who have gone over and above to steer the course of the Shed.
Andy said: “I was absolutely delighted when the announcement was made. The members certainly did a good job of keeping that under wraps.”
“I have been involved since the beginning and attended the first meeting at the Town House arranged by our local Rotary in 2016 when Jason from the SMSA came to present to us about the concept of Men’s Sheds.
“I was enthused by Jason’s talk and was just about to retire, so volunteered to become a Trustee from the start.
“I go to the Shed most days—it is a huge and important part of my life. My wife died a few years ago and it has provided me with companionship and friendship. When we went into lockdown, I wanted to ensure Shed projects, that could still run safely, kept going but also wanted to keep our members connected to support each other.”
Shed Chairman Bill Allan said: “Andy put so much effort and hard work into keeping the Shed operating by organising the rotas for Shed supervisors and the duty phone holder; ensuring that we have a safe environment to work in; encouraging and helping out on all fronts on administration, organising meetings, liaising with other groups, particularly on welfare activities; issuing SMSA’s Pathfindr Safe Distancing Assistants; and creating and distributing the weekly Shed newsletter to keep us all informed about what is going on.
“Andy didn’t just sit and accept that the Shed was closed, he worked very closely with NHS Grampian on health and safety and risk assessments and put together robust procedures to keep us all safe. Andy steered all of that.”
A very modest Andy added: “To me, I just do my thing at the Shed and get on with it so I was gobsmacked to be presented with the award for our ‘Shedder of the Year’ 2021.
“There have been so many highlights over the years—too many to cover—but the biggest has to be actually getting our Shed building. This was a monumental moment and although it then hit us that we would now have to find the funds to do up this building, it was great to be a part of that journey. Being part of the team, raising funds and seeing each milestone reached is something we will never forget.
“Painting our huge wall mural in the Shed is also a great memory. Our resident artist Paul Ralph involved the members in it. He sketched out the design and we pretty much painted it like a painting by numbers kit. He then finished off the fine details to make it what it is today—something we are all immensely proud of.
“Being on the Stonehaven Farmers’ & Produce Market Support Team—alongside Paul Tosh, Peter Cooper, David Lomax, Jim Mackenzie, Bill Emslie and Mike McInally—is also great. Tom Hannan has been the driving force behind this and leads the team of volunteers. When lockdown measures eased, we supported the Farmers’ Market to get back up and running again with stewarding support and introduced a one-way system. It was great to be back together and supporting our local community.
“Not only is the market work good for our Shed funds but, more importantly, it is a resource for local produce and wares to be made available in our community once again and an opportunity for us to be at local events raising awareness of the Shed activities to potential new members.
“The biggest part of being a Shed member for me is the friendships made and giving back to our community. A group of us have formed a quiz team and meet on a Wednesday night in the local hotel. We recently won the quiz in early March and any money we win goes straight into Shed funds. These friendships are priceless and I thoroughly enjoy it.
When asked about what the future holds for Andy, he simply replied: “Well, I will just keep coming back to the Shed and keep doing what I do.”
Seth has Spina-Bifida and had always wanted to be able to walk and play with his family on the seafront. His regular walker was not suitable for the beach as his wheels would constantly sink in the sand. Banchory Shedder and Remap volunteer John Dunnett had just the solution.
With the help of a local occupational therapist at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, John got to work to transform a walking frame into a secure beach walker with much larger wheels allowing Seth to roam freely and… there is no stopping him now.
The Rehabilitation Engineering Movement Advisory Panel (REMAP) charity was the brainchild of army officer and engineer Major Pat Johnson who, in the 1960s, helped his disabled sister (who had contracted polio in infancy) by making some improvements to her home including wheelchair ramps and an electric hoist.
These simple solutions made a huge difference to her life—and gave her the independence she craved—and he resolved to bring similar changes to others’ lives. Remap is now UK-wide and completes 3,500 projects every year.
The charity can help design and custom-make equipment to help disabled people live more independently. This support includes mobility, help in the home, managing personal care, enjoying sports and hobbies and much more. All work is carried out and checked by expert engineers, carpenters, technicians and occupational therapists and provided free of charge.
Engineer, Remap volunteer and Banchory & District Men’s Shed member John Dunnett said: “I have been involved with the Remap charity for just over two years. When I heard about Seth having to sit whilst his sister ran about and played and splashed about in the water, I wanted to make something to give him freedom on the sand.
“I was able to get a couple of used zimmer frames from different manufacturers—one was a typical frame and the other taller and slimmer. I dismantled both and cut the parts to reduce them to suit Seth. Some of the shaped tubes had to be shortened and I was lucky to find a metal tent pole that was a tight fit in the cut tubes. I machined metal axles for the rear wheels that I was given by a local golf course professional and a local engineering company made up the front castor units to my design free of charge when they heard Seth’s story. The front wheels were also donated by a caddy cart servicing company.
“I volunteer my time and made use of my engineering contacts so that the entire walker was created at no cost including the screws and pop rivets used to assemble it. The frame can be modified as Seth grows; the rear legs can be adjusted using the standard zimmer adjusters and I will remove the pop rivet joints, insert spacers to increase the length of the tubes and then rivet the joints again.
“It was very important that Seth’s beach walker was adjustable so he can continue to enjoy beach walks with his family as he grows.
“There are always learning curves with these projects. If I was asked to make another walker, I would try and find the supplier of similar aluminium tube and obtain a tube bender or make up a bender which would save using pop rivet joints on cut down zimmer parts.
“Once complete, we tested the walker at Aberdeen Beach during the easter holidays when COVID rules were more relaxed. It was a cold windy day however everyone there was just delighted to watch Seth walk on the sand. Being a typical boy he went closer and closer to the waves, the look on his face when he was soaked by a larger wave made it all worthwhile. The walker has seen a lot of use this summer and Seth’s mum has sent me lots of lovely photos of it being used at Cruden Bay beach in more enjoyable weather.
“I can see a lot of potential for Sheds to get involved, and make a huge difference to the lives of people with a range of disabilities, by working in partnership with the Remap charity. A Men’s Shed is the perfect space to carry out the work required for projects like this. All types of skills can be utilised—mechanical, woodworking, electrical and electronics.”
David Reid, Regional Organiser Scotland at Remap, said: “We now have 10 panels across Scotland, from Shetland in the north to the Scottish Borders with some 50 hands-on people with engineering skills.
“Unfortunately, volunteers with woodworking and metalwork skills are becoming scarce and COVID has certainly impacted on our work. At the moment, we could have a project up north being constructed down south. So, we often turn to Men’s Sheds local to the project for help.
“We have been so grateful for the assistance received from Men’s Sheds. We are hoping to get more Sheds across Scotland involved in these project that can often be life-changing for the recipient.”
“Major Pat Johnson MBE died in 2002. Thanks to his vision and effort, we continue to build ramps – and much more. Much like Men’s Sheds, we repurpose what most would consider scrap materials. We still use ingenuity and experience to produce innovative solutions to problems. Pat Johnson’s concept has more than stood the test of time and, thanks to him, the lives of thousands of disabled people have been transformed.”
Would your Shed/Shedders be interested in getting involved with Remap?
Working with Sheds across the nation, the SMSA team often hear about concerns arising over Shed social media accounts.
There are so many opportunities to be gained through social media—and it should be considered as an extremely useful and positive tool—including raising awareness of your activities; sharing your latest news announcements fast; building relationships; staying connected; reaching wider audiences; targeting a younger Shed member audience and to thank/recognise funders and supporters.
That said, if your social media presence is not managed correctly it can start to cause a whole range of issues—below are some top tips for Sheds to cover some of the concerns that have been brought to our attention:
Always have more than one administrator
The SMSA often hears about Sheds having duplicate accounts/pages as login details have been misplaced/lost, or the sole administrator of the account has moved on or unfortunately passed away. Always having more than one administrator will solve this problem and ensure maintaining the accounts is not just the responsibility of one person. Social media activity can be something the whole Shed can become involved in.
Make social media a part of your day-to-day Shed activities
To maximise the potential of social media, you need to keep your audience engaged on a regular basis. Consider adding the topic to your meeting agendas as a regular item to discuss—“What posts can we share to social media this month?” “Who can take the photo at that cheque presentation next week?” “Who can advise the Facebook Administrator on the details of that community project?”
Your community and supporters (and potential new members) want to see photos/updates of what it is like in the Shed i.e. members playing cards, working on projects together…even just a photo of Bob and John having a laugh over a cup of tea! They want to see Shed life.
Ensure your administrators are social media savvy
Your administrators will receive all notifications of posts and comments to the page and should respond and chat to followers/subscribers in a timely, polite, respectful and professional manner. It is important to interact with your audience and think twice (and proof read) before you share/post or respond to anything in the public domain. Be informative, offer support and show empathy and kindness at all times.
Responding to negative feedback/comments
Some topics/conversations may be controversial or divisive. After all, life would be boring if we all had the same opinions however, the way comments/feedback are dealt with is extremely important. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and it is important not to ignore comments that you do not agree with or leave questions unanswered and certainly do not ‘block’ the person because you do not like what they have to say. Respond to the person quickly in an open and transparent way, answering their query/concern and then invite them ‘offline’ to chat on the phone or in person to discuss the matter further.
Ensure administrators have the time to dedicate to social media
It is important to post regularly on your Shed news, funding successes, projects etc to keep you audience informed and engaged. Nothing is more off-putting than going to view a page that is out-of-date and not posted for a long time. When you recruit administrators, please ensure that they have the time to dedicate to this project and are fully-aware that the page will be updated regularly.
Get creative with your content
Use the platform to get the word out and showcase what you Shed has to offer—plenty of photos and videos of your facilities and your Shedders in action. It can often be intimidating or overwhelming for someone to come along for the first time so use social media as an opportunity to give a ‘virtual tour’ of the Shed as the welcoming, friendly and inclusive environment that it is. Get creative with your content, get the members involved in the videos and photos to make updating the social media a fun task.
Recognise and promote partnerships and relationships
If your Shed works in partnership with another individual, community group or organisation—to give or receive support—take photos of the project in progress or some before and after shots, presentations or events etc and tag each other into posts to promote the initiative and recognise the support.
Record the engagement
Sheds can utilise the engagement through their social media to harvest testimonials and feedback received on projects and record and promote this information in funding applications, evaluations and impact reports.
Keep personal accounts separate
Where possible, try to keep personal social media accounts out of the loop. Try setting up a new generic account and all of your administrators can use this one account to log-in and maintain the page. This also means that notifications can be set up to come into the Shed email address instead of personal email inboxes.
And finally, change your passwords regularly
Social media accounts can unfortunately be at risk of being hacked. Keep your social media accounts safe by changing your passwords regularly (quarterly is advised) and also after an administrator leaves the role.
Need some extra advice?
Feel free to contact Michelle Wibrew, SMSA PR & Communications Officer at comms@scottishmsa.org.uk
On Monday evening (28th February), SMSA CEO Jason Schroeder and SMSA Chairman David Gardner will represent the Scottish Men’s Sheds Movement at the inaugural meeting of the Global Men’s Shed Forum—an alliance of international Men’s Sheds associations.
The SMSA will join representatives from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States and Wales on Zoom to discuss ‘Where are Sheds at right now?’ and ‘What do you see on the horizon for Sheds in your country?’.
The SMSA will continue to keep our members and supporters updated on the progress and outcomes of this new Forum.
The Story Wagon is a touring arts space providing free creative writing, story-telling and reading facilities and activities to communities across Scotland.
The founder of Story Wagon, Luke Winter, is a writer that makes stories happen. Luke said: “I moved to London in 2013 to do freelance work and that is where I began busking with my typewriter. I started to write stories for people in the streets to make them smile.
“On my return to Scotland in early 2020, I noticed that the high street was unfortunately not as popular as it used to be so I decided to look for funding to create a ‘space’ that could pop-up in town squares and outside community centres to enable me to talk to people and let them write and share stories.
“I got in touch with Jason at the SMSA to chat about how Scottish Men’s Sheds and Shedders could become involved with the Story Wagon project but unfortunately, the pandemic put those plans on hold.
“Making the wagon through lockdown was a brilliant experience. The wagon is the end result of so many talented and generous people. We had many craftsmen and volunteers involved in the build and utilised various types of wood including Ash to make the front doors, Douglas fir to form the back gable along with pitch pine. We also recycled and repurposed materials where possible to give them a new lease of life.
“In August 2021, we had our first-ever outing in the wagon in Skye and it has grown from there. We have been popping up all across Scotland and our travels have taken us to Castle Douglas, Edinburgh and Paisley to name but a few.
“The Story Wagon is now a sanctuary for everyone to get creative and express their stories. It is a welcoming pop-up writing den that provides desk space, cups of tea, typewriters, voice recorders, books and good old-fashioned paper and pen.
“It hosts a programme of writing, reading-out-loud and storytelling activities. Its large veranda can be unfurled to provide sheltered outdoor arts activities.
“We are excited that as part of Visit Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022—a national programme of more than 60 in-person, virtual
and hybrid events—the wagon will be hitting the road to tour and are reaching out to Sheds to see if there is interest in them becoming involved in this journey.
“Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022 will celebrate stories inspired by, written, or created in Scotland. We all have a story to tell and the wagon is here to help everyone share them with others.
“Touring will take place from the end of March until the end of October and I would love to hear if Sheds would like the wagon to ‘pop-up’ near them to see their members. Shedders are also very welcome to join in on the Scotland’s Year of Stories events where the wagon will be featured.”
For more information on the Story Wagon and to see photos and videos from the wagon build project, please visit the website at www.storywagon.co.ukand follow its journey on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Is your Shed interested in becoming involved in The Story Wagon Scotland tour?
Following over a year of closure, and the Trustees taking this time to refurbish their building for post-COVID recovery, Hawick Men’s Shed has now reopened and is ready to welcome new members. The SMSA chats to Shed Chairman Keith Torrington and Secretary Robert Mayhead to find out more.
Keith, who took up the post of Chairman just over a year ago, said: “As a committee, we made the decision during the pandemic to take this time to focus on making much-needed improvements to our Shed premises so that when the time came to re-open, we were better placed to welcome current members back through our doors and hopefully attract new ones.
“Founding members, including former Chairman Wilson George and former Secretary Derick Tait, were instrumental in the start-up and success of the Shed which began its journey at a workshop on Commercial Road before securing the current premises on Lothian Street through a 10-year lease from the Scottish Borders Council in 2016.
“Our Shed premises, a two-storey building and former mill and then used by the Council as Social Services offices, although structurally sound had been unoccupied for many years and required a lot of work to make it fit for purpose. A condition of the 10-year lease is that we cannot change the use of the building but we can carry out any necessary care and repair works in order to fulfil our activities.
“We are very fortunate to have so much space available to us. Following a reshuffle of our layout and a major tidy and clear out, downstairs, we now have a lobby/reception area and office to greet our members with an office and shop adjacent, two workshops, a tool store, wood store and cleaning-up area. Upstairs, there is a large meeting/social area, a small library, a jig-saw library, a second room/lounge, tea-making area and a full-size kitchen. Pre-COVID, our lounge was a hive of activity where our members liked to socialise and have a cuppa. Also on the upper floor, we also have our upholstery workshop with another three rooms for the railway club that meets here. The Hawick & District Railway Societywas founded in 1967 and their members are also members of the Shed.
“We have all worked so hard to improve the amazing space we have here. It is an old building that was in great need of an upgrade to make it safer and more comfortable for us to use. One of our biggest projects was to make the building warmer including adding insulation to the roof/attic space and replacing the heating system. The building was suffering from severe heat loss with metal framed single-glazed windows and old storage heaters. We secured £8,147 from the National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF) to install a new energy-efficient electric heating system; our new radiators went in just before Christmas and we are hoping this will make a huge difference to our energy bills and the comfort levels for members, especially in the winter months.
“For the heating upgrade, we applied to four different funders and advised the other funders when we were successful with the NLCF. Thankfully, the People’s Postcode Lottery had already committed to allocate the funds but this will now be put towards our double glazing. We are also hopeful about discussions with a third funder (The Riada Trust) to allow us to re-assign the funds towards the windows but at the time of writing, this has not yet been formally approved.
“We received a quote of £11,000 for new double-glazing panes for the inside of each window whilst retaining the original exterior single-glazed ones. We will save money by fitting these ourselves and have a local company on speed dial that is willing to support us with advice and guidance on how to do this if we encounter any problems.
“We approached Muirhall Energy (who are setting up a new Windfarm facility in Teviotdale), the officials there gave us a grant of £2,000 that enabled us to upgrade our old electric fuse boards, replace the old smoke alarms and install new fire extinguishers too – all ensuring that the safety of our members is of the utmost priority.
“Over time, we have also changed all of the lights to LED’s, thanks to a grant from Hawick Community Council, to make them more environmentally-friendly and this has also improved the light levels in the workshops immensely and will result in cost savings in the long-term. Solar panels are an item on our wish list that we would also like to explore down the line.
“A local man kindly donated a stair lift to our Shed which belonged to his mother. This was a very important project to us to ensure our upstairs offering was accessible to all. We paid for the uplift, adaptation and installation of the stair lift which in the long-term saved us thousands of pounds on the cost of a new one.
“Like all Sheds, the pandemic has severely restricted our activities. Since our inception, the Shed has always been so involved in many projects in the community including the refurbishment of café furniture for Johnsons of Elgin, recovering seating for the Camera Club, display racks for a local knitwear retailer, planters on the high street, planters for a veterans’ café and schools, wheelchair access to the high school and sign-writing classes for local young people to name but a few.
“Our Shed also attended the Hawick Fair and Hawick Christmas Fair in 2021. These events and activities were crucial to not only sell our wares but to raise awareness of the Shed and what it has to offer. We are looking forward to getting out there again and promoting our activities to potential new members.
“We are fortunate to have a great relationship with our local council. We receive referrals through them and have recently received two new ones and will invite them both along soon to have a tour of the facilities and see if it is for them.
“Currently, I would say that a third of our 60+ members are under the age of 60 and with our latest recruitment drive, we are hopeful to attract more younger members along to the Shed too. Future plans include the potential to add a chess group, cribbage group, board games, a music group for young people and also convert one of our workshops into a model making area. Discussions have also taken place with John Spiteri, Local Area Co-ordinator at Scottish Borders Council, regarding the potential for a new film group for young people with additional support needs.
“Pre-COVID, we also had plans to utilise our large kitchen and have some basic cooking lessons for members so this is definitely something we would like to get going with sooner rather than later. We have also previously discussed starting up a ‘Fruit Club’ to share growing tips and recipes for wine making, pies, jams and so on so there is no shortage of ideas on how we can expand our activities. These decisions will, of course, all be member-led to meet their needs.
“It has been a tough old year, getting the Shed ready for our return but what keeps us all going, and feeling so passionate about it all, is seeing the difference it makes to members’ lives. One of our founding members, Tam Dagg who unfortunately passed away in November, used to always say that following his early retirement after 38 years of working in the same job, that he felt lost until his daughter pointed him in the direction of the Shed. After that, there was no stopping Tam coming to the Shed almost every day it was open – he was the first person to ever walk through the door five years ago – and he made sure to really maximise every opportunity available to him at the Shed and made a whole new circle of friends.”
The SMSA chats to Henry Johnson, founding member of Garnock Valley Men’s Shed (GVMS) and Chairman since its inception in 2018.
At 77 years young, Henry recently announced that—after four years at the helm—he plans to step down as Chair at the next AGM.
Henry said: “I have three sons and three grandsons in Australia and, pre-Covid, I visited them at least every two years. It was there, in rural Victoria, that I first heard about Men’s Sheds—not knowing at that time that some had already popped up across Scotland.
“Well, I thought that Men’s Sheds were an amazing concept and would be in high demand in my community back home. At the time, I was a trustee of Project Kilbirnie—aimed at revitalising one of the three small towns in the Garnock Valley—and I put the notion to my fellow trustees on my return. They were excited by the idea and we very quickly got to work to follow it through.
“Unlike many developing Sheds, we found premises first before calling a public meeting. We were extremely fortunate that North Ayrshire Council offered us use of a semi-derelict building in our local park to get us up and running.
“As the first Shed to start-up in the area, we have always had, and continue to have, an excellent relationship with the council—largely through our local Community Development Officer, Stewart Beck. We have deliberately cultivated and maintained good relationships with all of our local politicians at all levels and of all parties and none, kept them informed and invited them to get involved in our work. This has been key to our success.
“There was a great buzz at the inaugural meeting, held in the rundown building we had been offered for use. There were around a dozen enthusiastic men in attendance including David Gardner who was so taken by the potential of Sheds that he is now Chairman of the SMSA. We quickly got a committee together and obtained charitable status in May 2018.
“We soon discovered that there were other Sheds up and running across the country. We got a grant from the Scottish Community Alliance’s Learning Exchange Programme and used it to visit Sheds in Barrhead (our nearest neighbour), the Wee County, Westhill and Inverurie to ‘steal’ ideas from them. After all, there is no point in reinventing wheels when a tried and tested model works well. We remain grateful to these other Sheds. In the course of these visits, we found out about the SMSA and joined as a subscribing Shed member. We have received splendid support and guidance there.
“We were overwhelmed by very generous support from local people and businesses and we successfully approached national funders. We’ve raised around £80,000 in total since we set up and used it to vastly improve the interior and exterior of our building and to kit it out for our member-led activities. There was a lot to do. We had resident rodents, the internal walls were black with damp, the roof leaked and we had no water supply or toilet facilities. But for us, ‘the Shed’ was not so much about a building as about a group of men getting together and working towards a shared vision. Seeing these guys transform a ‘hovel’ into a much-valued community asset was a brilliant project to be a part of.
“Our building is situated in a public park and is at risk of vandalism – or worse. So, an early priority was to make it secure by installing alarm systems, security fencing and anti-climb paint. We even have security cameras that not only record external activity but are linked to my own and David’s phones so that we can check on the building at any time.
“I am not your stereotypical Shedder. I’m legally responsible for health and safety so I’ve never dared to use any of the machinery in the workshop. My only useful ‘tool’ has been my laptop keyboard. I was a mid-ranking civil servant before I retired and I have used skills developed then by completing many a funding application, writing many a begging letter and composing, with pleasure, the occasional letter of thanks.
“I was thoroughly bored at times afterI retired. I’d suffered, as many retirees do, a huge loss of mental stimulation. My Shed activities have certainly filled this gap. I go to the Shed for a while most Tuesdays and Thursdays if only to have a blether with the guys. Thanks to the Shed, I now have a much wider group of friends. Friends for life.
“The Shed has given me a renewed sense of purpose and fulfilment. I enjoy watching previously isolated men—some unemployed, redundant, retired, divorced, bereaved and in recovery – blossom into active Shedders. One of the many highlights for me was watching a group of GVMS Shedders help improve a community garden in the local village of Barrmill. Seeing these guys working together as a team to create a gorgeous shrubbery out of nothing is something I’ll always remember.
“The lengthy COVID closure of the Shed was not only a setback to our progress but tragically, we also lost one of our trustees to the virus. We kept in touch with as many Shedders as we could including via Zoom and through several remotely organised events but it wasn’t the same as running an active Shed. Our immediate priorities, now that we have reopened, are to attract members back and to extend a warm invitation for new members to join us. The pace of returning to active shedding is however slow. Some vulnerable members are understandably still hesitant but we will be there when they are ready.
“We have accumulated funds during lockdown to make further improvements to the Shed building, including installing heating and insulation. We will work on this in readiness for next winter and then develop a chunk of space which we use only for storage at the moment. Something SMSA’s Jason Schroeder said at a training day he held for us early on has always stuck with me – ‘A Men’s Shed is not just a workshop’. For some men, a workshop area can actually be unwelcoming. So, with that in mind, I envisage creating a cosy social area with comfy seats and tables for games to attract members who only want to sit and banter and have a cup of tea or a game of dominoes.
“It has been fantastic being a part of this journey over the last four years. It’s been challenging at times with many highs and occasional lows but I am immensely proud of what our Shedders have achieved and it is only going to continue. It has also been a privilege to support other emerging Sheds in our part of the country, to help set up the Ayrshire Men’s Shed Network and to encourage the growth of the Men’s Shed movement. We are close to finalising our 25-year Community Asset Transfer lease of our restored building which has been much delayed by Covid. We should reach that landmark soon so that GVMS can be around for the generation after mine.
“When I step down later this year, I’ll be very wary to avoid boredom reappearing. I will of course still be involved with the Shed in some way or another. The guys might even let me stay on as a trustee. But I think the time is right for me to take a back seat—I’ve got two continents still to visit and a lot left on my bucket list.”
