Dumfries Men’s Shed (DMS) began back in 2014 when a small handful of local men who were aware of the Men`s Shed movement, that was spreading throughout our country, got together with the idea that perhaps, they could also start a Shed in Dumfries.

Without a doubt, Dumfries did need such a service as in fact all towns, cities do. They came together in agreement with those people that have set up Shed`s all over the world previously with the idea that men of any age would benefit from improved health and wellbeing if they were able to attend a Men`s Shed.

Achievements

1. Obtaining full ownership of new, larger premises on Friday 13th November, 2020. This was achieved via the Community Asset Transfer process from Dumfries & Galloway Council.
2. Completing the move to new Shed premises, hampered by lockdown, over several months including furnishing and decorating most of the downstairs of the new property, which has been achieved by donations such as corner desks, extra chairs and some other furniture donated by the Dumfries & Galloway NHS. Board and thanks to a semi-retired decorator who is also a member.
3. and he has done almost all of the painting of these downstairs rooms. He will also be carrying on in the near future with the painting of the upstairs section of our Shed which we hope to get decorated, furnished, and ready to open in the coming months which means we will then be using all of our 18 rooms (plus 3 bathrooms). We also do have a lift to take members between floors, that cannot manage the stairs for whatever reason, and once it is repaired it will be a great asset in the future when our upstairs level is ready to be opened. Without any hesitation though, our greatest achievement was on Monday 9th August, when we were finally able to open our new Shed`s doors to all of our members, the media and the wider Community in Dumfries. We had a great day, and were officially opened, revealing a wall plaque outside our front entrance by Emma Harper, M.S.P. , who kindly agreed to do the honours. It was great to finally let everyone come through our front door and see what we have been able to achieve plus what we can offer our members and the Community as a whole in the future. We were also visited on our Open Day by Jason Schroeder, the SMSA Executive Officer to have a look at our new premises and see how we were getting on!

Challenges

After a significant growth in its membership from 2015 to 2018, the Shed increased from a small handful of founder members to approx. 70 members and outgrew its small Shed. This impacted on members and prospective members would visit but often be put off by cramped, cluttered conditions as well as the noise from many members talking, playing dominoes etc, in one space. This resulted in few new members and a steady decline in the amount of existing members attending.

The space wasn’t just stifling the Shed’s growth but reducing the existing membership. Something had to be done, so the Committee approached Dumfries and Galloway Council to enquire about larger premises. DMS applied for its own, larger property, with the view to owning it, in 2018 via the Community Asset transfer process. Little did they know how long it would take or that the pandemic would arrive in the middle of the process.

During 2018 – 2019, the Chairman, Treasurer and former Secretary did a lot of work with D&G Council to try and secure the new premises. Then, in March 2020, the pandemic arrived and the old Shed premises were closed, not knowing DMS would never again open the doors to its members in that building. In November 2020, DMS was officially handed over ownership of the new Shed and given the keys. Since then, a small handful of volunteers from the Committee and membership have gradually worked away and were finally in a position to open the lower half of the new Shed to the public and members with a grand open day in August.

Impact

DMS is set in the middle of a local housing scheme, not far from the main centre of Dumfries, and is a large two-storey building. It had lain empty and been boarded up for almost five years. The building was an eye-sore, and depressing to the neighbours especially, but also the larger community as a whole.

The rear of the property had been used, especially in the winter months, by a group of youths for drinking and some graffiti etc, which was not a positive thing for the area or residents. As soon as DMS started visiting the property, with a view to one day potentially owning it, residents nearby became extremely supportive of what the Shed was trying to achieve through the Community Asset Transfer scheme. This support carried on whilst the members worked on the property, tidying up and improving the gardens and removing the boarding from exterior doors and windows etc.

DMS, even though open a few weeks, has some new members and expect membership to keep increasing. DMS is engaging with the public and local groups, regarding beginning projects for the community and schools etc. Their Workshop Manager has already built a wooden gate requested by one local nursery group, and is currently working on a playground water feature for Noblehill nursery.

Leading Light

Ken Shiers (Chairman), Roy Rodgers (Treasurer) and the late Ian Carruthers (former Secretary) should be recognised for the long and difficult application for a Community Asset Transfer to DMS’s new larger premises back in 2018. They worked tirelessly towards achieving this goal and sadly, Ian never got to know of the application`s successful outcome.

Going Above and Beyond

A single mother with a young toddler had moved into flat neighbouring a Shed member and needed some help. The Shed supplied her with some donated furniture such as a wardrobe, sofa and a fridge freezer and cleaned up inside and outside the flat. One member also helped her with decorating her home and fitted a breakfast bar that he had made himself in the Shed workshop.

Staying Connected During the Pandemic

During the pandemic, the Committee found themselves largely isolated from each other as well as the membership in general. The Shed Secretary discovered that the membership files were badly out of date, and many members did not have e-mail addresses or if they did, they were no longer correct. Also, a large number of telephone numbers were no longer in service and some people had even moved address, without informing the Shed.

The Shed was determined that this would not happen again, so created brand new membership forms and, over a period of weeks, managed to contact members to get updated details – though many had to be contacted by the slow method of writing letters.

Future Plans

Once settled, DMS want to begin work on their upstairs section such as decorating the rooms, fully furnishing and equipping each room with whatever it needs to fulfill its purpose. Their new computing suite for example, will afford the opportunity to provide basic computer and internet literacy training to members so that everyone can use a computer, tablet etc to stay connected. The Shed also plans on setting up its 3D printer, as well as its t-shirt and mug printer, to produce goods to generate funds for the Shed.