The SMSA chats to RAF veteran and retired boat builder Alfie Wood (79) from Banff, Macduff and District Men’s Shed on what he gets out of his local Men’s Shed. Alfie said: “I began working at the age of 11 on my paper round and left school at the age of 15 to build large wooden fishing boats. “I then served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) for 12 years as a Corporal—protecting airfields and helicopters—and as a result had
Scottish Men’s Sheds Association receives funding boost to REACH more men The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA), the national support hub for Men’s Sheds across Scotland, has secured a funding boost of over £20,000 from the Bank of Scotland Foundation’s Reach programme enabling them to retain their Development Officer and support more men across Scotland as part of Scottish Men’s Sheds Movement to improve men’s health and wellbeing. The thriving men’s health membership organisation boasts over 3,400+ individual members, 148
Shed-na-mara operates from a former forestry building in the village of Achnamara on the shores of the scenic Loch Sween in North Knapdale, Argyll. Graham Walker shares their journey so far… Graham said: “With easy access to the water, Achnamara was the perfect place to build a community coastal rowing skiff. “With the help of grants from Foundation Scotland and the National Lottery Community Fund Awards for All, the skiff project started in 2018 and—after an 18-month delay due to
The SMSA interviews British Army Royal Signals veteran and Aberchirder Shedder David Jarvis (41) on why he chose to join his local Men’s Shed following medical discharge and how his resilience led to him representing the UK in this year’s Invictus Games. David said: “When I left Mintlaw Academy at 17, I became an apprentice in oil and gas. It was a good opportunity but just wasn’t for me so I joined the Territorial Army and enjoyed it so much
