Royal Voluntary Service

Scottish Men’s Sheds Association and the Royal Voluntary Service hand in hand.

The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) and Royal Voluntary Service (RVS) have partnered up to support the growing needs of Scotland’s Men’s Sheds Movement. Requests have been received by the SMSA while on its Scottish Roadshows, training days and while doing presentations in sheltered housing complexes, we realised there are men who could thrive in a Men’s Shed but do not have the transport to get to them. Utilising the expertise, and grants available from Royal Voluntary Service volunteers throughout Scotland can be supported to set up local volunteer-led transport schemes to support their local communities. Every year, the Royal Voluntary Service volunteers provide around 87,000 journeys to hospital and GP appointments, to the shops or into town and now also to Men’s Sheds.

Josephine Mill, Royal Voluntary Service Interim Director, Scotland, said, “We are really excited about our new partnership and know our Volunteers can offer fantastic support to men in many communities across Scotland- not only to support the growth of  Social Transport to Men’s Sheds but also in helping connect people in so many other ways to reduce loneliness and isolation. We encourage everyone to explore the opportunity of Volunteering with us so that more people can get out and about and involved with Men’s Sheds”.

The SMSA and RVS are creating opportunities together to help and support Scottish communities in new and creative ways. RVS and ASDA have created a new small grant fund to help support the set-up of community Shed spaces. The SMSA will promote this to their Shed members and at the same time encourage them to spread the word about the other partner support initiatives.

Jason Schroeder, Executive Officer of the SMSA said: ” this is the perfect union of two great organisations who have the wellbeing of our communities at heart and by utilising their unique attributes together a real issue around isolation and loneliness has been resolved.”

To find the Royal Voluntary Service in your area click on the link :
http://www.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk/get-help/your-local-royal-voluntary-service/local-offices

Be sure to have a look at the SMSA online Shed Map to see if there is one in your area and we hope to see you in a Scottish Men’s Shed soon.

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.

Sheds are community workshop spaces where people can come together to take part in practical skills and activities. They are designed and run by their members and provide opportunities for people to share tools, resources and skills in order to create, learn and develop social networks.

Older people’s charity Royal Voluntary Service, with funding from the Asda Foundation, have established a Sheds Grant Fund to provide small scale funding to Sheds who are looking for help with either set up, or early stage development costs.

Abbie Hurrell, Sheds Project Manager at Royal Voluntary Service said:  “Shed activities often involve traditional crafts such as joinery, furniture renovation, metal work and mechanics, but each Shed meets the interests of its members and many now are developing a broader range of activities such as gardening, model making, photography or renovation. We are delighted to be able to set up this Grant Fund to give a helping hand to local communities and enable more local community based Sheds to get up and running across Scotland.”

Julie Ward, Manager of the Asda Foundation said:  “The Asda Foundation is one of the many ways we can give something back to our local communities. That’s why we lend a hand to a wide range of good causes with which our colleagues are involved with, sharing their passion and helping to make a difference through a variety of projects across the UK.  We see the Sheds programme as making a real difference at a grassroots level and are proud to support this initiative.”

Jason Schroeder, Executive Officer of the Scottish Men’s Sheds Association said: “We are thrilled that by working together with our national partners we can support this kind of initiative to help benefit individuals, their families, communities and the Scottish Men’s Shed movement in Scotland.”

Grants of between £250 and £1,000 are available from the Sheds Grant Fund – with applicants encouraged to apply for some of the tools and equipment they need for their activities or ongoing costs such as help with their rent or insurance. All applications need to come from constituted community groups, and there are different deadlines for submission through out the year. So check their website.

To find out more about Royal Voluntary Service and Asda Foundation Sheds Grant Fund and download the Application Form and Guidance Notes, please visit: http://www.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk/sheds and follow @rvssheds on Twitter for regular updates.