On the 29th June 2012, Maryburgh Primary School closed its doors for the very last time after 152 years and the community sadly watched a much-loved building deteriorate before their very eyes until a group of local men came up with a plan during the pandemic.
Andy Barnett, Treasurer of Maryburgh Men’s Shed, who lives next door to the former school which his boys attended, shares their Shed’s journey to becoming proud stewards of the school building through Community Asset Transfer (CAT) and restoring it as a vital resource in their heart of their village.
Andy said: “Three and a half years since we began this journey, we are immensely proud to announce that our Shed doors opened on Tuesday 11th July 2023 and we are welcoming members, old and new.
“In March 2020, just as the pandemic hit, a group of us got talking about having a place to go, a Men’s Shed, to do activities and mitigate social isolation and loneliness. When it was not raining, we would have socially distanced meetings outdoors or alternatively, chat on the phone and have Zoom meetings. It was interesting times and we all had to quickly get to grips with new technology to ensure we progressed with our ambitious plans.
“When the school closed, it felt to many like the heart of our village had been taken away so from the outset, we have only had our eyes on transforming this treasured building into a Men’s Shed to give it back to the community. Over the years, there have been many plans for the site including new housing but these never materialised.
“We applied for and surprisingly-quickly received approval as a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) and then got to work on our CAT application. Social activities for men, especially older men, were severely lacking in our village so this was a key point in our CAT application.
“It took a long two years with a few hold-ups and a global pandemic in our way but the CAT process was finally completed on the 23rd June 2022 when our Shed officially became the proud owners of the old school building changing hands for just a £1 and it was certainly worth the wait.
“We received the keys and got cracking with the work ahead including the external masonry pointing; removing timber window guards; replacing damaged window panels; implementing a disabled access toilet; checking the electrics; removing hundreds of teachers’ staples from the walls before painting; plumbing; reinstalling the main utility services; tidying up the buildings exterior and ensuring safe access; making the roof water tight by replacing 198 slates and improving the flat areas before winter 2022 set in.
“This was all thanks to the hundreds of volunteer hours and fundraising efforts of our members surrounded by a supportive community and a wide range of professional tradesman and businesses who helped us along the way and donated time, materials and equipment.
“We also have our fantastic funders to recognise including the National Lottery Community Fund, The Robertson Trust, The Gordon & Ena Baxter Foundation and the Highland Council Coastal Communities Fund.
“In August 2022, once the building was safe for the public to enter, we invited the community to have a wee trip down memory lane to see the school building a decade on and it was also an opportunity for us to consult with locals on what ideas they would like for the facility. This is something we really wanted to do as the building is so special to many. The Leader of The Highland Council, Raymond Bremner, also visited us to see this new community asset in action and speak to the men.
“The Shed is pretty spacious with three large rooms—one is to be turned into a workshop and we have a huge amount of machinery and equipment which has been donated to us. That will be our next project to fit out that room and get it up and running. Then we have our most important space—the social area with kitchen for all those cups of tea— and the third room, we have plans to rent out to generate Shed funds and we already have a local community group interested in this.
“At present, we have around 15-20 active and regular members and we can already see the impact and a positive change in these men and the wives are extremely supportive too. Before, we may have only spoke to each other in passing but now we have a place to go and meet regularly. We all know each other now—they are a great bunch of guys that I am delighted to call friends.
“We are now in the process of promoting the Shed offering through our local media and looking to recruit new members—we estimate that the building could take 40+ members comfortably at any one time.
“We were delighted to have a visit from SMSA Development Officer Tim Green (pictured above left) recently and we valued his support and input. His message resonates with all of our members—to not make this another job! We are all voluntarily building this space to improve our health and wellbeing but there are no deadlines or pressures to work. If we want to down tools and have a tea break and a three-hour long chat, that is exactly what we do.
“Our future plans include holding an official opening soon and inviting our supporters, partners and funders along to see what we have achieved. As we recruit new members, we will consult with them to see what other activities they would like to take place in the Shed. Last month, we had a ‘Men’s Health’ talk from an NHS Screening Engagement Practitioner and we hope to offer more men’s health presentations as we go along.
“Also, after a recent energy-efficiency survey, we are looking at our options in terms of getting our boiler up and running before winter arrives and adding solar panels to our large south facing roof. There are always jobs to be done but for now, we are just enjoying the fruits of our labour.”
Maryburgh Men’s Shed is open initially on Tuesday mornings 9am to 1pm but is currently discussing opening another weekday and one evening to accommodate working men. Support Maryburgh Men’s Shed with a LIKE and a SHARE on Facebook.