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 COVID—carried on until 2022.
“The community needed a suitable place to build the boat and was able to purchase an unused, unserviced forestry shed located behind the village hall that was perfect for the purpose. The skiff project brought together people from across the community for twice-weekly build sessions, and saw a great deal of skill development and transfer. When the boat was completed, it was clear that those involved wanted to continue getting together to work on local projects: and so the idea of Shed-na-Mara was born.
“Achnamara is a deeply rural spot and Shed-na-mara provides an opportunity for people from a wide area to get together a couple of times a week (Wednesdays and Saturdays, 10am—1pm).
“The Saturday session is run in parallel with a coffee morning held next door in the village hall which brings people in from across our dispersed community. One of the earliest Shed projects has been helping with the refurbishment of the village hall, which now provides a much-improved community space.
“Current members have a range of backgrounds and experience including forestry, metal working, construction, electrical, mechanical, engineering, wood-working and science. This provides a broad range of capabilities to draw on for projects.
“One of our Shed members has a saw mill on his farm and was able to supply local timber for use in the skiff build and for the large work bench installed in the Shed.
“The Shed was recently awarded a grant from the Rural and Island Communities – Ideas into Action fund for the installation of a permanent, independent electrical power and lighting supply which will significantly improve the quality of the work space. The Shed has also had some very welcome donations of tools and equipment which have expanded its capacity.
“Shed-na-mara is now a workspace where men and women, young and old, can get together to work on creative projects or to repair/repurpose used items. It’s run by local members for the benefit of the community and volunteers give their time for free. The Shed fully supports reuse and repurposing to reduce environmental impact. It can take on commissions where people pay for the cost of materials and make a donation to the Shed to help cover running costs and to improve the Shed and its equipment.”
“Recent projects have included gates, a picnic table, a notice board, boat repairs and chair repairs; we’re currently working on building wooden planters that have been commissioned.
“It’s a great way to come together to use and share our collective skills and to help support our rural community.”
For more information, please visit the Shed-na-mara website and support them by following their progress on Facebook.