Banff, Macduff and District Men’s Shed

Banff, Macduff and District Men’s Shed started in 2017, with a few men meeting in a room in a local bar. The Committee of Deveron Age Concern, a local Charity, had heard about the Shed and kindly offered a small grant to help get them started. The Shed was then able to rent two small units, one which was used as a social area and one as a workshop and store.

Once established, the Shed soon began to receive donations of tools and materials. The workshop soon became too small and they then started looking for empty or derelict premises or spare land in the local community which the members could develop to accommodate the growing membership.

They gave up their premises during lockdown as it was a drain on funds and they couldn’t use the space due to the restrictions imposed at that time. After a lot of searching and meetings with property owners and their local council, an unused school in the area was identified that would suit their members’ needs. The Shed then began the process of a Community Asset Transfer Application for the school owned by Aberdeenshire Council. After a few turbulent years, they eventually secured the property, gaining access in September 2022.

Activities

• Repairing and upcycling furniture
• Gardening
• Small machinery maintenance
• Photography
• Computing classes
• Leisure activities – snooker, table tennis, card and board games
• Group debates
• Shed Band
• Presenting shows on local radio from the Shed premises

Achievement in the last year

• Increased membership from 70 to over 100 over the last 12 months with an age range from early 20’s to 80+. The Shed is fortunate to have attracted some younger members who are keen to get involved with activities.
• Secured funding to install a multi-fuel stove, insulation in all ceilings and changing all lights to LED making a huge difference to the temperature throughout the large building, reducing energy bills and carbon footprint.
• Built a polytunnel, which is proving very popular with members and are growing produce, which is providing fresh vegetables for our members.
• Boosting the Shed’s income by renting out the premises to a film company who use the building and grounds as a base for a BBC commissioned film, which was being made in the area. The building was also used during the filming and will appear in the final production. One of the rooms, our main entrance and corridor was converted to look like a hospital for one of the main scenes. Since then, the premises have now been listed on a register of locations for film companies and this has already led to another film company approaching the Shed to discuss using the building in early 2025 and have also asked the Shed to help with their props and some of the members being extras in the film – creating excitement with the members! The presence of the film companies has also created great interest locally and raised the Shed’s profile.

Their biggest achievement however is actively creating a safe and friendly environment where local people feel comfortable and are willing to socialise and discuss any issues or concerns. “Encouraging people to talk in a non-intrusive way to allow them to see things clearly and rationally and can often help them to manage their problems and making coping easier. Of all our achievements this year, we feel that this is our biggest and is the one that we are most proud of.”

Challenges/Barriers

When the Shed took possession of the building, there was no heating. This was due to the gas meter not being registered with Scotia Gas Networks Limited and a large amount of gas having been used but not paid for in the past. The gas meter was removed in an attempt to avoid paying the bill which meant that there was no gas supply and it was unlikely to be reinstated until the matter was resolved. The Shed chose to look for alternative ways to heat the building. These proved to be quite costly so the Shed had to restrict opening hours and were unable to heat the whole building. It also meant that a lot of members were unable to attend during colder months. The Shed has now installed a multi-fuel stove and insulated all ceilings and are also looking to install a completely new heating system.

Attracting new and younger members is also a struggle for many Sheds however the Shed has managed to attract younger members over the past year by expanding and diversifying activities and gaining a reputation amongst local professionals and organisations as as a place where people feel comfortable and are able to discuss their problems. The Shed is frequently approached by people who have been advised to come and see what we do. This has helped our membership grow and has also widened the age range of our members.

Impact

Banff, Macduff and District Men’s Shed has an excellent relationship with the local community; and are involved with various community groups and educational establishments in our area. Involvement includes:

• Assisting the local fire brigade with projects, attending their open days (Blether with the Crew) and making food boxes
• Macduff Primary School – attending the school one morning per week and help mentor the pupils in the Nurture Hub
• Banff Academy – attended their Activities Days and helped the pupils to repair and restore some garden furniture for their school
• Local Brownies – making up bird boxes
• Sheltered Complex in Banff – refurbished a sun house, built a greenhouse and refurbished garden seats
• Banff Castle – restored a plaque for a tree planted by the Argentine ambassador in the early fifties and set a plaque in a piece of granite to commemorate the Kings Coronation
• Deveron Age Concern – built storage sheds and tidied up garden in form of cutting back overgrown bushes for their charity shop
• Community Notice Boards – maintain and update the notice boards in the town
• Various community groups use the Shed premises for their meetings:-
  • Home Start, a local charity who supports young families and children with help and problems use our premises
  • Deveron Camera Club meet in the Shed once a week to enhance their photographic skills
  • Macduff Market hold their market once a month using the whole building and the carpark.
  • Macduff Brownies
  • Computer classes
  • North Aberdeenshire Integrated Drug and Alcohol Service Health and Social Care Partnership hold acupuncture classes for addiction two afternoons every week. They also provide cooking classes on a Friday morning
  • Macduff Crafters use the Shed every Monday to meet up and practice their crafting
  • Puppy training classes are held once a week
  • LJ Street Dance Group meet once a week
  • The Cfine Food Van attends our Shed fortnightly
  • Car Boot Sales in the Shed car park.
  • Repair small machinery such as lawn mowers and strimmers etc for the community

Above and Beyond

These past 12 months, the Shed has gone above and beyond to provide a comfortable and safe environment for people who are finding it hard to speak about their problems or who may be looking for a little help with their mental health and wellbeing.

It was brought to the Shed’s attention that some of members were having problems or were going through a difficult period. Some had health problems, problems at home or were just finding life a bit difficult and were struggling to cope. One member actually stood up while having a coffee and a chat and spoke quite emotionally of how much the Shed meant to him and how it was helping him get through life. He openly spoke about his problems; what he was going through and how things were affecting him. Although some members already knew, they didn’t realise how much they were affecting his everyday life and how he felt. Hearing his story was quite an emotional experience, quite troubling but also heartwarming to hear how coming to the Shed was helping.

“The Shed members soon became aware that more were suffering in different ways and were beginning to think that members had more than their fair share of problems, however this is not the case. Their members are just more willing and able to speak and feel that this is due to the safe environment they have created.

“We always knew that Men’s Sheds were about helping with mental health and wellbeing but it seemed that, like other Sheds, we concentrated on the usual activities like woodworking, gardening, repairing and making things. We were aware that these activities brought men together and helped them to talk, but we weren’t fully aware of the actual impact that our Shed was having on people’s lives.

“Being more aware of the problems that some of our members are experiencing means we can actively try to create an environment where our members feel safe and are comfortable speaking about their problems. We are very fortunate to have a retired GP in our Shed who is always willing to listen, his background means that he can identify problems and point people in the right direction when more help is required.

“Our reputation for helping people with their mental health and wellbeing is spreading in our community, professionals such as doctors, social workers etc are recommending us to their clients. They are well aware that we cannot treat people and that we are not professionals, they do know what Sheds are about and they do see that attending our Shed can have great benefits.

“Our members have gone above and beyond on many occasions over the years but doing this, to actively provide a safe space, is something that we are really proud of.”