Each year since 2002, outstanding examples of volunteers making a difference in their communities have been celebrated through the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service and now, in 2023, Stonehaven & District Men’s Shed has become the first Scottish Men’s Shed to be recognised through The King’s Award for Voluntary Service (KAVS).
Equivalent to an MBE, KAVS is the highest award given to local voluntary groups in the UK, and they are awarded for life. The Shed is one of just 262 charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year. Recipients are announced annually on the 14th November, The King’s Birthday, and the 2023 awardees are wonderfully diverse.
Chairman Bill Allan said: “The objective of the Men’s Shed is to enhance the mental and physical health of the men who have time to spare and wish to pass that time together constructively and enjoyably, learning new skills, or passing on their own and, in the process, contributing to the general wellbeing of the community.
“I am delighted that our members’ achievements have been recognised. It is a tremendous honour for our volunteers after all the hard work they have put in to acquire the property, renovate it by raising over £85,000 in funding, whilst also contributing over 4,000 hours of their own hard work to make it fit for purpose. In addition, since opening three years ago, the volunteers have worked on a wide range of projects for the benefit of the community and the wider world.
“This Shed is unique in Scotland, as it dismantles used prosthetic limbs for the Legs4Africa charity. These valuable parts, costing a minimum of £5,000 per limb, are shipped to Africa where they are reassembled to fit amputees in several countries.
“The Shed, like others in Scotland, also puts great emphasis on recycling bicycles, garden equipment and furniture and repurposing discarded wood and metal through their projects.
“All this has given the volunteers great satisfaction and pleasure whilst providing comradeship in meeting new colleagues in an environment where they and their families know they are safe, all contributing to the benefit of mental and physical health of older people in the community.
“It is also a great tribute to the Scottish Men’s Shed Movement which has now over 200 Sheds up and running or in development. We would like to express our appreciation to the Lord Lieutenancy for nominating us for this award, and also all local Council and our fellow volunteer groups in Stonehaven who have supported us over the past few years”.
Representatives of SDMS will receive the award crystal and certificate from Alastair C S Macphie, Lord-Lieutenant of Kincardineshire later this year. In addition, two volunteers from the Shed will be invited to attend a Royal Garden Party at Holyrood House in July 2024 with other recipients of this year’s award.