"  I’ve been involved with the Shed for a year and a bit. Many years ago there was talk about starting a Shed and we all went over to Harpenden [to the Repair Shed] and it was brilliant – they made us very welcome. Everybody was enthusiastic and then Covid hit and everything stopped. Getting premises was the hardest thing. Finally Standalone Farm was offered but it needed a lot of work to get it sorted. I joined before Christmas before work had begun.

I was retired and wanted something to do to keep my brain working and it seemed ideal. I keep coming back because I enjoy it – the company, the work ethic – you’re not pressurised - that’s unusual these days. I enjoy it and would recommend any other men to ‘give it a whirl if there’s one near you’. I think you need to be of sound mind and reasonable health.  

At our stall at the Steam weekend, most of the people who showed interest were women saying things like ‘this is just what my dad needs’. We’re pretty full to capacity at the moment with just one session. The sooner we can clear the garage and get the stored tools in use, the better.  "

"  I heard about the Shed through one of my neighbours. It was about two years ago, just after my wife had died, Covid had just about finished. A Men’s Shed is mainly for men interested in practical things, who may be lonely and want to connect with other men.  It gives people something to do in their lives.

I come back each week because I’ve got friends here and that’s more important than anything else. I always say I could sit at home and be miserable or come here and make everyone else miserable! I help out at the Shuttleworth [Air Museum] as well. I’m practically minded and, when I was 20 I won an award for being the best apprentice in the country in sheet metal work. 

My experience has been in metalwork – I know we won’t be welding here, but I’d like to learn wood work, and get to use the lathe. I’ve done my own sewing and cooking since my wife died but I also do a lot of repairs at home – avoiding anything electrical. I’m keen to see if the Shed can help me add to what I know already. "

"  I’ve been involved with Letchworth Shed for approximately 4 months. I lost my wife and spoke to my doctor – I was very lonely and needed to speak to people. The doctor put me in touch with Herts County Council and a person came and interviewed me to find out what my needs were and they came up with the Letchworth Shed address. I also got a young lady to come out once a week and talk to me in my own home. That was a great help – the main thing was that I wasn’t meeting anyone to talk to and I was beginning to worry. I was a carer for my wife for many, many years – she was bed-ridden – so I couldn’t get out. I would get up in the morning, put the telly on, and not see anyone all day.

I used to do joinery and this [the Shed] has helped keep that going. The people here are wonderful – it’s the comradeship, it really is. At work I had people day to day – it just worked, no trouble at all. Many years ago I played cricket, football, and table tennis – up to about four years ago I was still playing league table tennis.

I’ve had problems with my knee – I had a replacement but it went wrong. I’ve had eight operations in five weeks to put it right but it’s still giving me problems. I couldn’t walk when I came out of hospital, but I can now – so I must be making progress!

The friendship is the thing with the Shed – everyone is so, nice. It’s a treat to come here and obviously altering the building is good – it was a heap when we moved in and we’re getting it into shape. I’d like to get more involved in the Shed when it’s sorted. I can’t bend down now so that makes things difficult, but I’ve done a lot at home in the past – I put an extension on many years ago, I did all the household repairs, l’ve also laid paving, and enjoy gardening – but I can’t now!

If you’re lonely, the Shed is a good release – it puts the cap on your loneliness – you get terrific friendship with the people here. When you’re at work, you’ve got your comrades there and see them every day. I worked for a local authority for 57 years – I started as an apprentice carpenter and joiner then moved into the office and was a trainee surveyor – doing alterations and upgrades for people who were infirm. I prefer to use my hands rather than my head.

I have a daughter who is extremely busy. She’s got to work to pay off a mortgage - I see her maybe once a week. I’ve lived in Letchworth for about 50 years so I feel I very much belong here.  "

"  I’ve been involved with this Shed for around a year and a half, but I’ve previously been involved in a Shed in Morley [in Leeds] for the best part of two years. You might say Morley was a ‘Rolls Royce version’ of a Shed - it was a converted old weaving building, very large with 15 double-sided benches. You had to apply to join (then wait until there was a place) and most people went two days a week to 10am to 3pm sessions.

The thing that was good about the place was that, if you paused for a moment and looked puzzled, one of the guys would be there offering to help you. It was a really pleasant atmosphere with a mandatory break at 12 noon – no lathes or saws – and we all sat around having a natter over a cup of tea and biscuits. The camaraderie was very good.

I think it was actually my daughter who tracked down Letchworth Men’s Shed after I’d moved back down to Hertfordshire. I discovered they were looking to start a Shed and came along to meet the guys who were working on finding a space here at Standalone Farm which took a while. My initial involvement was seven of us building a poly-tunnel for the farm – really hard work, learning as we went along with a 14-page manual.

Based on my experience with the Morley Shed, I’d describe a Men’s Shed as somewhere you find a group of people interested in working together to share skills – both a chat room, but a skills learning exercise as well. 

Looking ahead, I’m a little concerned that having done all the refurbishment work on our current space here, we’ll be offered a larger space on the farm and we might not benefit from all our hard work! Clearly we need more space for interfacing and social activity and more time in each session for the guys to sit down and have a natter.

My starting interest for being involved with Sheds was woodwork. When I joined the Morley Shed, I was making a birdhouse with my mother’s old kitchen cutting board as a base, and the birds are still using it! In Leeds, I also made planters and then learnt how to make wood-turned bodies for pens which sold at the local charity shop.

When I’m not in the Shed I play badminton, petanque [a kind of French bowls] and table tennis. I swim 20 lengths a week, and I like regular walks two to three times a week. It’s a great way to unwind.

Looking ahead I’d be happy to make things for sale in the farm shop here. It would be interesting to set up a timetable of work to organise things in a bit more structured way. It would also be good to see what other Sheds are doing – I’d be interested in a ‘shed crawl’.  

For more on Morley Shed see www.groundwork.org.uk/projects/men-in-sheds  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FA64Kc2ph8 "

"  I am a Cornishman now living in Letchworth Garden City. I discovered the Letchworth Shed through a North Herts. Newsletter. I have now been with the Shed for just over a year. I like to be practically involved and there has been plenty to do getting the premises ready for use. I am also happy to chat to people. 

Physical and mental wellbeing has become a high-profile concern. Men’s Sheds  exist to support people - primarily men - who may have lost colleagues, have fewer social contacts, are possibly bereaved or single, and looking for both a social and practical involvement with other men with similar interests. I think that Men’s Sheds is a superb initiative and I am glad to be part of it.

What keeps me coming back? There are plenty of jobs that need to be done! And as you do the jobs with others you get to know them better. I moved back to Hertfordshire four years ago and since then I’ve had pretty poor health and have had to isolate a lot. Apart from our allotment, this is really the only group I am involved with regularly. I see a few other friends occasionally, but the Shed is a key aspect of the week for me.

For the past 10 years I have been a woodturner. I was fortunate to be involved in a large and active club in Cornwall where I worked from being a complete novice to a proficient turner. I have a well-equipped workshop and I am happy pursuing my practical interests in my own space producing things on commission or for charity. I am also qualified to teach woodturning. 

Our Shed is very fortunate to have good grant funding and I am personally very happy that we have invested in woodturning equipment. There are three others with woodturning experience and several people have said they would like to learn. I would like to develop a course teaching basic woodturning on a one-to-one basis. Alongside that, I would like to pick up a few new skills myself – I have a router but want to learn how to use it properly, and maybe develop my woodcarving too. An early next stage should be to identify what skills we have between us and we can then move to phase 2 of the Letchworth Men’s Shed.  "