CELEBRATING SUCCESS

As only three of us were able to attend the UKMSA Shed of the Year Awards in Westminster back in November, we were keen to celebrate our finalist status in the ‘partnership’ category with our friends back on the farm.

On a miserable Friday lunchtime in January we were joined by 50 of those friends – Shed members and their partners, councillors, Letchworth Heritage Foundation head office staff, and many of those working at Standalone Farm itself.

The event was a lovely mix of formal and informal, with kind words, presentations, great food, a display of Shed members’ creations, and guided tours of our small workshop. We hope people have now got a better insight into what we mean by the ‘magic’ of Men’s Sheds. We’re now thinking of organising other ‘open days’ during 2025

Photo credit: Nat Rosa, Neon Mango Productions

UK MEN'S SHEDS ASSOCIATION 

SHED OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2024

There couldn’t be more contrast between our Men’s Shed - in a former pigsty - and the grandeur of The Speaker’s State Rooms in the Palace of Westminster. We love our Shed, but the Westminster decorations impressed when two Shed members and a representative from the Letchworth Heritage Foundation went there for tea.

The occasion was the UK Men’s Sheds Association Shed of the Year Awards. Letchworth Shed was one of three finalists in the Partnership Award category – in recognition of the generous support our Shed receives from our hosts at Standalone Farm – and our reciprocation through farm maintenance and other jobs in the wider Letchworth Community.

Alongside other award finalists and a delicious cream tea, we were welcomed by the Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, and Kim Leadbeater MP who, through her work on loneliness with the Jo Cox Foundation, has been a passionate advocate for the Men’s Shed movement. We didn’t win the partnership award, but we’ll be back next year – the cream tea and cakes really were very special!

TURNING TALENT IN THE SHED

Over the past six months, the Letchworth Men’s Shed has enjoyed a growing membership of talented wood turners. Each week we now have a day dedicated to turning, with time divided between experienced wood turners making items for sale to raise funds for the Shed, and tuition for members who are new to woodturning.

For creative beginners, turning a block of wood into a bottle opener or wine stopper, builds confidence and gives great satisfaction. We have a growing forest of trees to sell sell at two upcoming Christmas markets. Following a special commission, members turned six wooden bowls for a young entrepreneur launching a weaving course as part of her new business.

The Shed strives to be a safe and inclusive space and, with wood turning, we aim to cater for those with physical and cognitive limitations. A couple of members have designed and made a facility for seated lathe work, while another regularly supervises a member who is using wood turning for rehabilitation in the Shed following a stroke.

MENS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH

November is Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month in the UK. It coincides with Movember – an international campaign to raise awareness of men’s health conditions. 

During Movember, men are encouraged to grow moustaches (the more exotic the better) to start conversations about men’s health – in particular prostate and testicular cancer and suicide. 

The physical and mental health benefits of getting men together in Sheds are well-documented and are also demonstrated through the testimony of Letchworth Men’s Shed members.

COMBERTON MEN'S SHED VISIT

We welcomed members of Comberton Men's Shed (currently looking for a home) last Tuesday - great opportunity to share our learning (and drink tea) Luckily it wasn't raining!

MY FIRST 18 MONTHS IN A MENS SHED

Published in association with the UK Men’s Sheds Association, updated July 2024

I’m not new to Men’s Shed – I’ve been involved with them nationally for around 10 years and, at the local level, I helped set up The Repair Shed in Hemel Hempstead in 2014-15.   After retiring from paid work in January 2023, I decided not to set up another Shed where I live. Much as I’d like to have one within walking distance, to join an existing one – ‘just’ turning up for sessions – would avoid the hassle associated with planning, funding and administration.

18 months on from first turning up at the Letchworth Men’s Shed, what have I learned?

For me, it’s about meeting more than making

Although I love to make things from reclaimed materials (mainly pallet wood) and have done so for years, I’ve discovered I’m quite happy doing it alone in my own shed at home. I like the familiarity of the tools and the space, and the opportunity to immerse myself timelessly in the job. Don’t get me wrong – I love being in the Shed with the other guys, but I don’t feel the need to make things there; I can take it or leave it. I know I’m not the only Letchworth Shed member making items at home for sale at an upcoming Steam Fair ‘because it’s easier’. For others an attraction is the access to ‘grown-up’ equipment in a safe environment, for example we have wood-turners keen to get lathe-time.

Turning up is a lot easier than setting up

While it’s sometimes satisfying to be in at the beginning of a new initiative (I’ve been involved in lots of start-ups) I’m pleased the Letchworth Shed was established when I turned up. I admire the effort the founder members put in to finding premises, attending monthly planning meetings with as many downs as ups, and navigating Covid and lockdown, but I’m pleased we’re now in the development, rather than the start-up, phase. Some people have the skills to start things, others are better at keeping them going and that’s fine if your group has both!.

People make Sheds

At the risk of stating the bleedin’ obvious, you can have the best-equipped five-star space, but that’s no guarantee your Shed will keep people happier and healthier for longer (which is how I describe the purpose of a Men’s Shed). While I suspect most Sheds (ours doesn’t) have at least one grumpy old so-and-so who rubs people up the wrong way without trying, that’s life. In Letchworth I’m surrounded by wonderful supportive people – all men (until a couple of weeks ago) all with interesting stories to share, bad jokes to tell, and ideas to contribute. And then there are the people who are not regularly in the Shed (a couple are employed and, at any one time, others are recovering from operations or illness, or are busy elsewhere). Arguably, conversations with them are more important, which is one of the reasons I circulate a TWITS (This Week In The Shed) update in words and pictures to all members each week.

It takes time to get to know people

Remembering names was my first problem (particularly with three Davids, two Rogers, and a George who’s known as Rod). Ten months after joining the Shed I did short, informal recorded interviews with some of my fellow Shedders to develop case study materials that we could send to would-be funders and post on our website (see https://www.letchworthshed.org/testimonials). It helped me find out more about some of the guys and those conversations have added poignancy because, sadly, a couple of the interviewees are no longer with us. Despite having now been in the Shed on a regular basis for 18 months, I still have much to learn about those I didn’t interview – I need to stop talking and start listening! As our membership grows so, I think, does the need for social events beyond our regular Shed sessions, when Friday Shedders may not see Tuesday Shedders for weeks. A BBQ, a trip to a local air museum, or just a gentle walk are three ideas.

For most, it’s about more than ‘just’ turning up

On paper, our governance structure – trustees, committee, monthly meeting for all members – looks quite top-down. But I’ve been impressed that lots of members volunteer (without being asked) to make things happen – beyond the making, mending and learning. From the most important – making coffees and teas and washing up afterwards – to picking up materials from DIY stores and dumping stuff at the local recycling centre, a good number of different people are involved. There are also lifts for less mobile members and visiting/phoning others recovering at home from a string of operations (cataract removal being currently the most popular).

No Shed is an island

For me the phrase ‘men in sheds’ is not helpful. It conjures up an image of a group of people hidden away, doing their own thing, in danger of being quietly forgotten.  While I understand that some men may feel more comfortable with that invisibility and anonymity, I favour a much more outward-looking, community-rooted approach that proudly celebrates what men are doing for themselves. In our Shed we connect with the public (we’re located on a working farm attraction with 80,000 visitors a year), and other organisations (in common with other Sheds, we’ve been commissioned to make items for local schools, wildlife groups, and sports clubs). Ironically, we’ve had only limited direct contact with other Men’s Sheds. I’m trying to put that right – we’ve recently been on a shed crawl around Cambridgeshire, but I couldn’t tempt any others to join me at ShedFest – the national gathering of Men’s Sheds – maybe next year…

Sometimes the attraction is too strong…

When I joined the Letchworth Shed I intended to turn-up and get hands-on, without getting involved with planning, funding and administration. I haven’t avoided that, but it’s not a problem. Soon after I arrived, I saw that everyone was making a contribution – not relying on a few ‘leaders’. I became a Shed Trustee soon after ending my tenure as a UKMSA Trustee at the national level. I now spend more time on Shed stuff outside the Shed than in it, but that’s OK – my head may be at home, but my heart is in Letchworth.

Chris

THE GREAT SHED CRAWL

Great Shed Crawl around Cambridgeshire last Wednesday. Many thanks to Sheddit! , Cambridge Men's Shed, and Veteran's-Led Community Shed for hosting us (we brought the cake!)

NEW STABLE DOOR

One of the existing windows, which was in disrepair, has been removed by the members and transformed into a new door, providing improved access to the building. The new frame and door, designed as a divided stable door, have been successfully installed. Only a few frame fixings, coat of paint remain to be completed, and then to make good the brickwork.

HERTFORDSHIRE STEAM & COUNTRY SHOW

Our first display weekend at the Steam & Country Show at Standalone Farm, demonstrating all the great things men in sheds stand for - brilliant support and team spirit, lots of interest from visitors and hopefully some great new members.  

RONSEAL DONATION

Lots of free items of Ronseal products thanks to the great collaboration between UK Mens Shed Association and Ronseal.

WE ALSO DO REPAIRS

Helping out in the community by repairing the tennis tables at the Letchworth Sports and Tennis Club.

NEW MAIN FLOOR AND PAVED STORE ROOM

The guys did a first class job laying bricks and paving stones in the store room upcycled from around the farm. Main floor professionally completed by the Letchworth Heritage. We now have a solid and level base to now build the workshop on.

SHED LIGHTING & POWER

The electrical installation was provided as a charitable donation by GFX Power Ltd with the majority of products donated free or heavily discounted by G2 Electrical Wholesalers Ltd.  Mike from GFX Power spent four days down at the shed installing the lighting and power ring mains, consumer unit and meter.

A massive thank you to both companies for a great job, and a generous donation.

POLYTUNNEL HELPING HAND

Several of the members (Pete, Neill, Ray, Mike, Graham, Steve, Richard and Buzz) gave a helping hand to another local charity called 'Green Care at Norton' who are a therapeutic gardening project based in Letchworth. Standalone Farm approached us to help Green Care erect a brand new poly-tunnel at the Farm, which will be used to grow produce for the farm shop. The project took a few days preparing the ground and posts, assembling the metalic framework and hanging the doors.

RAY'S SIGN FOR OUR NEW HOME

Ray has idled away a few hours doing some letter cutting, a skill he attained from a short course over 20 years ago.