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A GOOD PROBLEM TO HAVE: GROWING PAINS AT THE SHED
You may have noticed a banner on our front page mentioning that we are temporarily pausing new memberships. We wanted to take a moment to explain why, and share our plan for the future.
The Situation The Letchworth Men's Shed has become a victim of its own success! We are thrilled to see so many local men getting involved. However, our current workshop has a limit on how many people can safely use the tools and space at one time.
To prioritise the safety and comfort of our current "Shedders," we have decided to start a Waiting List for prospective members. This ensures that the workshop remains a safe environment for everyone to enjoy.
The Solution (And how you can help) We don't want to turn anyone away. The best solution is simply to open the Shed on an additional day of the week.
However, we cannot do this without a lead volunteer. We are currently looking for a Shed Supervisor willing to take ownership and responsibility for a new session (e.g., Monday or Wednesday).
If you—or someone you know—is an experienced Shedder who could commit to running a session, please reach out to us. As soon as we have the supervision in place, we can open the doors to our waiting list immediately!
What to do now? If you are interested in joining, please still [Contact Us] to add your name to the Waiting List. We will contact you the moment space becomes available or we launch our new opening day.
2025 REVIEWED
At Letchworth Men’s Shed we started and ended 2025 with two parties and good reason to celebrate. At the start of the year we invited councillors to a celebration at Standalone Farm to recognise our finalist status at the national UK Men’s Sheds Awards in the Partnership category.
Ten months later on a dry, crisp December morning we were at the Wynd Community Gardens to celebrate the Shed team’s success in refurbishing the Gardens and, once again, being finalists in the UK Men’s Sheds Awards - this time in the Community Project category.
In between those two parties, we hosted some rats (to be expected on a working farm…) for a week or two, and brought a couple of horses – rocking horses - back to life. Once again we ran stalls at the Hertfordshire Steam Fair in early June and the Standalone Farm Christmas Market in early December – displaying and selling wooden products we’d made during the year. It’s great to give people some indication of what we get up to in the Shed.
As always, pallets have played an important part in our Shed activity during 2025 – in particular making a dozen planters that have been commissioned by Farm visitors seeing our handiwork outside the Shed.
In October we used reclaimed timber to make games for the Farm’s ‘Pumpkin Patch’ fortnight and we re-installed the Pumpkin Palace we’d made in 2024. There seems to be an unending demand for swift boxes; a team of Shed members have produced nearly 80 of them for Swift Action Hitchin, with more requested!
We continue to work in partnership with the Letchworth Heritage Foundation. Alongside maintenance jobs around Standalone Farm and our work on the Wynd Community Gardens, we’ve also made commissions from them for ten bat boxes and an art-deco style noticeboard for the Broadway Cinema in the town centre.
A productive year – rooting our Men’s Shed very much in the wider Letchworth community. We’ve also welcomed a steady stream of visitors to our Standalone Farm base – including representatives from other Sheds and health professionals.
Importantly, many new prospective members have stay on to discover the magic of Men’s Sheds – keeping people happier and healthier for longer through making, mending, drinking tea and having fun.
CELEBRATING TEAMWORK
Almost exactly a year after being approached by the Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation to refurbish the Wynd Community Gardens in the town centre, Letchworth Men's Shed organised a Garden Party to celebrate the fruits of that collaboration.
Over 40 people – staff from the Heritage Foundation, officers from North Herts District Council, representatives from the local CVS (Centre for Voluntary Services) and, of course, garden volunteers and Letchworth Men’s Shed members – gathered to unveil a plaque on a new pergola – designed by one of the members and built by the Shed team.
On a thankfully dry December morning, coffee and delicious cake - courtesy of The BakeHouse - were welcomed by those present, who then retired to the Garden City Brewery a few doors down to reflect on successful teamwork in polishing a jewel in Letchworth’s crown.
Just two weeks before, Shed members had been at the House of Commons as finalists in the Community Project category of the UK Men's Sheds Association Sheds Awards – a fitting end to another year that has seen Letchworth Men’s Shed making a real difference in the local community.
THE POWER OF CONNECTION
October 1st is International Day of Older People. In 2025, groups around the world are celebrating the vital role that social connections can play in our lives; from a quick hello on the street to deep and supportive relationships that are built over time. The communities we live in shape our ability to connect – and in turn, the connections that we make help shape our local environment.
Every day (not just once a year) at the Letchworth Men’s Shed in North Hertfordshire we celebrate connection – between Shed members, with other Sheds, through projects at Standalone Farm where the Shed is based, and in the wider Letchworth community.
Its impact is on our members and their families - healthier and happier men – as well as on visitors of all ages to the Farm for fun and learning, and everyone passing through the town centre where Shed members have renovated the Wynd Community Gardens.
OUR PASSION FOR PALLETS
While the woodturners are crafting their beautiful items in the workshop, the rest of us - like pigs in the proverbial poo - are happy wallowing in wooden pallets. We have an unlimited supply to dismantle and turn into items such as bug hotels, commissioned planters, work benches and display crates. We've included a VW Van - a thing of beauty - but can't take the credit for that!
EARNING OUR INCOME
Few Men’s Sheds can operate on fresh air and goodwill alone; while most are run by the volunteer members, there are essential running costs to be covered. At Letchworth Men’s Shed we're very grateful to be hosted at Standalone Farm enjoying in-kind support from the Letchworth Heritage Foundation.
We also appreciate the opportunities to earn income through the sale of wooden products we make in the Shed through the Farm Shop, and for commissions – for swift and barn owl boxes, and for planters made from reclaimed pallet wood. We’re also grateful for donations for community projects we undertake, such as renovating benches for a local bowls club.
Stalls at the annual Herts Steam Fair in June and Standalone Farm’s Christmas Market in December – are great chances to showcase the Shed and the talent of our members.
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
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