Men's Sheds began in Australia. It has flourished through the value of coming together around practical tasks on a regular basis, particularly with a designated place or workshop where tools and work in progress can be stored. This appeals to men of all ages although most ‘shedders’ are retired. Sheds started in UK in 2009 and there are now well over 500 spread all over the country. Men’s Sheds (or Sheds) are similar to garden sheds – a place to pursue practical interests at leisure, to practice skills and enjoy making and mending. The difference is that garden sheds and their activities are often solitary in nature while Men’s Sheds are the opposite. They’re about social connections and friendship building, sharing skills and knowledge, and of course a lot of laughter. Sheds are whatever the members (or Shedders as we call them) want them to be. Although labelled sheds, they often aren’t sheds at all. They can be empty offices, portable cabin’s, warehouses, or garages. Some Sheds are purpose built workshops, but they rarely start out that way. Many don’t have premises at all in the beginning and instead form a group that meets regularly for the social connection, company and camaraderie until they can find somewhere to kit out with tools. Many Sheds get involved in community projects too – restoring village features, helping maintain parks and green spaces, and building things for schools, libraries and individuals in need. Activities in Sheds vary greatly, but you can usually find woodworking, metalworking, repairing and restoring, electronics, model buildings or even car building in a typical Shed. Sheds typically attract older men, but many have younger members and women too. Whatever the activity, the essence of a Shed is not a building, but the connections and relationships between its members.

All about us, our journey began in early 2020 just as covid arrived. Men in Sheds is a project aimed specifically at men aged 50+ and looks to bring men together to put their practical skills to good use and encourage them to be more socially active. It provides a space to develop a hobby workshop where men can work together on a range of practical activities. This could focus on woodworking, horticulture or metal work, however, new project ideas are always welcome. Members can put their skills to good use, share their knowledge, learn new skills and generally put the world to rights over a cup of tea. People can come from a wide variety of backgrounds ranging from highly skilled to those with little or no experience, but all work together and there is a role for everyone! It gives men the chance to: Make new friends. Experience the camaraderie of working with other men. Put practical skills to good use and also share them with others. Try something new and learn new skills. Support their local community. We open on Mondays and Fridays from 10am – noon, and on Wednesdays from 2pm – 4pm, the Shed is the building located next to the squash courts behind Kings, off Pixon Lane.