UK Men's Shed of the Year 2017

Behind the doors of a former factory on an industrial estate in south-west Scotland, a group of men are hard at work - but this is no ordinary workplace.

This is Dalbeattie Men's Shed, where local men in their 50s, 60s and 70s meet twice a week to "plooter about in workshops".

Using wood, plastic or metal, they can turn their hands to just about anything, from clocks and pens to bookcases and tables.

They even make picture frames from floor that was pulled out of the ill-fated DG One leisure centre in nearby Dumfries.

The Shed was set up three years ago by a core group of five in a bid to tackle the social isolation felt by many men in their retirement.

Since then its numbers have swelled to more than 50 and its success has been recognised on a national scale - it has been named Men's Shed of the Year 2017.

How Men's Sheds are improving lives

The UK Men's Shed Association said Dalbeattie stood out as it went "above and beyond to help as many local people as possible".

The group maintain the town's Christmas lanterns, and they have restored furniture and play-things for Dalbeattie's new nursery.

Last year they also repaired a 10ft tall illuminated cat centrepiece for Dalbeattie Civic Week - and even made a duplicate from scratch.

**LINK**

Brilliant, it makes me realize how much time I spend in my workshop ! I love being retired and the stream of mates turning up drinking tea and discussing the next thing they need machining, or just talking motorcycles. I could never watch TV

Good on them. It looks like they have a nice set up there.

I made plans today to go to the Shed we have been building all year, first sod cut exactly a year ago, this afternoon. I have the consumer unit in the car to fit although we don't actually have electricity until we can get £6k for the magic string to be connected. However 1" of snow on the ground is going to make it a chilly day so will only do a couple of hours I think.

Bazyle, have you gone for a lottery grant yet?

You should be able to get one of up to £10k pretty easily for a new Men's Shed project.

Neil

Excellent!

The biggest challenge is finding a suitable supply of scratch.

Neil

Just over a year ago we moved from the Welsh hills to near Ludlow in Shropshire to be a bit closer to civilisation as we are both around 70. The Welsh Health Service wasn't scoring big points.

I also made the decision to withdraw from the world of gun dogs and gundog training which is the pivot around which our social life has revolved for thirty years. I don't want the responsibility of looking after dogs any more; if we see an ad in winter for "cheapie three weeks in Spain, loading on Thursday" we want to be able to go, and you can't easily do that with six dogs in the kennels.

All of which means that whilst not exactly feeling lonely, I could manage the company of some other old farts interested in producing things like swarf and shavings. Ady's post prompted me to look up the local Shed movement and hey presto one is in the making just over the hill in Cleobury Mortimer. I'm going up to meet t'lads on the 11th of Jan for a progress report, pint and a natter.

So thanks Ady, good on you for jogging my elbow.

Eug

Edited By Eugene on 27/12/2017 10:53:51

Edited By Eugene on 27/12/2017 10:57:04

Eugene,

we have succesfully used "trusted house sitter.com" to allow us to go away from our homestead.......

12 years going off alone whilst 1 stayed at home, usually me.......we have 4 Boarder Collie's that we could not live without......plus the security side o things.......

as for old farts, there's plenty around me but nobody's interested in doing anything with their hands.....except lifting a glass or 6.......

visit the shed and make new friends it'll keep u living longer......wish I had the oppotunity......

clogs

Hmmm! -

23/12/2017 18:34:57

"As far as the BBC is concerned.............well, don't get me wound up in this festive season of good will to all men."

Mike - the Beeb rightly gets knocked for its increasingly 'dumbed down' output but, occasionally, they can produce a tiny oasis of commonsense -

**LINK**

rgds

Bill

Maybe the excess of turkey and plum duff has stirred interest that was absent four days ago!!

rgds

Bill

Eugene, glad you have found a Shed. People having a change in lifestyle, like retiring, are one of the things the movement is there for. And it doesn't have to be about manual labour. They will welcome someone to do the paperwork, admin etc too. We have one chap who just turns up with some pasties or cake has tea and goes again. For him it gives the mile walk each way a goal and a few minutes chatting is all he wants at the moment.

If you can't find a nearby Shed for people of a practical bent there are a lot of ways to make friends and find a community that you may not have realised. The amateur dramatics already have wannabe actors but need someone to make the scenery, the cricket club needs someone to maintain the lawnmowers, the Church fete/craft fair needs someone to make signs and mend the tables.

Of course a ME club fulfils many of the aspects of a Shed. The modelling part is the excuse for getting together for social interaction. Some of our committee don't like me pointing this out however.

Neil - we got turned down by the lottery this time. Council and a local charity have been helpful though.

Bazyle, you have a PM

Having known Bazyle in a past life I started looking for details of Mens Sheds in his locale. I have relatives in the same area and you never know there could be an opportunity to see what was going on. I now find we have an active movement in NZ and in fact I have 6 sheds to choose from within 15km of my house.

Something to start investigating in the New Year so thanks for the heads up on the movement.

Pete

I popped into our local Men in Sheds a while ago. I was impressed by the enthusiasm and the vast variety of equipment that they had: wood working gear, computers, printing, 3-d printing, laser cutter, lathe, etc etc. Whilst I was there, they tried to sell me a rather nice lathe, with change wheels and all the fittings for £150.00............ tempting, I must say.

James

Now that's just being greedy.

Best wishes Pete. I hadn't realised or had forgotten your alter-ego on here.

Plenty of 'scratch' available in France Neil, with their usual individuality (aka contrariness) they have taken a product name originally derived from the two French words Velour and crochet to form 'Velcro' and call it 'scratch' !
DaveD

Now that's just being greedy.

Best wishes Pete. I hadn't realised or had forgotten your alter-ego on here.

Best wishes to you Bazyle

It did cross my mind as to why there were so many in an area that is probably about the same size as yours. I'll attempt to find out what they are up to in the New Year. However, I must admit our club has a lot of work that needs doing and feel that any spare time should be focused on that.

Pete

A good friend of mine is occasionally asked, because of his gentle and sympathetic nature, to dispose of deceased model engineers workshops. He has, over the years accumulated a number of tools that have not sold, a few boxes of screwdrivers, spanners, small drills etc. With the rise of the "Mens Shed" movement he thought donating the tools to the cause would be a good idea. There are two in our area, we went along to have a look. The first one was appalling, the place was a mess, a quick look around and we both concluded it needed shutting down! Then, as we headed to the door someone starts arc welding on a bench covered in sawdust and with no eye protection and no warning they were about to start welding!

The second shed was superb, well organised, clean and tidy. Has attracted donations and help from industry. A credit to those who set it up and a valuable asset not only to the individuals who use it but the community at large. Guess where the tools went.

John