Step inside the workshop and it quickly becomes clear that Men’s Shed is about far more than woodwork – skills are shared, confidence rebuilt and friendships formed
All images Courtenay Hitchcock
I open the door to Sturminster Newton’s Men’s Sheds to be greeted by the smell of sawn wood, the whine of a drill and a bandsaw. M<embers are happily checking over an impressive marquetry tray and a Pokemon-shaped headboard before breaking for coffee. Men’s Shed is not just about making bird boxes. You can feel a real sense of community and friendship as soon as you walk in the door.
Another surprise is that Men’s Shed includes women. Leader Tim Wilson explained that everyone’s welcome: ‘Originally it was just for men. It started in Australia and spread to America, then it came to the UK. It was originally for men because women traditionally have their own groups like the WI, but there was nothing similar for men.
‘A few years ago, women who wanted to learn woodwork began to approach us: now we have four ladies. We have 25 people on the books but only 16 or so who are active. The oldest person we have here is 90 and the youngest 21.’
Catherine, who is making the Pokemon-shaped headboard for her son, is one of the women who joined the group. ‘It has really helped me with my physical health,’ she says. ‘I had to learn all the skills, and it takes real physical effort to hold the chisel against the wood. I had to learn about core balance as well – and I also learned to just carry on, to keep going. I learned patience while learning to use the tools. Now I’m a wood turner.’
‘You’ve also learned to slow down,’ Darryl Howes, another team member pointed out. ‘When you came here you wanted everything done right now , but you learned how to slow down.’
People come to the Shed from various backgrounds, and bring a wide range of skills to the group. One was a stockbroker in the City of London, another works in the prison service, others are ex-servicemen or women or have worked in agriculture. Most are retirees, but one person is still in work.
Fred Light admits he joined ‘just to get out of the house’. Others joined for the companionship or to learn woodwork. Some came because of ill health, when they had to look for something else to do.
‘When you retire you can easily spend all day watching telly,’ Tim said. ‘And that’s not good. And it’s your mental health too. The woodwork teaches you to slow down and be in the moment. You can just focus on that one thing. You can really switch off just by focusing on one thing.’
The group also learn from their mistakes, and the support from the team.
Catherine added: ‘Mistakes aren’t bad. You learn – and then when someone shows you how to avoid making mistakes again, you learn the best way to do things. You also learn the skills to correct the mistakes you made.’
When I asked what the team enjoy most about coming to Men’s Shed, the answers were quick and varied:
‘Sitting around having a cup of tea’ … ‘It’s the banter, the cameraderie – we’re one big family.’ … We help each other. And we can sit and have a bacon sandwich and chat.’
Bigger projects
All the material used in the Shed is donated. Locally, Townsend Timber and Conygar Timber both donate wood. The team also takes donated pallets. Sometimes bereaved families donate tools and the contents of sheds, knowing they will go to a good home and be used by the team.
‘We only use reclaimed wood,’ Tim says. ‘Our hand tools have all been donated to us, too. We do attend Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival and the Heavy Horse Show – where we won best stand because everything was hand made.’
The group is also approached to get involved in projects. Tim says:’We’ve just completed a big one. Farnfields Solicitors asked us to help with an idea they had for their 90th anniversary, to make 90 wildlife boxes – hedgehog houses, bug boxes, bird houses and bat boxes for their three sites. We’ve just finished. We all worked on it together and it took around three months.’
Catherine was intimidated by the project at first: ‘I learned something new, but getting all the angles right daunted me,’ she says. ‘I just thought, ‘I can’t do it!’. But one of the guys sat me down and asked ‘why can’t you do it?’. In the end I built 30 bug boxes. If I hadn’t had their encouragement, I would never have done it. It was amazing to see everyone work together to make the boxes.’
One of Tim;’s colleagues had a complex challenge for the group: ‘A friend wanted a roaming island for her kitchen,’ he says. ‘So we built a chopping block with wheels and legs. We needed a minibus to deliver it!’
We stick together
What makes the team proud? ‘I like the way we all stick together. In the workshop, if you see someone struggling with something – you just go and help them.’ … ‘I’m proud of learning a new skill.’ … ‘Some people have woodworking skills, others don’t. But we all have some skill to offer. Maybe it’s with IT or even just friendliness. We’re like a second or third family.’
Men’s Shed always meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and there are several Sheds across Dorset – find your nearest on the Men’s Shed website here menssheds.org.uk/find-a-shed .
Anyone is welcome to join.
by Rachael Rowe
