Men In Sheds

Wednesday 29^th January and I am standing in a shed.  It is a large shed situated next to the Greeno Centre in Shepperton. The weather outside is cold, and there appears to be no heating inside, so I haven’t removed my coat. I am not alone in this shed. There are a dozen other people here, some look busy, others just standing around chatting. I was in the latter group.

The Greeno Centre

So what was I doing here at 9.00 a.m. on a freezing morning? Well I had come along to a demonstration of (and instruction in the use of) a Mig welder. This piece of equipment, as well as a woodworking lathe, had been purchased with monies donated by Shepperton Aurora Rotary Club, and the Company which provided the welder, Supercraft Ltd were here to undertake some training to the members of Men in Sheds (Shepperton).

Mig Welding

Men in Sheds is best described as an International movement, which began in Australia. Its aims are to provide support to men of a certain age, who may be experiencing problems with the transition to retirement or are lacking social interaction. Everyone knows that men need a bolthole to escape from everyday life, and a shed will often suit this purpose. I personally know men who have made their sheds very comfortable indeed, with armchairs, fridges and TVs.

Example of a comfy shed

 I myself have a shed, but in my case it is so full with things like a barbecue, patio furniture, lawn mower and shredder, that I can’t even get into it, never mind spend time there. It’s my own fault. I decided a couple of years ago that I needed a new shed, but didn’t want to pay an extra £70 for someone to erect it for me. So I went for an economy model, and decided to put it together myself, with the help of a couple of friends. Never again will I make such a mistake. Nothing seemed square, it tilted in various directions and the floor was so uneven, that everything tried to move into one corner. I never did manage to get the roofing felt on properly, and it’s basically just lying on top, needing to be replaced whenever the wind blows stronger than a light breeze. Two years on and there are holes everywhere, with brambles forcing their way underneath the roof, and various rodents setting up home inside.

My Shed

There are of course many men who don’t have access to a shed at all. I guess it is for this group that Men in Sheds exists, providing opportunities for men to meet up and work together on woodworking, repairs and other DIY projects, receiving training from skilled craftsmen, whilst enjoying some camaraderie. Currently there are over 200 Sheds in the UK and this figure is growing rapidly, so there is clearly a demand.

I had come along this morning, with Rotary colleagues Brian Holt, Doreen Pipe and Douglas Dick to see the new equipment in action, and to get to know the people involved.  Actually I think the reason Doreen came along was because she had heard that several members of London Irish Rugby Club would be present. She was disappointed to find none of them there, although I heard later that the rugby players had in fact been in the Greeno Centre next door helping out. So near, yet so far, Doreen!

London Irish rugby players

I met Phil Mackenzie, who with my Rotary colleague Richard Edgar founded the Shepperton group. He is the supervisor, and as he says, it is important that an environment is created which will encourage people to come and join them, and keep coming back. He is aware that after the euphoria of the opening ceremony has passed, and the donations from organisations such as ourselves are received and spent, members need to feel it is worthwhile to continue coming along, otherwise the venture will not survive.

Richard and Phil with Monica Chard

I also met a couple of the members, or ‘Shedders’ as they are called. They were both experienced builders and were able to get on with work unsupervised. New members are invited to bring along broken pieces of furniture to fix, as a project to get them started. In fact there is no shortage of things for the Shedders to do. Local people have provided projects to keep them busy for the next 3 months, and even our Rotary club have asked them to build a cabinet which will be used to support the local charity Mission for Vision.

'Shedders'

Anyway, back to the Mig welding. Everybody who attended was given an opportunity to try their hand at welding. Doreen and local magazine editor Monica Chard looked particularly fetching in the helmets every welder has to wear to protect their eyesight. When my turn came I was given some brief instructions by our trainer, Dennis, and then I was let loose on some pieces of metal. I found it surprisingly easy, and Dennis was suitably impressed (or maybe he was just being polite). He told me the joint I had made would withstand several tons of pressure.

Doreen looks fetching, whilst Dennis just looks resigned

Monica shares a joke with Douglas

It’s probably too late for me to start a new career as a welder, but I nevertheless enjoyed the lesson, and I was delighted that Rotary has been able to support this worthwhile project in Shepperton. Who knows, I may even go along myself, to learn some woodworking skills.

I'm sure electrics have been passed by HSE