What is a Men’s Shed?
Men’s Sheds (or Sheds) are similar to garden sheds – a place to pursue practical interests at leisure, to practise 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 cabins, warehouses, garages, and in at least one case, a disused mortuary. 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.
Why are they needed?
For a long time research has shown the negative impact of loneliness and isolation on a person’s health and wellbeing. Recently we have seen more evidence come to light that shows loneliness and isolation can be as hazardous to our health as obesity and excessive smoking. Surveys from mental health charities are finding that millions of people report feeling lonely on a daily basis.
Men typically find it more difficult to build social connections than women, and unlike women of a similar age, less older men have networks of friends and rarely share personal concerns about health and personal worries. It is not the case for all men, but for some, when retirement comes, it can feel like personal identity and purpose is lost. Men’s Sheds can change all of that.
Sheds are about meeting like-minded people and having someone to share your worries with. They are about having fun, sharing skills and knowledge with like-minded people and gaining a renewed sense of purpose and belonging. As a by-product of all of that they reduce isolation and feelings of loneliness, they allow men to deal with mental health challenges more easily and remain independent, they rebuild communities and in many cases, they save men’s lives.
Frequently asked questions
Axe Valley Men’s Shed is open to men over the age of 18. We are not just a bunch of OAPs!
We have two sites in the Axe Valley area. Our main ‘Shed’ is based at the old Axbridge Railway Station and we also have a community garden on the outskirts of Axbridge – see the Our Projects page to learn more!
03. What kind of activities do you offer?
There is a wide range of things to get involved with at our Shed, from art classes, tai chi and genealogy, to woodcarving and woodworking workshop sessions, to ongoing projects in the community garden – and more! There’s always something for everyone to try out with others – see the Events page and its photo gallery depicting life in the shed.
Membership is done on a yearly basis and currently costs £60. Our year runs from October, if joining part way through a year the initial charge will be pro-rata. In addition there is a charge of £3 per visit to cover the cost of refreshments. Members receiving benefits will be entitled to a concession ranging from a discount to a full waiver of fees – please do not let you financial situation be a blocker to coming along to Axe Valley Men’s Shed.
To become a member, get in contact with the membership officer at axevalleymenshed@outlook.com, or for alternate methods of getting in touch, go to the Contact Us page of our website. If you are interested in learning more, just come along to Axbridge Station from 10am on any Wednesday.
