Mens Sheds

[whiskywill]

there are no community centres any more,

Really?????????
I live in a largish village of around 6,000 but we have 4 active community centres. We also have "the black hut", "the women's guild" and "the pensioner's hall" all of which have something going on for some of the time. No men's shed though.

 

[thetyreman]

there are no community centres any more,

Really?????????
I live in a largish village of around 6,000 but we have 4 active community centres. We also have "the black hut", "the women's guild" and "the pensioner's hall" all of which have something going on for some of the time. No men's shed though.

can only speak for where I live, there used to be a lot more of them, especially when I was growing up there were loads of them, I'm sure it's different in different areas.

 

[powertools]

We've tried to keep the space we have as multi-purpose as possible so that it doesn't look like a workshop, but we have been donated a few large power tools and it has inevitably ended up that way. Most of the members want to do practical things and everybody is helping with the refurbishment of the building, but that in itself may put off potential female members who just want to use the facilities.

The answer is staring you in the face. Your group is refurbishing a building so why not include enthusiastic youngsters who could help and learn from the older members.

 

[powertools]

If the OP is applying for a job which involves setting up a men's shed, it might not be the best tactic to tell his prospective employers that he would rather set up something else. Perhaps arguing the case after he's got the job might be the way to go.


Maybe his best tactic would be to say he can easily do what the job description asks for but he also has other ideas to expand the scope of the group.

 

[Freddyjersey2016]

It is worth remembering the most Men's Shed are quite new, I understand that few in the UK are more than 5 years old. The Shed is I belong to has only been established for 3 years; we have a small membership, all bar one are retired - mainly because the site we are on is not suitable for evening opening, so we meet during the day when most people are at work. We have two 20 foot containers we use as workshops on a 'community' farm - for woodworking only because we don't really have enough space to do much else. We are in a home counties town where the Green Belt forces sky high property prices; so finding any better / bigger space is very difficult. I know there are Shed's with much bigger / better spaces who are able to do far more (including admitting women), it is dependant on the local property market; and also whether the local Council has any suitable space they are willing to let at a low rent. I know UKMSA has a target of 1,000 Sheds in the UK within a few years; there over 400 Shed's now and it seems a realistic target. I enjoy the company of other retired guys, we work but there is always time for a natter.

 

[rafezetter]

I think I'd rather see a community workshop that caters to everyone with specific clubs on different days that cater towards different demographics and crafts so I'd rather see a mens club as something that exists within a larger community organisation.

A community workshop that caters to different demographics would require volunteers for each group, and several of each to allow for holidays, illness etc etc - the logistics alone would be daunting - and all the Health n safety requirements - how would you deal with a group that wants to do woodworking with benches, machinery and workbenches against say the group that wants to do sewing crafts, or something else completely different; which group moves the gear, are they allowed to move items weighing well over the 20kg safety limit.

Which poor sap gets to do the cleanup at the end of the session, you'll need at east 2 first aiders PER GROUP ...... the list of things to consider goes on and on.

And on and on.

You throw all that together and the costs will mount to the point each person who uses this facility would have to pay £10 dues per session, thus attendance will tail off after a while and then it all falls sideways, just as all the other community and social clubs did decades ago.

"jack of all trades" community centres simply do not work without decent financial backing, and GL getting that in todays economy.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I believe Men's Sheds (affiliated to the organisation) do get quite a lit of backing from councils and businesses - that's one reason it's good to stay under that umbrella.
Someone is trying hard to set one up in our area but he doesn't seem to be having much luck.

If anyone is interested there's alink here where you can sign up for the newsletter.
https://menssheds.org.uk/latest-news/