A GROUP that gives older men purpose, companionship and a chance to help the community has celebrated moving into and transforming its new home.
Downend Men in Sheds makes a wide variety of creations out of wood: from decorative ornaments for children to paint to bird tables, planters and outdoor ‘mud kitchens’, designed for outdoor play at schools.
The group had to leave its previous base at Bromley Heath pavilion after the building was condemned last year.
After months of working out of shipping containers, members found a new workshop in Cuckoo Lane, Winterbourne Down.
But the empty shell needed to be fitted out and, true to their problem-solving, have-a-go philosophy, members designed and fitted it with wheeled moveable benches, a mezzanine storage area, specialist lighting and a bespoke dust extraction system.
With the new workshop up and running, Men in Sheds held an open day to show people, including the charities and parish councils that helped to fund the project, what has been achieved.
Member Chris Beckett, from Emersons Green, is the project manager.
A former shipwright who served in the Royal Navy for 30 years, Chris worked the equivalent of two days a week planning the conversion, working with ‘right-hand man’ Andy Summerill.
They had a willing pool of helpers from the group’s 21 members, and matched skills to tasks to bring the project to fruition.
Chris joined Men in Sheds after losing his wife to Covid.
He said: “I was pretty hacked off. I was out one night with some friends and told them I needed to get out more. One of them came round later with a bloody great list of things I could do, and one of them was Men in Sheds.”
Founder member Dave Alderman said: “The whole concept was developed because a lot of people felt there were a lot of community things for ladies but nothing for men, and we needed somewhere for men to go.
“Some people who have joined us have lost their wives, they were very low and needed to get out.
Being introduced to this group, they started talking and their problems were shared.
“This is what we’re proud of – we’ve got this group of men, all round about the same age, and they can share whatever they want. A lot of friendships have been formed.”
Over 11 years Dave has seen the group progress from its original home in a corner of the old King George V pavilion to Bromley Heath and now the new workshop.
The latest move was a huge step, not least because the group now pays £600 a month in rent.
But it can now hold work days every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, having previously only operated two days a week, and has extended its opening times.
The workshop can accommodate about 12 people working at a time, enabling the group to increase its membership and produce more items for sale to help cover costs.
Dave specialises in making mud kitchens for schools, making four so far, with two more orders incoming.
Dave said: “We make anything. If someone comes to us with a project, we ask what they want and work out a price.”
The group was founded after then parish councillor Martyn Poole organised a retirement fair to put older people in touch with groups meeting in the area, and noticed a gap in provision for people who “like to make stuff with their hands”.
The first order was for 20 planters for Downend in Bloom, paid for by the parish council, and members have put their skills to use on local projects ever since.
Martyn said: “It’s all about community.”