Shirley Men’s Shed

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Coronavirus update, 9 November 2020
 
As per government guidelines we are not currently meeting in person.
 
However, we still meet up for a chat online on Thursday mornings, and we’d be pleased to see you there – do get in touch.
 
If you would like to join our Thursday online chats please email info.mensshedshirley@gmail.com or phone 07790 850501.
 

We will try and supply links to useful sources of information on this page: Covid-19 information.

What’s a Men’s Shed?

It’s similar to a garden shed – a place to pursue practical interests at leisure, to practice skills and enjoy making and mending. The difference is that Men’s Sheds are also about social connections and friendship building, sharing skills and knowledge, and of course a lot of laughter. There are Men’s Sheds around the country, mostly members of the UK Men’s Sheds Association.

We are working to develop a Men’s Shed in Shirley, Southampton, in Bramston Road, behind the Methodist church in St James Road. We have a small shed with a few chairs and a kettle, and we have designs and ideas for a fully sustainable workshop building to be started in the near future. 

We are actively seeking sponsorship and have a number of on-going fundraising initiatives. If you’d like to support us we would love to hear from you.

Who is it for?

Anybody! It’s mainly for men living in the Shirley area.  Some events might include younger folks and women, but it’s mainly for men.

We aim to work on a range of projects that benefit organisations in the Shirley area including: nurseries, care homes, young people, food banks, local charities and our local community groups including the BBGA (Boys Brigade and Girls Association).

Anybody who is interested in helping with this should contact us through our contact page or via email info.mensshedshirley@gmail.com or call Brian Hooper (Secretary) on 07790 850501.

How to join in:

We currently meet at our very modest Shed on Monday mornings, 10 to 12, where we chat and do the occasional bit of woodwork, except when it’s raining.  You can find us in a former garden area to the left of the church car park in Bramston Road. We also meet on Thursday mornings, 10 to 11.30 or so, at Sainsbury’s cafe in Shirley Precinct, where we swap stories and plan social events; most recently, we put together a quiz team which turned out to be triumphant!
 
Do come and join us!  It’s a good idea to ring our Secretary, Brian Hooper, on 07790 850501 to let us know you’re coming, if you can – then we can look out for you.  He can also give you a membership form.
 
There’s an “Easter Eggstravorganza” at St James Park on Easter Monday, 13th April, and we’ll be there.  Do come along and say hello!

To follow our progress please visit our news page.

Men’s Sheds : What’s the big idea ?

“Shedders” – as they are known, are usually men who like to get together socially, work on practical projects or get more involved in the community. By working ‘shoulder to shoulder’ we aim to reduce social isolation and promote active and healthy lifestyles in later life.

Men’s Sheds are like a larger version of the typical man’s garden shed. They are well-equipped with workbenches and a range of machine and hand tools. Using their skills and knowledge, members work individually, or together on practical projects that benefit the local community. And for those who are happy to socialise, it’s a place to sit and relax, enjoy a chat over a cup of tea, or perhaps play a game.

The big idea is that a Shed is a safe, friendly, and inclusive environment to share old skills and learn new ones; talk about the issues and experiences that affect our lives; and build new social networks and friendships. It’s been shown that having a sense of purpose and avoiding social isolation has a positive effect on health and well-being in later life.

Sheds are intentionally informal in approach and welcome men (and some women) from all walks of life – whether from manual or knowledge working backgrounds – including those who can be the hardest to reach.

 

Men’s Sheds started twenty years ago in Australia and now number over 1000. In the UK, we now have several hundred with new ones opening all the time. We aim to be one of them!