A MEETING to discuss setting up a community Men’s Shed in Westbury will be held at the Leigh Park Community Centre on Tuesday 20th October at 6pm.
A Men’s Shed is a larger version of the typical man’s shed in the garden, a place where he feels at home and pursues practical interests with a high degree of autonomy.
A spokesperson for the Men’s Sheds Association said, “A Men’s Shed offers this to a group of such men where members share the tools and resources they need to work on projects of their own choosing at their own pace and in a safe, friendly and inclusive venue.
“They are places of skill-sharing and informal learning, of individual pursuits and community projects, of purpose, achievement and social interaction. A place of leisure where men come together to work.
“A Shed’s activities usually involve making or mending in wood (e.g. carpentry, joinery, turning, carving, whittling, marquetry, furniture renovation) and may include activities as varied as bike repair, gardening, vehicle repair, tool renovation, upholstery, boat renovation, model engineering, milling, turning in plastics, etc. reclamation, reuse and restoration will feature strongly.
“Although Sheds mostly attract older men, some have included men of any age, women and young people. Whichever activities are pursued the essence of a Shed is not a building, which some don’t have, but the network of relationships between the members.”
The scheme will be open to men who need something practical and constructive to do in a friendly, supportive and welcoming environment in one shed. The Westbury Shed plans to offer a workspace where people can work on practical projects with others. People are welcome from anywhere in Westbury and the surrounding areas.
Westbury’s community engagement manager, Liam Cripps said, “We are looking at establishing a ‘Men in Sheds’ facility in Westbury, to offer support to local men, some of whom may find themselves lonely and/or socially isolated for a variety of reasons, retirement, redundancy, bereavement etc.
“We are keen to follow in the success of other local Men’s sheds in Melksham and Frome, creating an environment where people can come together to feel at home, socialise, share skills and knowledge and most importantly enjoy themselves.
“Leigh Park Community Centre has kindly offered to be a base to the Shed in its infancy and is keen to support the group as a strong community movement. What activities the group will do in the shed will be discussed at a general meeting on Tuesday 20th October.”
