Men’s Sheds are similar to garden sheds - a place to pursue practical interests at leisure, to practice and learn new skills and enjoy making and mending.
The difference is that garden sheds and their activities are often solitary in nature while Mens’ Sheds are the opposite. They are about social interaction, friendship building, sharing skills and knowledge and of course a lot of laughter.
Sherwood Men’s Shed has been in existence since 2015 and currently meets twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.
Our Shedders come from a variety of backgrounds but all of us benefit from working on joint projects, getting help when we need it and most of all enjoying the social interaction that Sheds bring to its Shedders.
We designed the shed ourselves, fitted it out and have been working on bringing the first Men’s Shed in Tunbridge Wells to life where people of all abilities are welcome.
Since we opened the Shed we have worked on a variety of community projects, bespoke projects for local customers and businesses, nesting boxes for friends of a local park and pens for an animal rescue centre.
We really enjoy upcycling materials that were otherwise destined for the skip.
We upcycled old barrels and scrap wood into a range of Christmas gifts, the Oak shelving from the Tunbridge Wells library and convert into garden benches and Bistro tables.
The reason Men’s Sheds are needed is because typically men find it more difficult to build 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’s not the case for all men, but for some, when retirement comes, it can feel like personally identity and purpose is lost.
Men’s Sheds can change all of that. Sheds are about meeting like-minded people having fun, sharing skills and knowledge and gaining a renewed sense of purpose.