BLOKES can safely retreat to what is possibly one of the biggest ‘men sheds’ in Barnsley after a project teaching woodworking skills found a new home near the town centre.
The Men in Sheds project, run by Age UK Barnsley, provides carpentry and wood-turning activities for older men who want to get together and learn new skills in the man-friendly space of a shed.
It was piloted in Cudworth two years ago but has now set up camp in a building off Summer Lane on the outskirts of the town centre after securing £280,000 in lottery funding to help reach more blokes over the next five years.
It was officially opened by Barnsley Mayor Jeff Ennis last Wednesday and runs five days a week compared with just a couple of days when it was based at Cudworth.
Tina Heaton, business and finance manager, said the workshop, on the ground floor of the Newburgh Building on McLintock Way, is far better than the previous premises.
“We knew from pilot project that there was definitely a need for this for older men aged 50-plus - it’s an area they can come together and it could be retired or bereaved men but quite a few are working and come in their spare time.
“It’s not all about woodwork, it’s about a variety of past times so we do things like table football which we couldn’t do before at Cudworth becase it was too small and now it is big enough to offer additional facilities. We’ve got an IT and an art tutor because a couple of guys want to learn creative arts.
“There’s one guy who just comes in to read the newspaper in peace and quiet.
“The men have really taken to it.”
The benefits of the group go far beyond learning wood working skills.
Tina said: “Some of the men may be socially isolated and are getting that rapport and peer support with other men and I think that is an extremely important part of it because we have some guys who may not see anyone and they can go to the shed for a few hours.
“I think they like the fact they don’t have to commit so if they want to come they can and if they have somehting on they don’t have to.”
The project is now on the hunt for new volunteers to share their skills with the group, such as people with wood working experience or even mechanics.
It is one of two men’s shed projects in Barnsley - the other is run by community interest company, Inclusion in Action.
The Age UK Barnsley project is open Monday to Friday, for 51 weeks of the year, only closing at Christmas for a week.
Contact 776820 for details or email or email enquiries@ageukbarnsley.org.uk
