I think Howden needs a Men's Shed - but what are Mens's Sheds? Men’s Sheds are found all over the United Kingdom and now the world. Not all Men’s Sheds are the same – if you looked inside you might see a number of men drinking tea and coffee and chatting in a comfortable area. If you looked further into the Shed you might see a well equipped workshop with furniture or bicycles for a local school being restored, making bird and bat boxes, fixing lawn mowers or playing cards or a game of pool. You might also see a few young men working with the older men obtaining new skills and learning something about life from the men with whom they work . So what is so special about the ‘Men’s Shed’?
Most men have learned from our culture that they don’t talk about feelings and emotions many do not take an interest in their own health and well-being. Unlike women, most men are reluctant to talk about their emotions and that means that they usually don’t ask for help. Probably because of this, many men are less healthy than women, drink more, take more risks and suffer more from isolation, loneliness and depression.Relationship breakdown, retrenchment or early retirement from a job, loss of children following divorce, physical or mental illness are just some of the problems that men may find difficult to deal with on their own.
Good health is based on many factors including feeling good about yourself, being productive, contributing to your community, connecting with friends and maintaining an active body and mind.
Becoming a member of a Men’s Shed provides a safe and busy environment where men can find many of these things in an atmosphere of banter and camaraderie. And, importantly, there is no pressure. Men can just come and put the world to rights and a cuppa if that is all they’re looking for. Members of Men’s Sheds come from all walks of life – the bond that unites them is that they are men with time on their hands and would like something meaningful to do with that time. The Men’s Shed movement has now become one of the most powerful tools in addressing health and wellbeing and helping men to once again become valued and productive members of our community.
Getting started - Forming the steering group
Most successful community Sheds have started by a group forming around the idea and then refining it to suit local need, enthusiasms, ideas about who it will be for, how it will be organised and funded, how it will connect with the local community, and much else. There is no ‘typical Shed’.
Getting a group together can be exciting, frustrating, turbulent and fun, all at the same time. During this stage people get to know each other and discover each other’s circumstances, strengths, attitudes and priorities. Some people will leave, others will stay and form a committed working group with a clearer direction - but hopefully remaining open to adaptation as it moves on and others join. Expect topics to be revisited as ideas are refined.
Although the group is likely to be led by one or more people, it is important that everyone is listened to and has opportunities to keep actively involved. It is a real risk to the survival of the project, and the benefit it can bring to the community, if it relies on just one person.
Finding premises
‘It’s a great idea but where will it happen?’ Almost all groups seek premises they know they can go on using, but more immediate solutions, such as hiring a room or using a double garage owned by a member, have been used to get something started quickly. Some have focused more on gardening, so access to land has been their priority. For those seeking
some form of security, it takes on average a year to find something suitable.
The first option that will occur to a new group is to turn to their local authority for premises. However, you may soon discover that anything the council can let will be on the market to earn income, not available to be offered to you, even at a discount. The best approach is to seek out properties the council own that they cannot let because of lack of funds for repair, planning blight, lack of appeal, making it unsaleable. The same conditions might also apply to a privately-owned property where personal factors like illness or a dispute might prevent a commercial arrangement.
Searching and negotiating for unadvertised places takes the time, but it can have spectacular results. Railway buildings, sports pavilions, rooms in community centres, and even an old mortuary have accommodated Sheds.
You may also consider getting a grant to pay for rent, but your group will then have to fundraise further when the grant expires or find other ways to raise a similar amount by that time. A Shed’s biggest annual expenditure is usually its premises cost, so keeping that low is the best contribution to its financial sustainability.
A Shed’s workshop premises will need the basics of safety, electricity, heating, being weatherproof, access to toilets, being able make hot drinks, and extras such as somewhere to sit and chat. One place was as small as 4m x 5m (12 x 16ft) and successfully catered for six people, but more is better especially when considering storage of raw material and work-in- progress. Being near enough to public transport, but far enough away not to annoy neighbours with noise, are other considerations.
Getting premises is a two-way affair; you also need to be an acceptable user. Apart from looking like a responsible group with a well-thought out and achievable plan, you will have to overcome the concern that as a group you have no track-record or assets to reassure a landlord. Personal reputations and contacts may help. Both parties will have to consider how your group can meet the ‘tenant obligations’ in any agreement.
Some ways to search for premises
Seek out organisations that specifically want a Shed on their premises – a museum, a city farm, a community garden, or maybe a community centre wanting to improve their gender balance. You may find landlords that will exchange use for repair work, a retirement home or college wanting to improve its community involvement, a school willing to have out-of-hours use, a repair/reuse organisation with spare capacity.
Walk your area to spot disused properties - a builder’s yard, a farmer’s barn, a double garage, spare land. Ask estate agents what commercial premises they know that can’t be let.
Networking with other voluntary organisations for ideas – this has revealed under- used property which are difficult to identify from the outside.
Formalising your Men’s Shed
Getting constituted
This means adopting an agreed purpose and a set of operating rules. There are different legal structures available, but Sheds normally choose between being an unincorporated association (UA) or a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). A UA is easily formed and moving from that to a CIO is a well-trodden path. One advantage of a UA is that the rules are simple and easily understood. It also does not need to register as a charity.
One advantage of constituting is that it can help you to get a bank account in the group’s name. There are always small expenses to meet and initially group members will pay. As the expenditure grows, so does the need to record it more formally, with a view to getting it covered from unrestricted funds.
Insurance
As soon as your group starts meeting and carrying out even basic activities, you’ll need Public Liability Insurance in case there is a claim against the Shed and, therefore, the trustees/ committee. If you make things for other people you might also need Product Liability. Shed volunteers are usually, but not always, treated as employees for insurance purposes, so Employer’s Liability may be considered. Other insurances could be Property Damage (or Buildings and Contents) or Trustee Indemnity. Check the insurance you choose covers you if working off-site. It is important that you explain your activities to your insurer as fully as possible and follow their requirements to ensure they don’t find reason not to
meet a claim.
Equipping your Shed
The tools and materials you will need obviously depends on what you agree to do. Initially, Shedders may donate tools, but public appeals can usually bring you all the tools that you would normally find in a home. These may be mainly woodworking, hand and DIY electrical tools, but could also be metal-working equipment from say, a motor-cycle enthusiast or
engineer.
Buying secondhand tools is OK so long as you can check their safe operation. Look online for user manuals if they don’t come with donated equipment. Use the tool manuals to get safety information for each item and use that in your inductions for new users.
Health and Safety
Sheds have a duty of care under civil law towards their volunteers and Shed members. They are not required to comply with HSE regulations unless they employ someone, but you should still aim for that standard where practicable.
Your main aim is to keep people safe, but you should also consider what would happen if you were in court over an accident. How could you show you had tried to create a safe working environment?
Health & Safety policy: you should think through what you need to do to keep people healthy and safe, write it down and agree how it is implemented. This is both an action plan and evidence. Make sure it’s clearly displayed and adhered to.
Machine safety: It’s the Shed’s duty to ensure equipment is safe to use. Sheds usually appoint the most suitably experienced member to do this checking and to record when it happened. Checklists for each machine are helpful as records. Portable electrical goods should be Portable Appliance Tested (PAT).
Member training: It is your responsibility to ensure that each member is trained to safely
use any machine and you should keep a record of that training signed by the member. Many
11Sheds put reminder tips on the machines and run refresher sessions. Safety videos are also
available online on, for example, how to safely use a table saw. Impress people with what can happen with unsafe use. Advise people what Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as goggles, dust masks, and gloves is required.
Supervision: Nothing beats observation of members’ use of equipment by other members to maintain safety. Even trained/ experienced people get frustrated or distracted and can overlook a quick word like ‘STOP’. It’s wise to appoint Safety Supervisors to ‘keep an eye out.’
Special needs: Often people using the Shed have ‘special needs.’ This can be as simple as being ‘ham-fisted’ or easily distracted, but is more often people with physical and mental medical conditions. Closer supervision is required but may not be feasible without additional measures. You may need a Safeguarding Policy.
Premises safety: All of us risk-assess continually to stay safe and healthy. If you are in a workshop the same awareness should apply. Know what risks to look for, ensure everyone else knows, remind people if they ignore them. Record formal assessments for evidence
that you maintain awareness, including what you do to mitigate the risk.
If you are interested in getting the ball rolling then please get in touch at councillor.david.howard@eastriding.gov.uk and I will collate all the responses and set up an initial meeting.
My workload means I won't be in a position to take a leading role in this project, but I will be more than happy to be involved in the set up and give any help I can with fundraising, grant applications and communications - and come for a cup of tea.
I sincerely believe that Howden would really benefit from a scheme of this kind, if you agree then please share this post and let's get this started!
The majority of the above content has ben sourced from the Men's Shed UK website https://menssheds.org.uk where there is loads of useful and interesting information about this exciting idea!
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