Storeroom has a new community
initiative, a NEW men's shed.
The Cowes Men's Shed is a member
of the UK Men's Sheds Association and will be open from May 14th to welcome
you Monday to Friday 10am-3pm, 50
weeks of the year. Free parking is available
at the Cowes Park and Ride bus stop just a couple of minutes’ walk away.
Find the NEW shed at 25,26 Somerton Industrial
Park, Cowes, PO31 8PA.
What is a men's shed? Men’s Sheds are similar to garden sheds – a place to pursue practical
interests at leisure, to practice skills and enjoy making and mending. The
difference is that garden sheds and their activities are often solitary in
nature while Men’s Sheds are the opposite. They’re about social connections and
friendship building, sharing skills and knowledge, and of course a lot of
laughter.
Why not come along and see what’s
happening? Fix something, build something, invent something, share your skills
with likeminded men with an interest in drinking tea! This may just be
what you have always needed, don’t be bored at home and if you have nowhere to
practice your carpentry or gardening skills – this is for you! Everyone
18+ welcome.
The info below from the Cowes Men's Shed page on Storeroom Website
at storeroom.org.uk and reproduced from the
UKMSA site. The Cowes Men's Shed is a member of UK Men's Sheds Association and
carries Public Liability Insurance.
What is
a Men’s Shed?
Men’s Sheds (or Sheds) are similar to garden sheds – a place to pursue
practical interests at leisure, to practice skills and enjoy making and
mending. The difference is that garden sheds and their activities are often
solitary in nature while Men’s Sheds are the opposite. They’re about social
connections and friendship building, sharing skills and knowledge, and of course
a lot of laughter.
Sheds are whatever the members (or Shedders as we call them) want them
to be. Although labelled sheds, they often aren’t sheds at all. They can be
empty offices, Portakabins, warehouses, garages, and in at least one case, a
disused mortuary. Some Sheds are purpose-built workshops, but they rarely start
out that way. Many don’t have premises at all in the beginning and instead form
a group that meets regularly for the social connection, company and camaraderie
until they can find somewhere to kit out with tools. Many Sheds get involved in
community projects too – restoring village features, helping maintain parks and
green spaces, and building things for schools, libraries and individuals in
need.
Activities in Sheds vary greatly, but you can usually find woodworking,
metalworking, repairing and restoring, electronics, model buildings or even car
building in a typical Shed. Sheds typically attract older men, but many have
younger members and women too. Whatever the activity, the essence of a Shed is
not a building, but the connections and relationships between its members.
Why are they needed?
For a long time, research has shown the negative impact of loneliness
and isolation on a person’s health and wellbeing. Recently we have seen more
evidence come to light that shows loneliness and isolation can be as hazardous
to our health as obesity and excessive smoking. Surveys from mental health
charities are finding that millions of people report feeling lonely on a daily
basis.
Men typically find it more difficult to build social 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 is not the case for all men, but for some, when retirement comes, it can
feel like personal identity and purpose is lost. Men’s Sheds can change all of
that.
Sheds are about meeting like-minded people and having someone to share
your worries with. They are about having fun, sharing skills and knowledge with
like-minded people and gaining a renewed sense of purpose and belonging. As a
by-product of all of that they reduce isolation and feelings of loneliness,
they allow men to deal with mental health challenges more easily and remain
independent, they rebuild communities and, in many cases, they save men’s
lives.
Men's Sheds are vital
