Glasgow Caledonian University has launched a new ‘toolkit’ to help increase the number of Men’s Sheds.
The community spaces offer the chance for men to take part in practical activities, such as woodwork, metalwork, model making or gardening, and are credited with tackling loneliness and social isolation.
Originating in Australia in the 1990s, the number of Sheds in Scotland has increased from one in 2013 to more than 190 today. There are more than 1500 across the UK and Ireland.
Researchers at GCU have been working with Men’s Sheds in Scotland to make the movement financially and socially sustainable, as part of a project backed by the National Lottery Community Fund.
It’s resulted in a new ‘toolkit’ for communities, a guide full of information on how to access funding, source sites, set up committees, run services and offer social activities.
Dr Danielle Hutcheon, research associate at the Yunus Centre for Social Business and Health at GCU, said: “The Sheds offered a lifeline for a lot of people struggling with social isolation and loneliness, especially for men who live alone or are carers.
“What we’ve seen with the Sheds being closed, since March last year, is a real decline in men’s health and wellbeing.
“A lot of the Shedders we spoke to only left the house a couple of times a week to go to the shop or to go to the Men’s Shed. That was the only social contact they had throughout the week.
“Going to the Shed gives a lot of the men a sense of purpose, they treat it almost like a job. It gives them a sense of confidence and value in their lives that they didn’t have before.
“The key to the success of the Men’s Sheds is men’s ability to talk ‘shoulder to shoulder’, while doing a task, rather than sitting face to face in a lunch club or a pub. It’s a relaxed, informal, welcoming environment.”
The toolkit, created in partnership with a range of stakeholders, including the Scottish Men’s Shed Association, Scottish Government, and Age Scotland, will be made available throughout the UK and Ireland.
Dr Hutcheon added: “It comes at an important time. There is a lot of competition for funding at the moment. The toolkit will hopefully help Sheds expand, survive and sustain.
“There’s no doubt the Sheds are having a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of a hard to reach group of men.”
