Shed of the year

Lancashire native in Cuprinol shed of the year finals with recycling project

Lancashire sheddie Colin Humphreys, is through to the finals of the 2020 Cuprinol Shed Of The Year competition, with a recycled shed on wheels.

The Furniture Polisher from Garstang, Lancashire, is one of three on the shortlist in the ‘Unique’ category.

“Huthaus” was built by Colin using collected materials. He said: “The original build took about three months, mainly due to collecting used materials. I was searching scrap yards for the metal work, salvage yards for the woodwork and lots of eBay purchases.

“The shed is very special. It was initially built for my wife for her allotment as a recycling project. The plan was to get it finished before my wife’s birthday in May, and I used the lockdown time to do the rebuild -

finishing just in time. It’s become a bit of a sanctuary and a great place to relax in the garden.”

The competition sees 27 competitors battling for the crown across nine categories. A winner from each will be decided by public vote, then an overall winner will be crowned by a panel of shed experts with a giant golden crown for the winning shed.

Alongside eternal shed glory, the overall winner will also receive £1,000, a plaque and £100 of Cuprinol products.

Head Judge and founder of the competition Andrew Wilcox said:

“More than ever, the events of recent months have shown us what a valuable role sheds can play in our lives.

“They are spaces where we can help our NHS heroes, educate our children and care for our family.

“They highlight all that is great about Britain - our ingenuity, our eccentricity and our determination to help others.”

Kirsty Woodbine, Marketing Manager for Cuprinol said: ”We’ve been astonished by the quality of entries to this year’s competition.

All our entrants have responded with real creativity and imagination, but more than that the introduction of this year’s new lockdown categories has shown a real outpouring of kindness and community spirit.

“This year more than ever Cuprinol Shed of the Year has served as a platform for those going above and beyond for each other”

Last year’s Cuprinol Shed Of The Year was won by Chris Shield of Buxton, Derbyshire, whose Hobbit-inspired hideaway was described by Andrew Wilcox as “brilliantly creative”.

Public voting is now underway for the 14th annual competition and will close on Sunday 9th August. Check out all of the 27 finalists at www.readersheds.co.uk/

About Shed of the Year #cuprinolshedoftheyear

Shed of the Year is a celebration of the great British shed in all their forms. From the miniature to the massive, the modern to the traditional, the cosy to the minimal and everything in between - you’ll find sheds of every shape, size and function in the annual competition.

The man behind the competition, Andrew Wilcox, is also head judge. A passionate sheddie since his youth - his mission is to open the eyes of the world to the importance of the shed. And of course the idea came to him in the birthplace of many other fine ideas, the pub!