Charity Focus

Tavistock Area Men in Sheds

Within minutes of arriving at Tavistock Area Men in Sheds, I’ve been handed a cup of tea and a slice of delicious lemon drizzle cake, as I’m welcomed in. The atmosphere in this compact but wellequipped space is buzzing with activity and friendly banter, and it isn’t long before two members set about another project. Tavistock Area Men in Sheds (TAMIS) officially opened its doors at the end of July. Initially shed sessions revolved around clearing debris and renovating the shed to make it fit for purpose – it now boasts new doors, a strengthened ceiling, lighting and power points, workbenches, shelving, a brand-new porch, and has been freshly painted inside and out. The group has been fortunate in receiving many donations of machinery and tools and is well equipped to move onto other projects. The members have already carried out some local repair tasks and made bird boxes to sell at the RAF Harrowbeer 1940s Weekend, and plenty of other ideas are stacking up, such as wooden decorations for a TAMIS Christmas tree at the Tree Festival, more bird boxes for Dickensian Evening, as well as repairing tools and furniture, and hiring out their skills to the local community. It is one of the initiatives resulting from the Redeeming Our Communities (ROC) meeting in Tavistock in 2018, when four local action groups were formed. At the end of 2019, thirty people attended a meeting to discuss starting Tavistock Men in Sheds, and a committee was subsequently formed. Unfortunately, the pandemic then severely hampered further progress, although Zoom meetings continued and Cllrs Debo Sellis and Neil Jory were very supportive in moving the project forward. A location was suggested - a derelict shed, formerly used by Tavistock Gardening Club, which had fallen into disuse after the group was dissolved in the 1990s. The TAMIS committee decided it had potential as a future ‘shed’ and negotiated use of the building, as well as access to some of the adjacent King’s community church facilities. The wellestablished Okehampton Men in Sheds was a huge help and valuable fount of

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advice in getting the Tavistock shed up and running. The Men’s Sheds movement evolved in Australia about 40 years ago and now has thousands of members or ‘shedders’. When the UK Men’s Sheds Association was founded in 2013 there were only 30 groups and now there are more than 600, with more in the pipeline. Sheds take many formats and shedders can engage in a wide range of activities – however the main premise has always revolved around providing a place where men can meet up and benefit from mixing in a sociable environment, while putting skills into practice and sharing knowledge with each other. Members come from many different backgrounds – some are highly skilled, some are keen to learn, while others come along for the tea and friendship as much as for the activities. Isolation and loneliness can have hugely negative repercussions on mental and physical health, and the benefits of regular social interaction and engaging in enjoyable, creative activities are well documented. Men can often find it harder to connect and make friends than women, and retirement can leave people feeling cut off and without a sense of purpose. Men’s Sheds organisations fulfil an important role by offering a practical solution for older men – although many groups have younger members, and women as well. TAMIS is aimed specifically at men aged 50 plus, and will form one of the activities for Tavistock’s new social prescribing service - Simply Connect, run by Tavistock Health and Wellbeing Alliance. TAMIS has a carpenter, an electrician, a builder and several engineers, as well as architects, and a retired driving instructor - all willing to share their skills. Members work on group activities and individual hobbies, while the King’s facilities offer future opportunities for developing craftwork and training sessions. At 84, Hans is the oldest member, but he still enjoys working with wood and can’t bear wastage; he has recently turned an old door into a planter for the shed entrance, and is always busy creating lamps, pot stands and wooden trays from leftover wood. The group’s lively camaraderie is a large part of the attraction for him, and everyone agrees they wouldn’t want to be without Men in Sheds now.

Rosemary Best A warm welcome awaits you at The Shed, King’s, Pixon Lane, Tavistock, PL19 9AZ, on Mondays 10am until 12ish, and Wednesdays 2pm until 4ish; other sessions will be added as the need arises. Please get in touch if you are interested in joining or have a repair job for TAMIS. Donations of new, surplus materials, such as wood, screws etc are always welcome too. For more details see tavistockmeninsheds.uk or email info@tavistockmeninsheds.uk