Shared comfort of a shed during our most difficult year
It’s good to talk, especially if you are a man of a certain age.
Mental health has emerged as one of the biggest long term effects of the coronavirus pandemic, and tackling this will be one of the most important jobs in the years to come.
Loneliness, isolation and anxiety have come with lockdown, with job worries and financial hardship also an issue for many people.
One group helping to share the burden are Men’s Shed groups, which offer a social setting for men who may otherwise stay stuck indoors.
Men of all ages can come together, build a shed for them to work in, work together on projects for the local community and talk out their problems over a cup of tea.
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The organisation runs globally and there are more than 600 groups now operating across the UK.
Cleobury Mortimer Men’s Shed has been running since 2017 and is now more important than ever in helping the men of a small rural town come together and feel less alone.
Pete Blackburn, chair of the group, said mental health problems have always been an issue among men, but this year things will have been intensified by the pandemic.
The group’s shed is nearly completed after years of fundraising, hard work, and help from generous local traders, and soon they will be able to fill it with machines and tools and start properly meeting as a group.
The members have managed to stay in touch through lockdown, operating at a distance physically but still able to be together.
“All the reasons we set up the shed and all the things we talk about with men and mental health, have been exacerbated by the pandemic,” Pete said.
“Lockdown and the tiered system is still going on. Loneliness, isolation and mental health issues have all been intensified this year. The Men’s Shed is about building connections between people who otherwise would not know each other. This kind of thing happens quite naturally.”
The movement originated in Australia in the 90s as a way to improve the health and wellbeing of older men, allowing them to create, converse and connect.
Pete, 53, said the club was set up in Cleobury as an outlet for local men as there wasn’t anything like it for them before.
“The idea for the Men’s Shed came from the co-ordinator of Cleobury Compassionate Communities, Katja Jones,” Pete explained.
“People would come to them and say they were worried about family members. If it was women, they had lots they could link them to, like knitting or coffee groups. But for men, if people were worried about their uncles or fathers, there wasn’t any options. Men don’t talk about things, they don’t go to the doctors when they need, they push things aside, most suicides are men – these are the issues we all know.
“The Men’s Shed concept came about in Australia in 1996. They did research that showed that when men are working together they talk about things more and open up.
“A lot of men have lost their job, or suffered redundancies, got divorced or widowed, suddenly found themselves on their own, and lost their sense of purpose. They may have become lonely because of their age demographic, and ended up isolating themselves, and then developed mental health issues.
“So the Men’s Shed is about getting out and talking, build a shed, start making things, help the local community.”
One of the projects the group has recently completed is a nativity silhouette for St Mary’s Church in Cleobury – the men worked together to make the wooden figures, and they wanted it to be a positive message to the town during dark times.
Pete said: “We are getting a lot of positive feedback from the community about the nativity silhouette. It has really lifted people’s spirits.”
They hope to complete more projects for the community once the shed is finished.
Peter Cuthbert, another member, recently turned 80, and joined at the start of the year. Pete said that he is an inspiration to older men, and proves they can still get out and make new friends.
“I am a parish councillor in nearby Hopton Wafers,” Peter said. “The first I ever heard of Men’s Sheds was when we had an application for funding from this group at the council. I looked into it and thought it sounded like a brilliant idea.
“Since then I have moved into Cleobury Mortimer and so I got involved with the committee and started attending meetings.
“It was not so much a personal thing, but having moved into Cleobury, I was busy and this was a good way to spend my spare time. It is particularly for those who are a bit lonely or who are at a loose end somewhere.
“They can come here, do a bit of work or they can watch others, have a chat and a cup of tea. It might be they are not particularly good at socialising or don’t really want to go to the pub. So I thought this was a brilliant group.”
Peter said they have had so much support from the local community, from plumbers, electricians and local businesses, installing equipment at the shed or raising money, that they want to be able to give something back to them as well.
Iain Smith, 66, is an ex-serviceman who attends the Men’s Shed, and he said the group has had a really positive effect on his life.
He said: “I joined about a year ago. I heard about it through the community hub, someone mentioned a Men’s Shed and I am into recycling and things so thought I would come down and have a look.
“I retired at the end of April this year so have been here since. I wanted to spend my time on something practical. It is really about friendship and camaraderie.
“We see the guys at least once a week.
“It’s really good for a town as small as this, I love it. It’s had a brilliant effect on my life. I look forward to it every time I come down here.”
The age range of Cleobury members is between 50 and 80, but Pete said anyone of any age can join.
They are hoping to have the shed open next spring, so it can become a haven for anyone wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle of life, meet like-minded people and get involved in something new, especially if the coronavirus situation improves.
It might not seem like much, but even just the smallest efforts to get men talking and opening up, can go a long way in terms of mental health and looking forward to a brighter future after a dark year.
Visit cleoburymortimermensshed.co.uk for more information on the group. For general information visit menssheds.org.uk
