New stretch target
Having a workshop on a site where we can extend the premises as and when we need to means that we can grow more easily and quickly to meet the increasing needs of the local community.
Helping men who may feel lonely, isolated or socially excluded to meet people, socialise, make friends and live a healthier and happier life
by Chris Pickles in Beer, England, United Kingdom
Having a workshop on a site where we can extend the premises as and when we need to means that we can grow more easily and quickly to meet the increasing needs of the local community.
Beer Men's Shed has been successful in getting men from Beer and the surrounding towns and villages into its workshop to join in team activities, deliver projects that help the local community and develop and improve their skills. Feeling that you're a positive and useful part of the local community helps to increase your sense of self-worth, and making new friends helps you to deal better with any feeling of loneliness and isolation that the COVID-19 pandemic has made even worse.
When men retire, they lose contact with their workmates as well as the workplace thet they knew so well. They may be the sole carer for their partner, who may have Alzheimers or dementia, which makes the man feel guilty if ever he has to leave them for a minute. If his partner has died, and he's left on his own, he's probably never felt lonelier. Living in an apartment can mean that he doesn't have a garden shed or garage to work in, to keep himself busy and stop feeling quite so cut off and of such little use The mental health issues that can result from problems like these can be severe. That's where Beer Men's Shed comes in: it's a place to go and meet other men, to do something useful and to feel that you belong.
But "social distancing" guidelines mean that only half as many men can be in the workshop at the same time. Space was already an issue, as more men from East Devon have learned about Beer Men's Shed and what fun it is to join in. Even running multiple workshop sessions each week comes to the point where no more men can get in and still work safely. In order to help more men, we need more workshop space. Now everyone who comes to the workshop says "We need a bigger Shed!"
We hope that we've all shown what a great and successful initiative Beer Men's Shed is, both for the men themselves and for their local community. We knew when we started that, if we're successful, maybe in a couple of years we'll need to have a bigger workshop. But that need has come even earlier, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing guidelines. If there was ever a time when men really need a Men's Shed to go to, that time has to be now. That's why we're asking for your help - to help men in our area when they need it most.