Howden Community Shed

Howden Action Group was born from a community effort that started during the Covid lockdowns, and our experiences then have informed our decision to take this forward to address a number of very real needs in our town.

The Howden Community Shed is part of a long term project to achieve our stated aim to 'make Howden an even better place to live’, and will provide a safe and busy environment where people can come and use, learn new skills or just put the world to rights with a cup of tea- if that is all they’re looking for.

We have secured our site and are opening our doors in August 2024, and we have funding in place to install our first workshops and cover our initial overheads.

As a start up we are looking to raise enough money not only to kickstart the project but also to create a financial buffer to ensure we can get over the first 6 months, by when we expect the project to be financially secure and sustainable.  

Our community shed will have separate male and female chapters, and open sessions, all sharing the same space and resources.

Shed activities are wide ranging - from making or mending in wood to things like upholstery and bike repair- it is down to the ‘shedders’ to decide what the want to do with space!

During this period we notice how many people, particularly older men, where lonely, depressed and detached from the community - and we have kept in touch with many of our clients, some of whom still find themselves in this place.

The problem is that men, in particular, have learned from our culture that they don’t talk about feelings and emotions and many do not take an interest in their own health and well-being and because of this, many men are less healthy than women, they drink more, take more risks and suffer more from isolation, loneliness and depression.

Relationship breakdown, retirement from a job and physical or mental illness are just some of the problems that men may find difficult to deal with on their own.

By joining our 'Shedding' community members will be able to meet up regularly with like-minded people sharing conversation, working on individual and group projects, learning new skills, practising old ones and finding a renewed sense of purpose.

With an ageing population, and increasing numbers of people feeling isolated and lonely, a Community Shed will be a vital social asset for our town,

We have widely canvassed people opinions on the need for this project, in a public meeting, by word of mouth and on social media, and we are confident that we will deliver a successful and sustainable project with benefits for anyone, of any age or gender, who wants to be with others, learn new skills or to simply sit down in a welcoming environment and have a chat.

Many of our members will come with valuable skills which they will be invited to share and teach, and eventually we would like to be able to offer training for younger people in traditional carpentry skills.

We also intend to talk to local employers and schools to see if we can harness the years of skills and expertise that our membership will have to share traditional techniques (particularly in disciplines like carpentry) with their apprentices and older pupils.

When we are fully operational we would like to run weekend carpentry and DIY classes for the Howden population - sharing life learnt skills and earning much needed revenue for the project.

To meet our aim to bring the older and younger generations together, we will set up initiatives like a bicycle maintenance and repair workshop aimed at a younger audience, and also run IT & computer training where young people can teach the older generation the basics of email, web browsing, filling in forms and other online activities that many still find difficult.

Thank you for your interest!

Obviously any donation, large or small, would be very much appreciated - this will be a invaluable contribution to our initial running costs and help bring us to a point where we are financially sustainable. 

PLEASE NOTE:  You can donate any amount of money ( from £5 up to £100+) on this site, and please be aware you can reduce the 'tip' that the system suggests on the payment page! 

Anyone donating more than £25 will be entered into a prize draw for a brilliant gift donated by one of our wonderful local traders ranging from a a Butchers Breakfast to hair-do and treatment.

We are also looking for old tools, materials and almost anything you might find in a garden shed or workshop! 

If you'd like to know more, or just keep up to date with developments, please follow us on Facebook, send an email to [email protected] or call us on 07774 729096

Thanks so much,

Howden Action Group