Photo: From Marwool | Unsplash
In the UK, there is a gently mocking stereotype about older men and sheds — the wooden outbuildings usually found at the back of a garden. The cliche is of an elderly man tinkering with tools, alone and avoiding the outside world. Things are more social in The Witney Shed, in southern England. “I just like coming here; it’s the camaraderie with everybody,” said Tony Halcrow, a regular visitor. The Witney Shed is one of around 1,100 community sheds in the UK, affiliated with the UK Men’s Sheds Association. The charity started in Australia and was set up in the UK about a decade ago to help older men tackle loneliness. The “shedders” make wooden items like bird boxes, bat boxes and Christmas decorations, and sell them locally to help fund the shed. Many visit the sheds just because they’re fun. For others, there are deeper benefits. In a recent UK Men’s Sheds Association survey, over a third of shed leaders said they believed that their community shed may have helped prevent a suicide. The sheds are clearly soothing loneliness and building community.
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