Ellon and District Men’s Shed: November 2024
Over the last 3 months, we have opened a new mechanical workshop, had a very successful fund-raising quiz night, been very busy in the workshops and the pétanque club has been meeting weekly. On Wednesday 13th November we opened the Shed Community Café (11am – 3pm) for the first time this winter. The café will open to adults on alternate Wednesdays providing free refreshments, soup and toast. The final opening this winter will be on the 19th February (it will not open on Christmas Day).
To allow men in full time work to attend the Shed, we have extended the Shed’s opening hours on alternate Thursdays to 9pm. So far, these evenings have been quiet, but we hope they will be busier during the winter (next few dates, 12th December, 9th January and then every second week). If you work fulltime and want to come to the Shed or visit for the first time, give Thursday evenings a try.
In October we took delivery of the new portacabin (photos) which has now been turned into a mechanical workshop for bike, motorbike and other machinery refurbishment as well as metal ‘cold forming’ for making plant supports, gates etc.. We have been donated a 1985 Royal Enfield Bullet 500cc motorbike to restore. Without the new portacabin, restoring this motorbike would not have been feasible.
We are really excited about this new workshop it greatly increases the range of activities we can offer to men. And with the help we can now offer to local cycling, it increases our support for the wider community. We have been liaising with Ythan Cycle Club and Sustrans and accredited cycle maintenance courses will be held in the new portacabin, with the first one scheduled for mid-December.
We are hoping to install solar panels on the roofs of the 2 portacabins linked to a battery storage system. This should save us between 25% and 50% of our electricity costs and contribute to a reduction in our carbon footprint. We have applied for grant funding for this – the results should be announced in mid-December (so we’ve got our fingers crossed).
We have recently purchased a laser engraving machine for high-precision marking and engraving on wood, slate and other hard materials. The combination of 3D printer, laser engraver and CNC router means we have added high tech, high precision crafting/wood working tools to our capabilities.
Two of the Shed members are now embarking on SQA qualifications to further support this activity and to help Shed members increase their computing skills. We are now offering 3D-printing training courses to Shed members.
The Shed Pétanque Club is now affiliated with the Scottish Pétanque Association and men and women players are meeting every Thursday afternoon. Please see our facebook page for announcements about future meeting times. If you are interested, please get in touch.
The woodworking workshop has been busy with Shedders making chairs, benches, water toys and mud kitchens for local schools, mink trackers, hedgehog feeding stations (photo), wood turning, Christmas items and a fantastic Vespa scooter for a toddler (photo). We have also renovated the Round Table’s Santa Sleigh. Picture frames have been made for a jigsaw and for a bead-work picture. The CNC router has been used to make plaques, house signs, memorials for pets (photo) and miniature specialist tables for bonsai trees (photo). All these items are available to order and designs can me modified as needed.
We are open for new members to join the Shed (membership is free). Many are of the opinion that men need to be ‘good at DIY’, using machines etc. to enjoy the Shed – this isn’t true. We welcome those who want to socialise, have a chat, play cards, browse the internet, read a book, as much as we welcome those who want to get stuck into the workshop or garden. We have plenty of projects for men to get involved in, plus the new hobby spaces, new jigsaws, computers and plenty of board games and tea/coffee and biscuits. We’d also welcome those who would like to be involved in the administrative side of the shed (IT, secretarial, financial etc.).
The Shed is there for men who may be feeling low, lonely and/or isolated. This can particularly be the case after bereavement, redundancy, retirement, or family breakups. We offer a safe, friendly environment for men to get back on their feet again.
If you are interested in visiting the Shed, becoming a member we would love to see you – we are open 10am-4pm on Monday and Tuesday and 10am – 9pm on Thursday. Please check our website (www.ellonmensshed.org) and facebook (facebook.com/EllonMensShed) for updates on opening times etc..
