News & Events

Annette Dunning and Doug Mizon opening the Halesworth Shed in summer 2014

Halesworth Men's Shed Celebrates 10th Anniversary

The Halesworth Men's Shed has celebrated its 10th anniversary.

The Men's Shed movement effectively started in the UK early this century when a young man, travelling in Australia, saw the impact that Men's Sheds were having there. He called his father in the UK and told him to start something similar here.

At the end of 2013, there was a Breakfast Television item about Men's Sheds, which prompted a couple of men in Halesworth to investigate. This resulted in Halesworth Men's Shed being formed in 2014 as shed number 47. There are now more than 1000 sheds open in the UK.

In Summer 2014, the Halesworth Men's Shed was formally unveiled by Annette Dunning, then chair of Halesworth Town Council. The publicity resulted in around 30 men showing interest and around 5cwt of donated tools. About 20 men resolved to meet every Saturday morning for coffee in Chinny's until they were eventually offered occupancy of the former Micropress bindery warehouse a few yards away. During 2014/2015 the room was transformed into the workshop that exists today.

"The biggest challenge for most sheds is premises and the cost of those," said Doug Mizon, one of the founders of the Halesworth Shed. "Most sheds won't start without premises"

The new premises were opened in September 2015. The Shed currently has about 50 members, men and women, and continues to provided first-class facilities for a range of woodworking, metalworking, jewellery-making and occasional pottery activities. Some for our own members, some for members of the public and some for other not-for-profit organisations.

"Sheds don't have to start big. They could start out in an empty shop or a village hall. So long as you have a space the size of a double garage, you can get going," says Mr Mizon.

Sheds provide a valuable resource for older men in particular.

"They allow older men to continue to use skills they used when they worked, perhaps to learn something new and also to mix with some good company," says Mr Mizon.

"a lot of older men, in particular, sit at home, watch too much TV, eat and drink too much and die too soon" he says.

There is a need to recruit younger people, to keep the shed alive, but it is difficult to get younger people to come along. "Younger people can learn a lot from older people, in a shed".

The shed has had notable successes in its time: "We had a younger chap with severe phobias. He had to walk out of the shed from time to time,

"One of our members was very good with the lathe. He helped the younger chap learn and become quite proficient with it. This gave him confidence he didn't seem to have when he joined the shed,

"Eventually, this helped him get a job. I don't think he'd have had the confidence to get that job without having been to the shed

"We've also had quite a few members with serious illnesses, who've been able to come and talk about their conditions, which they've found very helpful".

Halesworth Shed is open every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10am until 2pm and on Saturday from 10 until 12. Anyone is welcome to call in to visit during those hours. Anyone with questions can call the shed on 01986 835905 or email shedhalesworth@gmail.com.

July 2024

Holton Primary School working with Halesworth Men’s Shed

The children of Holton St Peter Community Primary School have been making bird boxes using kits made for them by Halesworth Men’s Shed.

The bird boxes are to be put up around the school.

The initiative was one of several projects suggested by the school’s Eco Council.

Year 5/6 class teacher Liz Shepherd contacted Alan Furness of Halesworth Men’s Shed, who offered to make kits that the children could assemble in their woodwork class.

“We were supposed to be doing sewing this term,” said Mrs Shepherd, “but we’ll always find time for woodwork.”

She then designed a project around it and produced a plan that other schools could also use.

“Alan was very helpful, as he used to work in schools,” said Mrs Shepherd.

She then worked with the children to vary the design of the boxes, to make them suitable for different bird species.

“We had to decide how big the holes should be,” said Nils, 9. “they need to be half-open for Robins and should have fairly big holes, for Nuthatch”.

The children split into teams, to make up eight boxes.

The Men’s Shed loaned tools to the school, to help fix the boxes together.

The children gained experience using hand tools while assembling the boxes. “The dowels [used to join the parts] often snapped,” said Charlotte, 9. “because people were hammering them too hard”, added Bella, 11.

It wasn’t obvious how long to cut the dowels, so that they fit into the pre-drilled holes in the boxes. “We used paperclips to measure the depth of the holes” said Arthur, 11.

The boxes will be fixed into place by a local builder. The school has prepared instructions for each box, to explain the position and height appropriate for each species of bird.

The children decided not to fix perches under the entry holes, as it can encourage chicks to leave the nest too early and fall to the ground.

The school thought carefully about who the consumer of the boxes really is. They decided that it is the birds rather than humans.

“We were lucky to be able to focus on what the birds need and not have to worry about making something that humans want to buy.” said Mrs Shepherd.

“Although humans have to be considered when thinking about how the boxes are opened [for cleaning], closed and secured” added Mr Furness.

The school spent time thinking about the best materials to use. They chose not to use metal, because it’s more difficult to work with and would heat up too much in sunny weather. Unpainted wood made the most sense.

The children really enjoyed the project, which is likely to be repeated in two years’ time, when there will be a new cohort at the school.

Other schools that are interested in the project can contact Mrs Shepherd for details. Project materials will be available for download from the school’s website.

June 2024

Holton Primary School children with their bird boxes

Halesworth Men’s Shed is a place to beat loneliness and isolation.

Loneliness and isolation can become a big problem for older men, who are often less inclined to socialise in groups than are women. This can lead to depression, drink problems and ultimately, poor physical and mental health.

Halesworth Men’s Shed, on Norwich Road, is a centre where men can get together, work on DIY projects, share skills and just talk to other men. It provides a fully-equipped work space for woodworking, metalworking and for other crafts, but also a big table and chairs where members, both men and women, can chat over a cup of tea.

Jez Donaldson, 62, who has an IT background, joined the shed quite recently. He says “I live in a fairly remote spot and could go for days without seeing anyone except my wife. Coming to the shed gives me an opportunity to have a laugh with other men and to help them with technical problems with their computers, tablets and smartphones”.

The Halesworth Shed is part of an international network of Men’s Sheds, started in Australia and established in the UK around 2013. There is now estimated to be around 1,000 Sheds in the UK, so there is probably one nearby. It’s possible to search for your local shed on the Men’s Shed Association website, at menssheds.org.uk/find-a-shed/

Shed member Rob Rutterford, 74, a former teacher who has been a member of Halesworth Shed for about six years, says “I like coming down for a few cups of tea and a joke, but also to share skills, which is fantastic.”

“I just came for the social interaction, but quickly found that I could also help other members, which is really rewarding” says Jez. “Sometimes I’ll just sit and drink tea and chat for a couple of hours. There’s no pressure to be productive if you don’t want to be.”

May 2024

Rob Rutterford at the Shed

Jez showing off the new Halesworth Men's Shed website

Make, Repair and Recycle - Now easier than ever thanks to new Halesworth Men's Shed website

Repairing treasured items is now easier, thanks to the Halesworth Men's Shed. It recently launched an updated website, with a fresh look and new features.

The site has two new menu options. The "Repair Request" option allows customers to submit requests online, without leaving the comfort of their homes. A description of the job can be submitted, along with your contact details. Once received at The Shed, the request is checked by one of the members and a quick decision is made about whether the item is likely to be repairable. Photos of the damaged item can be sent by email. If the item is judged to be repairable, customers can then bring the item to the shed for repair. The option can also be used to submit requests for custom built items, such as village noticeboards, which can be difficult to source ready-made.

The new site was built by new member Jez Donaldson, who has a background in IT. "I wanted to make the new website consistent with the national Men's Shed Association's website. I also wanted to introduce new features that would make it easier for Halesworth residents to interact with The Shed without necessarily having to visit", said Mr Donaldson.

The other new menu item - "Join us” - allows potential new members to inquire about joining The Shed.

The Halesworth Shed can also help recycle items such as old hand tools, thanks to its relationship with TWAM, a national charity that ships tools to Africa. The donated tools can help people in rural villages to carry out a trade, such as carpentry or motor repair, and thus earn a living. At least one rural school in Zimbabwe is funded by the staff, who use a donated knitting machine to make knitwear which is then sold to fund the school.

If you have suitable items to donate, please first inquire at The Shed, as storage space is limited.

April 2024

Visit by the High Sheriff of Suffolk

High Sheriff, Edward Creasy making the presentation to Trustees

John Lange and Ray Roy

Edward Creasy, the High Sheriff of Suffolk, his wife Penny and Rachel Sloane from the Suffolk Community Foundation visited the Shed on Thursday 16th September. They were welcomed by our Trustees John Lange and Ray Roy with a good dozen or more Shedders on hand to show the party round and share their experiences and endeavours. They were shown round the workshop becoming increasingly impressed with the examples on show and explanations the Shedders gave for the reasons they became members. The camaraderie that the Shed evokes was plainly on show with plenty of laughing and joshing while the tour progressed, also a good deal of serious conversation around the value and contribution of the Shed to members wellbeing and mental health.

The visit concluded with Edward presenting the Shed with a certificate commemorating his visit. He said that the visit had surpassed his expectations and that the stories he had heard about the Shed were more than borne out. He was impressed with the way the Shed has contributed so much to the lives of the members and to the community, as a place where people of widely varying backgrounds, skills and experiences could contribute to and learn from each other in convivial and collegiate surroundings.

Thanks to the Sheriff and his guests and to the Shedders who together made it a memorable visit.

The High Sheriff's party with Shed Members present on the day.

Display of work and projects undertaken by Shed members.

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