ABOUT US
Under its original name of The Kingsway and Quedgeley Men’s Shed which was later changed to Gloucester Men’s Shed, the shed was formed in 2015 in the Quedgeley Village Hall, Gloucester with just one session a week. While members enjoyed working in the Village Hall, we were hindered by not having access to sufficient power tools and having to thoroughly clean up after every session.
Following grant funding from local councils and support of the Office of the Police Commissioner we were able to move and locate the first Cabin on our site in Edison Close, opposite the Waterwells Park and Ride in Kingsway, Gloucester. The cabin was fitted out as workshop, primarily for woodwork and more time was spent on members projects or helping to make items and less time cleaning up the sawdust. Following a successful funding application to the National Lottery we were able to buy our second cabin and make the site more member friendly. We have ensured that we are fully accessible with ramps to both cabins and some low level benches. Our second cabin now accommodates our Tech Space and a comfortable meeting/coffee room. Our Tech Space has a range of IT based equipment and we also purchased a range of new powered equipment for our workshop. We have used the varied skills and abilities of our members to maximise the funding available to us and undertook most of the work required on the site ourselves.
Originally an Australian idea but now a worldwide movement supporting men to alleviate isolation and engage with other men. Studies on the effects of social isolation in particular show the need for social groups to be set up around a common purpose and that’s what we aim to do at our Shed. Men generally find it more difficult to re-engage with those around them when they retire, are made redundant, if a marriage/relationship breaks down, or they become widowed as this just increases social isolation and causes them to feel they have lost their worth to society in general. That said the aim of our Shed is to develop facilities to welcome ANY man, not just the retired and we aim to share our experiences and skills to benefit both ourselves and the wider community.
We are an independent and community focused Shed with membership open to men across the City of Gloucester and beyond aged from 18 and we are now able to offer three sessions a week. Members will work on their own projects or help and share their skills with others. We also aim to support our local communities, and amongst a wide range of projects we have recently worked with the Supporters of Kingsway Primary School by making field games for their summer fete. We have utilised recycled or donated materials to allow us to gift these games to the school. Other recent projects included making a number of large planters for Wotton Lawn Hospital, for a project they were developing to aid the wellbeing of their patients, these were built from recycled wood and at no cost to the Hospital.
We welcome new members to the Shed and are open to the skills and ideas they bring with them. While we appear at first to be woodwork focused the Shed is open to new ideas and we welcome men who wish to continue hobbies alongside other men.
The motto of the UK Men’s Shed Association, of which we are members, is ‘Shoulder to Shoulder’ we have the additional motto of ‘Health by Stealth’ as there are demonstrable physical and mental health benefits from attending sessions at the Shed. If joining our shed appeals to you or if you think we may be able to help you with a community project then please get in touch.
Following grant funding from local councils and support of the Office of the Police Commissioner we were able to move and locate the first Cabin on our site in Edison Close, opposite the Waterwells Park and Ride in Kingsway, Gloucester. The cabin was fitted out as workshop, primarily for woodwork and more time was spent on members projects or helping to make items and less time cleaning up the sawdust. Following a successful funding application to the National Lottery we were able to buy our second cabin and make the site more member friendly. We have ensured that we are fully accessible with ramps to both cabins and some low level benches. Our second cabin now accommodates our Tech Space and a comfortable meeting/coffee room. Our Tech Space has a range of IT based equipment and we also purchased a range of new powered equipment for our workshop. We have used the varied skills and abilities of our members to maximise the funding available to us and undertook most of the work required on the site ourselves.
Originally an Australian idea but now a worldwide movement supporting men to alleviate isolation and engage with other men. Studies on the effects of social isolation in particular show the need for social groups to be set up around a common purpose and that’s what we aim to do at our Shed. Men generally find it more difficult to re-engage with those around them when they retire, are made redundant, if a marriage/relationship breaks down, or they become widowed as this just increases social isolation and causes them to feel they have lost their worth to society in general. That said the aim of our Shed is to develop facilities to welcome ANY man, not just the retired and we aim to share our experiences and skills to benefit both ourselves and the wider community.
We are an independent and community focused Shed with membership open to men across the City of Gloucester and beyond aged from 18 and we are now able to offer three sessions a week. Members will work on their own projects or help and share their skills with others. We also aim to support our local communities, and amongst a wide range of projects we have recently worked with the Supporters of Kingsway Primary School by making field games for their summer fete. We have utilised recycled or donated materials to allow us to gift these games to the school. Other recent projects included making a number of large planters for Wotton Lawn Hospital, for a project they were developing to aid the wellbeing of their patients, these were built from recycled wood and at no cost to the Hospital.
We welcome new members to the Shed and are open to the skills and ideas they bring with them. While we appear at first to be woodwork focused the Shed is open to new ideas and we welcome men who wish to continue hobbies alongside other men.
The motto of the UK Men’s Shed Association, of which we are members, is ‘Shoulder to Shoulder’ we have the additional motto of ‘Health by Stealth’ as there are demonstrable physical and mental health benefits from attending sessions at the Shed. If joining our shed appeals to you or if you think we may be able to help you with a community project then please get in touch.