7th August, 2024....

Grand Opening of East Preston Men in Sheds

East Preston Men in Sheds was officially opened on Friday, August 2nd with a large gathering in the Village Hall to thank everyone involved in bringing the project to fruition. The invited guests included contractors, grant givers, fund raisers, Parish Councillors, family members and more!

Neil Ellis, (Chairperson and Trustee), thanked everyone for their support and raised a toast to the members of East Preston Men in Sheds when acknowledging the milestone that is the completion of the build. The past three years have involved developing the membership, Charity Registration, documentation, securing a suitable location, raising finance, negotiations, plans, a planning application and eventually the build itself. It is worthy of note that the build went smoothly, beginning in April and reaching completion at the end of July. This part of the project was very ably led and project managed by Kevin Hill (Trustee and Project Manager), and ably supported throughout by Adrian Miller (Secretary and Trustee), and other members of the group. The build includes a workshop fitted out with worktops, benches and equipment. Outside is a new sheltered mobility scooter and bicycle rack, also built by its members.

Neil highlighted the fact that The Men in Sheds movement has now spread all around the world, and that there are now approximately 1,100 Men’s Sheds in the UK alone, and around 900 of those are in England. Neil went on to add that the primary focus of Men ‘s Sheds is two-fold:

- to encourage, and enable, men to come together in making, repairing and repurposing things, while also supporting project in their local community, 

 

-to provide a place for men to meet, make friends, socialise and to learn new skills. In doing so, Men’s Sheds help to combat social isolation, and empower members to cultivate a new sense of purpose and self-worth.

The attendees were then invited to assemble outside of the Shed to witness the official opening. Tony Page (Committee Member) thanked Simon Cross for his help, and support, throughout the project, and then introduced Pat Gander to the attendees. Tony highlighted the fact that Pat has championed, and supported, the East Preston Men in Sheds project from day one. He went on to say ‘In doing so, Pat has in effect acted as our very own Non-Executive Director throughout those three years, and has given us unfailing support, time, guidance, and inspiration. It was for these reasons that we unanimously agreed that Pat was the person we most wanted to cut the ribbon and to declare our Shed open for business.

After cutting the ribbon she said: "After a long and challenging journey, plus a lot of hard work and commitment, we are proud to announce the opening of our shed. We would like to take the opportunity to thank all of our donors, the community, our members and all who have helped us realise our vision. This has been one of our dreams over the past three years. It's been very emotional because it has been a long time coming, and without the support of everybody in the community and all the members we wouldn't be here today. It's lovely to see your dream come true. It's been hard work, and it's had its ups and downs, but today is very special and I'm very pleased everyone is here. It's open!"

‘The Shedders’ hope to make numerous items for general sale to the public and raise monies for their Charity, and to support individuals and the Village Community with requested projects that fit their skill sets. They look forward welcoming new members, and to talk to anyone wanting to commission repairs or the manufacture of new items primarily made of wood.  

Contact [email protected] for more detailed information, or see our website at www.epmis.org, and on Facebook at East Preston Men in Sheds.