It’s been a busy week for Long Sutton’s Men Shed whose members were presented with books as part of Read a Book Night ahead of the launch of their new Youth Shed initiative.
Began three-years-ago after chair Ray Cutbill saw the initiative in Australia, the group now has around 85 members and is thought to be the largest in Europe.
The idea behind it is to try to bring together men who might otherwise be lonely and allow them a space to work on projects together.
The Youth Shed is beginning this week and will see 20 students embark on a 10 week course taught by the volunteers.
“Each week we’ll give them a new tool and teach them how to use it with the idea being that over the 10 weeks they’ll have a full bag of brick layers tools,” said the shed’s Frank Heinrich Tiller. “When they’re finished they will have the equipment and the skills to go and work as a brick layer for £200 a day.
“They might not want to be in construction long term but it gives them the option to go and earn a bit of money when they need it.”
Last week members were donated books as part of World Book Night (April 23) by the soon to be re-opening Long Sutton Library and mental health charity Shine.
Frank said: “It’s an opportunity for guys who might not normally read to open up a book and do just that.”
The Men’s Shed continues to grow with its ever expanding workshops that have different specialities almost entirely being impressively tooled up thanks to the generous donations of local people.
They rent the various different workshops for a peppercorn rent from Coun Jack Tyrrell at the Silverwood Garden Centre.
Secretary Barry Meade, said: “There’s so much pride of the fact that the community supports us. Everyone’s been very generous and we want to support them when its needed.
“We’re still growing and we’re next looking at doing wrought iron works.
“Our members have a wealth of knowledge and we lean on each to help with projects.”
