It’s All About People, Stupid.

Some lovely shots of Shedders doing their stuff. Just look at their faces. Experiencing some of the benefits of Sheds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a presentation about the benefits of Sheds done for a meeting on Tyneside. You might find it an interesting reminder of what we are about.

Ambassadors benefits of Sheds

Here is the description of the final campground that my son and family in Oz stay at on a road-trip holiday from Victoria up to Queensland.

Ever frank, of course!

 

Father’s Day initiative remembering Eddie the late Sheddie

What makes Shed’s special? It is very often the support and encouragement we receive from others at the Shed. We wake up in the morning and there’s a personal little cloud above our heads and the temptation to bury ourselves in the duvet again. By “dragging” ourselves to the Shed we find company and banter and the cloud starts to give way to some mental blue sky. That was Eddie’s experience and indeed that of many of us.

Sheds support mental wellbeing. They also reach out to friends and family who see the difference the camaraderie makes to the person. 

On Tuesday this week we received an email out of the blue from one of Eddie’s daughters on behalf of 3 generations of family. Here is an extract . . . .

Hi Graham, 

Hope you are keeping well!  

As you know  we sadly lost Dad in December & recently it was the first Fathers Day without him. We wanted to do something in Honour of Dad. 

Therefore we would like to make a donation of £700 ( from myself , my sister Cathy, sister-In-Law Ilkem, Dad’s 6 Grandkids & his Son-in-Law! ) to The Sleights/Whitby Area Men’s Sheds. 

We all know the Men’s Shed was the one place Dad loved the most and what joy you brought to him. Thank you for the amazing work you do bringing joy and friendship into people’s lives. Please treat yourselves to something in Dad’s memory!! 

Keep well ,  

Heidi Carolan ( Eddie’s Daughter )

What an amazing surprise to which we replied . . .

Dear Heidi & various Carolan generations,

How very thoughtful of you all. Thoughtful of Eddie on Father’s Day, of course, but also of the Sheds in Whitby district. It is greatly appreciated.

Eddie was the archetypical Shedder. A touch of mischief about him, getting engrossed in some new skills and a master of banter. A Shed is a family of unique individuals each contributing to the atmosphere. Eddie did that superbly.

As I mentioned Heidi, we have some pieces of Eddie’s workshop equipment at the new Norton Shed. So Eddie lives on with me here!

You are right to honour Eddie.  He was an unassuming key figure in the Sheds right from the start. Quietly impactful.

I’ve included some seniors from the different Sheds in copy so they can appreciate first hand your thoughtfulness.

Kind regards,

Graham

And Heidi replied . . . . .

Hi Graham , 

Thank you so much for this lovely Email.  Actually made me tear up with Joy reading this.  As can picture Dad working away , his banter included and cursing me whilst he made 64 separate squares for the chess board I asked him to make us lol! Dad was our world & we all miss him dearly. 

I’m so happy to hear his tools are now being used at The New Shed !! If there was one place Dad would have wanted them to go it would be with you at The Shed.

I know how much Joy & Friendship you all gave Dad & am so thankful for the amazing work the Men’s Sheds do!! Your work means so much to so many, thank you!

I will pass your lovely email on to the family & i know it will make them smile too !! 

Our donation has now been transferred across & happy to hear It will be shared out amongst The Shed’s. 

Been lovely talking to you , take care & love to all !!

Heidi & Family x

It’s tempting to think that maybe this should be kept in confidence. Heidi knew I wanted to share this on our web site. Why?

Because it is a real example of the REAL impact of Sheds. Not the great creations we make, but the great relationships in and OUT of the Shed with friends, family and indeed the community we are all p[art of. We need good news stories and the good news is what Heidi wrote NOT the donation (useful though that is!).

We hardly knew the family members so Eddie has been the instigator of some new relationships for us.

It’s quite amazing that this account fits so well into the title of the blog! It’s all about people, stupid:-)