When Sheds are founded everything is in the future.
The challenge comes a couple of years on and more once the work o establishing a Shed (the first excitement) is over. The good news is that Sheds are about people – the then Shedders but also those yet to be. It calls for fresh thinking and a willingness to involve fresh/extended leadership to tackle other challenges (Shedders do age!). The essence of a Shed needs to stay the same. A Shed is a place where people find support from others and give help to others.
Baythorpe Shed gathering was one of those refreshing milestones
A Shed Meeting was held this week (followed by a BBQ with spouses and members from other Whitby District Sheds.
The meeting was to advise of the progress being made with purchasing the Scout Hut from Scarborough Scouts. Thanks were expressed for the sage advice being given on the process by Community First Yorkshire and some first class written guidance to base Shed decisions on. It was a typically bouncy meeting with banter not buried but a gathering with a real sense of purposer.
The outcome was to affirm what was being done and to take forward the process asap! A good and positive challenge.
The meeting contained some reminiscing of “the early days” and a bit of history for Shedders who have joined in the latter years of BayThorpe Shed’s 5 years of existence. Ups and downs in that journey but very much up at this time due to the way the Shed has established itself in the Bay community as worthwhile in different ways.
Another positive picture
Norton Shed (well Graham) commissioned this piece of art from local amateur artist Mikey. Graham has some memorabilia to remember Sheds by. One is a set of the Shed postcards that have been produced for each Shed at launch and another is a wonderful “hand” creation by Shedder Lance who is in the above picture. So here guys is a piece of artwork that I believe captures the spirit of most Men’s Sheds! There’s deliberately plenty of sky in this so that it can be overprinted easily with messages for Christmas cards say.
The zig-zag journey of a person to a Shed as they seek to focus on the benefits of belonging and leave behind some of life’s blues. Credit to Mikey for this.
Whitby Town Shed is further spreading its wings having secured some NHS funding to extend Whitby Doing Place scope
You will learn more about a new venture that to some degree builds on Sounds Creative already undertaken as part of the Doing Place. Graham says it’s like murdering noise sometimes, but he’s past it!
This time we are looking (with Norton Shed in parallel) at aspects of broadcasting. That is broad and nothing is excluded but we are starting with sound recording and podcasts plus video walkthroughs of Sheds and other community ventures (cutting through the jungle of Krampus might make am interesting adventure!)
We are establishing a new group for this and are already looking for other individuals (and organisations of which they are a part) to join in this. It is a group looking to do good for their own wellbeing but to do good for the community too.
An example of the latter is Graham and Big Col’s use of communications technology to take walks through Whitby, Robin Hoods Bay and other places thanks to YouTube. It’s easy for Graham to screen share with Colin (in Whitby Court Care Home in fact) and jointly talk about what can be seen down memory lane.
These videos (and new ones we make) will be part of the Library of Things that is to be online and viewable by anybody. We will be looking to record Whitby people’s memories (and views) too and one prospective partner in this wants to do just that! We have a gimbal (look that up!) and the recording kit spec is just being finalised under Aiden with parties including Graham’s grandson in Oz! Young people have great knowledge of weird things these days.
Whitby Town Shed in particular has taken a path that does not forget the core origins but endeavours to encourage new activities and particularly those that have a community purpose as an output.
Community Purpose
The previous sentence becomes the intro to Staithes Shed too.
Staithes embarked on a community greenhouse thanks to Woodsmith Foundation and the translatent roof sheets are about to go on with water collecting gutters added too. There is even a challenge to get some winter greens growing (or something else!).
This will come into its own in early Spring more but anyone is invited to enquire about it now. There are still challenges at the site but nothing that some working together cannot solve. Early on a local resident with a digger moved a mountain quickly to clear the space for the greenhouse. Helping is more than being the controller of a garden trowel.
Photos will; follow here after today’s exploits. Watch this space. See at the bottom of this blog!!! A dry day at last!
On a yet more serious note
This is an excerpt from an email Graham received from The South. But this applies to individuals in the North and other directions too.
Mental Health – CBT Therapy is going well!
I wanted to update you on my progress. I am getting better – little by little. I’m so grateful I reached out for help.
Many of you remember that I do cycle through depression and usually get through on my own. I couldn’t this time.
A lot of people have opinions on the NHS and healthcare for all. I am very grateful that a system exists here for healthcare.
It may not always work the way we want it to, but I’ve lived in places where such a system doesn’t exist – it’s not a pretty sight.
**** Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can help you make sense of overwhelming problems by breaking them down into smaller parts.
In CBT, problems are broken down into 5 main areas:
- situations
- thoughts
- emotions
- physical feelings
- actions
CBT is based on the concept of these 5 areas being interconnected and affecting each other.
For example, your thoughts about a certain situation can often affect how you feel both physically and emotionally, as well as how you act in response.
It’s about understanding yourself and the Shed indirectly (maybe even directly) can help with that.
We have the power in Power BI
The Library of Things is based on a Microsoft Business Integration software product. Graham’s Aussie son, Neil, introduced it to Graham as a potential solution to the need to analyse and present meaningfully the projects/initiatives/groups in Whitby district that are there for people to attend generally. Some of those, like Sheds, provide for reasons isolation, loneliness, low mood etc. etc. and that was the purpose of the development – not what an activity does but what does for people.
It was an interesting experience to begin developing it 18 months ago in a caravan on holiday communicating with a busy son 9 hours out of sync!! But understanding slowly came with use of the technology that has now been employed for the Library of Things. Not just what there is to use but where it is!
So, the hours spent getting to grips with Power BI has paid off. Talking to Neil about this at 8.30am our time today, Neil spoke about its use in a project for his multi campus school. It is to create a “dashboard” to show everything pertinent to one pupil and to allow that then to be drilled down through as necessary.
He has called it PPE – the same acronym that Oz and we use for personal protective equipment. His take on it is to to show the evidence of matters related of PROBLEMS, give PRAISE, and to ENCOURAGE
Ans we thought schools just taught kids at desks!
A spectacular day at Staithes Shed
Jim reports:
Well the rain has stopped , Staithes has had a fantastic weekend with the Arts Festival so Jim , Brian and Ken cracked on with the greenhouse construction….it was a real team effort .
We put more support struts in place ready for the roof and also completed the outer cladding of the back wall …we also positioned a polycarbonate sheet so we know where to put short lengths of timber to secure the roof sheets.Ken’s engineering background is a real benefit and this is reflected in his suggestions during construction….
In the photos you can see a happy Brian and Ken admiring their work …followed by Ken quality checking the outer cladding on the rear wall …..and Brian collecting up the boxes of screws before making everyone a well deserved cuppa….
Well done Shedders more great progress and laughs …😀😀😀 ( get the plants ready Liz )
Not forgetting a happy birthday to Phill 🎂🎂🎂
BayThorpe & Whitby Sheds join in congratulations on what is a fine, sturdy build. The rear shiplap has added great appeal though it is hidden from view. Here’s hoping for a dry, calm end of week for the sheets to be attached.
Whitby Shed and The Doing Place – every day a journey of discovery
One discovery was how much Katy enjoys jigsaws! It sucked Graham into finding “straights” but Katy had a far better eye.
Marie finished her first C&G assignment and brought it is to show. Inspired by David Hockney. Well done Marie. She is onto her next assignment.
Spot the difference. There is no difference – both are about the Krampus Run!
Not leaving Lawrence out.
Tony and Ray fitting out the new workbench. Could not manage to get the skill in focus.
Krampus Krew sitting down on the job
The Shed
Then “Onion” John was there turning a good mess of sawdust out!
Building for Norton 1st Scouts
Working with Norton 1st Scouts on a woodland shelter to double as a Santa’s Grotto for a Christmas woodland walk (lights, features etc).
Any shape, they said, but Lisa, Graham’s daughter-in-law, said hexagonal!
They have a pile of new wood of various sizes and lengths but it is helpful to start with a shape so a Robin Hood’s Bay Shedder was turned to (Lance) to produce a 3D model on Sketchup.
It uses timber from their stock (so there are some interesting corner posts and an interestingly sized rectangular central column. You could not make this kind of challenge up but we have done. Some could be done at the Shed (cutting) but the assembly and “adaptation” will be on site.
Dib. Dib. Dib. What comes next?
Everything is being labelled in Whitby, possibly including bar coded Shedders!
For the Library of Things.
There is a label printer that we can borrow in due course because it is hoped there can be a Norton Doing Place employing the same database and printer technology as used for Whitby Doing Place that has received an expansion grant (a Micro Grant) from NHS sources.
We are working towards that with a some local “consultants!
Paula McMahon of ICE (see above)
has published a note about her visit to Norton Men’s Shed. It is in their NE info stream.
Doing, Being and Belonging in Norton – Engineering Together
It’d good to share.
Ken Loach’s The Old Oak film premiere showing tonight in Newcastle!
Just received a call that we came second in the UKMSA photo competition. We put a photo forward that had all the emotion but no technical brilliance whatsoever. It was of Monday Wheelchair Steve being transported into the Shed for the first time using the wheelchair lift.
The winners were in Wales which was a bit far to travel so Graham and Joan will attend to help promote the Men’s Shed Association. Now, where are the badges to wear!
The film was, for Graham, a vey moving 2 hours. Not a comfortable viewing since it dealt with many issues affecting our society and our communities. Multi layered examples of animosity between people groups and the behaviour of people in groups.
The film showed the potential for stirring up groups against each other but the way in which different factions can come together for their and other people’s common good. How very small but meaningful things can be agents for that happening. The solution the film proposes and illustrates is that we just need to get to know and understand a little about those who are simply different to us through race but also circumstance.
It is what a Shed does, sometimes bringing together the most unlikely of people! The banner to be used at the Festival of Thrift this weekend stresses the many organisations with whom we react in establishing and running any Shed. We need to know each other. At present the barrier to that being achieved is that “nobody has time” because in working life time for this (and time usually means money!) is nor budgeted for in what is done.
Guys, continue to look and work outwards and make what connections you can. We will all benefit from that and so will “They”.
Festival of Thrift Set Up
Sadly, the Festival has been truncated to one day because of the weather forecast for Sunday. However Friday afternoon saw our display put in place. We had no real knowledge of the arrangements but managed to squeeze in what was prepared. Take a preview look.
Finally, in this epic blog, we return to Staithes Shed and some overtime they put in
Staithes Shedders put in an extra shift today and with the sun shining and plenty of great suggestions to discuss throughout the morning it was thoroughly productive and enjoyable.
Staithes Shedders put in an extra shift today and with the sun shining and plenty of great suggestions to discuss throughout the morning it was thoroughly productive and enjoyable.
Today was an important milestone for the greenhouse as we started cutting the polycarbonate……we managed to improve our technique after trying a range of saws and multi tool blades …..finally we cracked it ( ….not the polycarbonate sheet but the best cutting process …..essentially the multi tool with flat rectangular blade suggested by Brian ….and it worked a treat ) …As always we started with a cuppa of Brian’s excellent tea….and with Jim , Brian , Liz , Ken and his wife Christel we set about the task in hand.
Today was an important milestone for the greenhouse as we started cutting the polycarbonate……we managed to improve our technique after trying a range of saws and multi tool blades …..finally we cracked it ( ….not the polycarbonate sheet but the best cutting process …..essentially the multi tool with flat rectangular blade suggested by Brian ….and it worked a treat ) …
The sheets were marked and held in place by Ken , Christel , Brian and Liz ….it’s no understatement to say we were all impressed with the cuts and as a team it fair to say that we have improved our confidence for the remaining larger sheet cuts.
We are now ready to start fastening the roof to the frame.
Also …brainwave award of the day goes to Liz ….we had a really good discussion whilst working on how to deal with the ridge …I’d mentioned the cost of the ridge polycarbonate and Liz suggested..why not get a length of round guttering and invert it and fasted to the ridge length of the greenhouse….GENIUS ….and saves us some costs …
You can see the Shedders team posing from their busy , funny and enjoyable session in the attached photos…
Great teamwork work one and all …..
Regards….Jim