What happens there?
This is what anyone not connected with a Shed or The Doing Place says when they are mentioned by someone who does attend or maybe by a social prescribing link worker helping a patient to get a little more zip into life!
Both activities are rooted in helping people who are already “at a bit of a loss” from being cut off from contact with others for some reason or maybe they are at risk of it. They are entertaining for those who attend but are not just entertainment. They are purposeful.
That still leaves the question of what do those who attend do? The trouble is that that ois not easily defined because what goes on changes frequently and people do what they want to do! Do is the operative word because one of the best ways of overcoming being in the dumps is to do something practical which occupies the hands and the mind – whilst making new friendships.
People do what they want to do within the limitations of aches and pains and bodily bits falling off! Yes they are fun too.
THE RULE OF THUMB is that the Shed does mess and noise superbly well as a woodwork shop (and a bit more) and the Doing Place does (or can do) the rest of what might interest them which might change over time. The Doing Place hosts the Krampus Krew (who are into bid art), Sounds Creative (for music generation sort of), there can be embroidery, games, crafts like rag rugging and basically whatever people are prepared to try. If trying something is enjoyable then it is already successful.
YES, BUT WHAT CAN I DO? you ask frustratingly. This web-site is a window on Shed life in Whitby, Staithes and Robin Hood’s Bay (BayThorpe Shed). It shows the “fellowship” side very well and if there was sound attached you’d hear the banter and the laughter.
This blog introduces the Library of Things. It is an illustrated catalogue of what there is that you can do. It is a living catalogue because items are being added all the time. We’ve added today a daylight projector that we can use in a variety of ways and Shedder Lance is to use it shortly for some talks he is giving to the Photographic Group at Whitby U3A. So there will be a bit of loaning going on not only within what we do but to other groups in the small voluntary sector.
It is an online catalogue of things and an online directory as to where they are. We are slowly working our way through what we have and allocating them to boxes on shelves and in cupboards.
Want to take a look?
It is in development as a tool (there’s a lot of pretty things that could be dome) but we have so far kept to the basics.
There are 5 main pages that can be clicked between to search in the way you want to. To wander round our virtual department store.
- Scroll by alphabetic description of asset (thing to do). It shows the asset number and the category.
- Scroll by the asset number (a way to also discover where it should be returned to)
- Select and scroll by category of item (all the craft for instance)
- Search to find what might be available to borrow (it is not a general lending library!)
- Look at some videos and maybe stroll through Whitby, Scarborough or RHB. You can even see a video of the wheelchair lift that has been mounted into the Portakabin used by Norton Men’s Shed. Expect some Shed Walkthroughs very soon.
More facility is to be added such as free text search (only so many hours in the development day!) and the borrowing facility to know who has what and when! Also an illustrated online guide to using it though it is fairly intuitive (as they say!)
If you would like to contribute an item or a financial contribution to the Library of Things we would be very appreciative but we do need to know first. One well-wisher has offered to contribute to towards equipment that helps the cause of the online Chat Room which is now possible given that the the longstanding problem of a bad broadband signal has been solved (after many months and indeed going back to pre-Covid days).
CLICK ON the link below and see what it is all about.
The Library of Things
The several Sheds and Whitby Doing Place are not just drop-in activities unless you want to drop in to enquire. They are places for people to come together and what is done (by those who come) is the engine that makes the atmosphere work, olied by cups of tea.
All that is done is through volunteers who are the same as the beneficiaries really.
Sheds are collaborative places and Sheds collaborate with each other but also with other voluntary sector groups, the Councils and the NHS to name but a few. We are game for collaboration and the involvement of people who might be principally givers of help to others – even on how to do crafts but also as hosts to smooth the sessions. School age children are welcome with parent by prior arrangement (e.g. for home schoolers).
Stand still and you may be labelled
After a late night session the thermal printer was properly connected to the laptop and eventually a sample label was produced!
It features an item’s
- the Asset Number,
- the Box Number it belongs in and
- the Descriptor of the asset
Printing a pair of labels means that a label can be attached to the asset itself and to the outside of the storage box it is stored in. No excuses for things not to be put away.
And remember, that all this can be seen from home by anybody and particularly by carers.
Lisa Pollard of Cool for Kids fame
has been in touch. Mum Maggie used to be a Staithes Shedder and was the forerunner of Brian Bayliss who is now the tea boy!
Lisa has seen the Library of Things and will be donating some items but she had to be told that we do not take in washing.
Some new ideas were chewed over for Whitby District future but for current needs! Catty on making a splash!