The Blyth Man Shed was officially opened by Blyth Town Council Mayor, Margaret Richardson on the 18th of September 2021.
Located in the heart of Blyth, Northumberland, Blyth Man Shed is a community based workshop offering a secure, safe and welcoming place where men & women can create, build and socialise. Our aim is to provide a space which gives individuals sanctuary and escape from the isolation & loneliness which can lead to poor mental health & wellbeing.
Depression and poor mental health is a growing concern within society today and it is widely recognised that this is disproportionately the case across the male population, who sadly don’t talk, rather choosing the ‘bottle it up’ approach.
The concept is beautifully simple! Give a group of men some tools, a workshop, a limitless supply of tea, coffee and biscuits, something to fix or a project to build and you have instantly created an incredibly compelling and powerful engagement tool and intervention for those who are at risk or experiencing a deterioration in personal wellbeing.
Although we’re a man shed in name we are not exclusively for men and we very much welcome women members.
The workshop is primarily setup for woodworking but we’re not solely limited to woodcrafts. Already Shedders are enjoying learning new skills such as traditional stick dressing, wood carving & even woodturning crafts. If you have knowledge or even a traditional craft you wish to share with others, our Shedders would love to hear about it.
Originally the shed was developed as place for the people of Blyth, however, very quickly word spread and now we have shed members (or Shedders) coming from neighbouring towns and villages including Cramlington, Seghill and Seaton Sluice.
Blyth Man Shed is a Community Interest Company (CIC). This means were always on the lookout for ideas and ways we can make the money we need to cover the running costs of the shed. Things such as electricity bills, insurance obligations and replacement of worn tools always seem to be just round the corner!
We have a number of ways we generate money for the shed and these include the annual membership fee we charge to become a Shedder. We also sell and deliver kindling and logs all year round and we also make small wooden products which we sell.
However, the shed is not all about making and selling and Shedders are just as welcome to potter and work on their own projects. Whilst making items for the shed to sell is important, that’s really a ‘by product’ of what the sheds has been set up to do. As our strapline says “Create – Build – Socialise”.
In a short space of time Blyth Man Shed has become a community asset and we are keen to continuing forging our links with other community-based projects. We relish the opportunity to work with others to benefit the wider community and have recently worked on commissions for the Royal British Legion, The British Red Cross and we were also invited to exhibit one of our creations as part of the towns annual Christmas Tree Festival visited by over 1000 Blyth residents.
To get involved with the Blyth Man Shed Project simply drop in, have a brew with us, see some of the fantastic work happening in the shed and chat with our friendly Shedders.
To find out more about the Blyth Man Shed Project and follow shed developments check out our Facebook Page.