Orkney Men’s Shed to celebrate first birthday

In the same week that the Men’s Shed movement is being celebrated internationally with Men’s Shed Week, Orkney Men’s Shed (OMS) will mark one year since it opened its doors this coming Saturday.

Secretary of the Orkney Men’s Shed, Andrew Swain said: “It is just over three years since the fateful first meeting when the good folk at VAO gave us the opportunity to meet the guys from Westhill in Aberdeen, the first Men’s Shed in Scotland, and hear all about their experiences.

“From those early beginnings, there was a steep learning curve to get us to this auspicious event.

“There were tears (maybe a slight exaggeration) there were tantrums (definitely an exaggeration) and there were many a late night (now that is true!) but with all the goodwill that we have found in the community we have navigated our way through the choppy waters and found our resting place at Maitland Place in Finstown.”

Men’s Sheds are designed as a meeting and doing places for men who want to meet new folk, make new friends, learn new skills, and generally have a blether and an improved life.

The movement had its beginnings in Australia and has been so successful that they have been recognised by the Federal Health Board with funding for all the good work that the sheds do in helping to improve quality of life, both physical and mental for the men in the community.

Those from the charity have said It is well-known that men find it harder to admit to problems and seek help at an early stage, but the camaraderie of the Men’s Shed is helping to overcome this resistance.

Orkney Men’s Shed had a trying time to find appropriate premises in the early days and the committee have thanked the community, the councillors and those at Orkney Islands Council who have worked behind the scenes to research what could be achieved. In the end, it was the kind auspices of the Harcus family that saw the OMS safely installed in Maitland Place last September.

The early days of converting the former fishing shed to its current layout has taken lots of volunteer time and energy and will be ongoing for some time yet. In the meantime, the shed is set up with a tea/meeting room, a kitchen and facilities, and working space, and early projects have included the new shed at The Blue Door, outdoor musical equipment for Glaitness School and the livestock signs for the County Show park — amongst a myriad of others.

As a self funded group in these difficult times we are grateful for those who have supported us: from the larger organisations including: Age Scotland, Cooke Aquaculture, Orkney Partnership Board Positive Ageing Delivery Group, Orkney Rotary Club, Orkney Seafarer’s Association and RVS Asda, through to each and every member of our 200 club, and everyone who has supported our fundraising events, including a very successful week in the Blue Door last week and at the local Shows.

All are invited to attend the celebrations at The Shed at Maitland Place in Finstown, which will be open to the public on Saturday, September 29 from 10am to 4pm.