July Newsletter 2026

1. Welcome to July’s newsletter. You will see that we have a new newsletter heading. Now we have been granted National Lottery funding it is right and proper that we acknowledge the grant. It will certainly help us financially to complete the ambitious renovation of our ‘beloved’ Shed. So, get your National Lottery tickets now. You never know, ‘It could be you!

2. WMS seem to have cornered the market for these book lending cabinets. We placed it in position 4th June. Thanks to all the team including John Skerratt, Paul Hale, Dave Sy, Pete Sanders, Phil Griffiths and last but not least, Pete the Painter. Yet again, craftmanship to match any professionally made cabinet. These are popping up all over the place now. I have recently returned from a break in Ironbridge Shropshire and came across one in Coalbrookdale not half as good as ours but still providing a community focal point for residents of villages and towns.

3. I wonder if you have ever thought about how many of Sheds there are in the UK and Channel Islands. Well, you might be surprised to know that there are over 1150 active Sheds and approximately 180 in the planning stage. The national support body is the UKMSA (UK Men’s Shed Association) of which WMS is a registered member. The map shows the sixteen Sheds nearest to us. The newest being Portsea.

Why are they so important?

For a long time, research has shown the negative impact of loneliness and isolation on a person’s health and wellbeing. Recently we have seen more evidence come to light that shows loneliness and isolation can be as hazardous to our health as obesity and excessive smoking. Surveys from mental health charities are finding that millions of people report feeling lonely on a daily basis.

Men typically find it more difficult to build social connections than women, and unlike women of a similar age, less older men have networks of friends and rarely share personal concerns about health and personal worries. It is not the case for all men, but for some, when retirement comes, it can feel like personal identity and purpose is lost. Men’s Sheds can change all of that.

Sheds are about meeting like-minded people and having someone to share your worries with. They are about having fun, sharing skills and knowledge with like-minded people and gaining a renewed sense of purpose and belonging. As a by-product of all of that they reduce isolation and feelings of loneliness, they allow men to deal with mental health challenges more easily and remain independent, they rebuild communities and, in many cases, they save men’s lives.

Men’s Sheds are vital.

4. WMS has just applied for a COOP Community Grant to replace the windows to make them more eco compliant and more importantly, to retain what little heat we generate internally. I asked for members to join and be photographed as part of the application and for the grant committee to see the windows we would like to replace. This fine body of men succumbed and took up the challenge. So, our application relies on the appeal of these six fine members. Believe we are off to a flying start. Don’t you? Thanks’ guys!