Hansard

I congratulate Maurice Corry on securing debating time. I am delighted to be speaking about the crucial role that men’s sheds play in communities across Scotland.

After a lifetime in full-time employment, retirement can be daunting for many. Without the daily routine and social circle that most jobs entail—or used to, pre-lockdown—newly retired men often face loneliness, social isolation and an overall sense of loss. That problem is exacerbated by the steady decline in community engagement across much of the western world in recent decades, which is exemplified by an aggregate loss in membership and number of volunteers in many of our civic organisations.

I therefore welcome the recent explosion in the number of men’s sheds in Scotland. The first Scottish men’s shed was set up in 2013; yet, only eight years later, 133 sheds are open, with 56 in development. Sheds not only provide a workshop space where their 2,499 members can work on projects, crafts or repairs; a growing amount of academic research suggests that they also significantly contribute to improving the health and wellbeing of users.

I have two men’s sheds in my constituency. The one in Kilbirnie covers the Garnock valley and the other covers Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston, which are known as the three toons. Last September, Inverclyde men’s shed won the Scottish men’s shed of the year award. Although I congratulate them on their win, Garnock valley men’s shed, which covers a much smaller local population, finished a very close second. Frankly, there should have been a steward’s inquiry.

Initially, when the Garnock valley group took over a derelict depot on the edge of Kilbirnie public park, there was no running water and no toilet, the roof leaked and they were on a temporary occupation licence. After its first public meeting, in November 2017, the group’s membership quickly grew to 80, and it diversified to offer a range of activities, with a music room, bike repairs and a dedicated scale-modelling room. Over the past three years, however, astonishing improvements have transformed the building in order to meet members’ needs and interests.

Unfortunately, the on-going pandemic has had a severe impact on Scotland’s men’s sheds movement, as Maurice Corry touched on. Like all other sheds across Scotland, the two in my constituency, which were thriving pre-pandemic, have now been locked down for almost a year, leaving some of the isolated men whom they used to cater for lacking support. Both sheds are run by volunteer trustees who now regularly use online activities to keep in touch with shedders. The club has an active group operating online and provides plenty of tutorials and opportunities to connect socially through video calls.

Shed representatives are particularly grateful for the donation of devices from Connecting Scotland. That has allowed some members with little internet knowledge to keep in touch with each other and, in one case, to make contact with relatives over Christmas. Unfortunately, for some men, social isolation extends to still not having internet access. The Garnock valley men’s shed believes that the mental health of some of its members has suffered considerably as a result.

The £30,000 funding from the Scottish Government to help those sheds whose fundraising has been most severely affected by the pandemic was warmly welcomed. There is little doubt, however, that the services of sheds will be in even greater demand post-Covid. I therefore agree with the SMSA that there is now an opportunity for the Scottish Government to invest further in men’s sheds not only through core funding but through backing the recruitment of development officers throughout Scotland.

Ultimately, further investment in Scotland’s men’s sheds would be an investment in the health and wellbeing of our people. The value of men’s sheds can best be summarised by a quote from the daughter of a stroke survivor who is now a member of the three towns men’s shed:

“You have given me back my dad and given him back his life.”

Once again, I thank Maurice Corry.