Hansard

As other members have done, I thank Maurice Corry for securing the debate.

Since arriving in Scotland, men’s sheds have been started up in many of our communities. We have heard about some of them from members. Men’s sheds played a very important role in the lives of the men who regularly attended them physically before Covid-19 forced their temporary closure. I know that I speak for all the participants in today’s debate when I say that I hope that they can safely reopen soon.

Many members have shared stories about the men’s sheds in their communities. When I first spoke in Parliament on this issue in March 2019, I mentioned the men’s shed in Coatbridge, which had been formed six months previously, and it was already proving valuable for the members who attended. At that time I mentioned that I was wishing them well in re-establishing their men’s shed: there had been a fire, and the venue where their meeting took place had been totally destroyed. I am happy to say that they recovered from that setback, and that the shed continues to play an important role in the lives of those who have become involved.

In that same debate, I spoke about the health and wellbeing benefits that men can accrue from men’s sheds. That is important because—as we should reiterate—in our society, many men adhere to an outdated stereotype that they should not ask for help with their mental and emotional wellbeing. They are also far less likely to seek medical help with their concerns, and men’s sheds can play an important role in helping with that, too.

The role of men’s sheds among men in poorer communities has been understated. Loneliness and isolation, which have been mentioned by other members, have been linked to poverty, especially among working-age adults. Those who work for long hours on low pay and in poor conditions often need to work at the expense of socialising, and they may not be able to afford recreational activities.

Research by Samaritans has highlighted that many less well-off men struggled with poor mental health and suicidal feelings for years because opportunities to help them were missed. The men who were interviewed did not see community-based support projects as relevant to them before they reached crisis point. They also said that they wanted support services to offer the opportunity to make a contribution and to develop a feeling of inclusivity, with peer support and feelings of shared experience with others.

Interestingly, in 2017, Age Scotland surveyed shedders and reported that 86 per cent of them felt more involved in their communities, 93 per cent felt at home and 94 per cent felt that they had made good friends in their local shed. The majority of them also reported improved mental and physical health and the development of new skills. It is therefore clear that men’s sheds are vital in tackling some of the key indicators of poverty.

The coronavirus has brought with it additional challenges to mental health through factors such as loneliness, where men’s sheds play such a vital role. The pandemic itself, lockdown and the closure of men’s sheds have therefore been a setback to the wellbeing of some members of our society.

Maurice Corry’s motion mentions the £30,000 grant that was awarded to help sheds whose fundraising has been most significantly affected by Covid-19. That is of course welcome. I understand that that was on the back of a £50,000 grant for the Scottish Men’s Sheds Association in May 2020. That has been vital for keeping the umbrella organisation going during the unprecedented challenges that we have faced and for offering opportunities for members to virtually connect.

Although some men’s sheds continue to meet virtually, not being able to access or use virtual or computer equipment is a particular challenge among men of the age groups who most commonly come together in men’s sheds.

When I last spoke on men’s sheds, I concluded by stating my

“hope that men’s sheds continue to grow all around the country so that more men in Scotland can benefit from the improvement to their health and wellbeing”—[Official Report, 21 March 2019; c 44.]

which is what many shedders report. In echoing those sentiments, I commend the work that men’s sheds are doing to support their members throughout Covid-19.

I restate my hope that men’s sheds will soon be able to regularly meet face to face again. Once again, I thank Maurice Corry.