By Mikayla van Loon
For a decade now the Montrose and District Men’s Shed (MAD) has been helping men of all ages meet new people and put their handyman skills to the test.
But recently the group has expanded from just woodworking to include a more social aspect in the hopes of seeing more people join in.
Adding to the standard woodworking timetable on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, Montrose Men’s Shed has now added a regular Monday walking group and Wednesday coffee catch up.
“At the moment we have just under 30 [members], we’ve got a couple of new members, but we actually just recently started a Wednesday coffee group, so no machines to encourage other people because some people aren’t interested in the machines, it’s more about the chat,” outgoing president Lee Kirkby said.
Every month, MAD members put together a collection of bird houses and other items they’ve made to sell at the Montrose Community Craft Market.
Not only do they make new items but member Chris Atkin said the group can also help repair furniture or help with community projects.
“We like a challenge…we will tackle other things,” he said.
One of the founding reasons for men’s sheds was to give men a space to go and chat to like minded and similar aged males with the intention of making something beautiful.
“That’s the idea of why it’s a men’s shed not a women and men’s shed because we find men who have lost a partner or want to get away from home or for numerous reasons, they want to come here to talk about problems they won’t talk about in front of women,” founding MAD member Max lamb said.
“Men will open up about their own problems, particularly men’s health problems.”
For Chris, who went through a challenging time a few years ago, making something with his hands has really helped him to mentally recover.
“Coming here got me from base zero to up here. I’m not 100 per cent but I’m doing OK and that’s made a huge difference,” he said.
“I’ve made some good friends at the shed which I wouldn’t have done anywhere else. It works really well and it does work for other people.”
Montrose and District Men’s Shed is located behind the Montrose Public Hall on Leith Road. To contact the group email montrosemensshed@gmail.com
