The Shed at Collingham offering new activities thanks to rural funding

TheShed@Collingham is a welcoming and vibrant community initiative designed to bring together like-minded people in a supportive and friendly environment. Its mission is to combat social isolation and promote wellbeing by providing a space where members can share skills, build friendships, and stay social through participation in woodwork, and more recently glass and metal working activities.

The Charity recently received £67,500 funding from Newark and Sherwood District Council through the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) with funding used to expand its floor space to accommodate for further resident volunteers. The extension will also allow the group to develop their offer in a safe environment, with the grant also supporting the purchase of essential equipment.

Traditionally, men and women of all ages would have engaged in hands-on woodworking activities. With the investment towards building an extension onto the existing building, new activities that can be completed sitting down are now being offered, as well as jewellery making, lathe work, copper and brass ornament work, pyrography, stained glass activities and small scale sheet metal fabrication.

Matt Lamb, Director for Planning and Growth at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “The group recognised that not everyone in its community was able to access the opportunities available through the Shed, and the Charity is now able to diversify its offering to become a more inclusive place for everyone.

“The Shed is a fantastic example of a successful initiative for people living in our more rural areas, giving people of all ages the ability to learn and share creative skills and hobbies while tackling social isolation. We are pleased to have been able to provide rural funding to help this valuable community asset grow and diversify.”

Collingham and District Sheds was established more than ten years ago and became a registered charity in 2020. Since then, it has quickly grown into a gender neutral, inclusive organisation for members to have a chat and undertake work of their choosing or contribute their skills and time to projects of benefit to the community.

Miles Harriman, Chair at The Shed, said: “Many existing members joined The Shed since retiring to maintain a sense of achievement and establish new ‘work’ colleagues. This has had a massive positive impact on their physical and mental health, supporting residents otherwise at risk of social exclusion.

“For other members that may have lost a loved one through bereavement, maintaining that feeling that others are relying on you to turn up at The Shed to complete a task, can provide a reason to get up in the morning.

“The Shed also supports people out of the workforce for some time, for example, due to extended maternity / paternity leave while the children grow up, and the Shed re-establishes self-confidence and social skills required to re-enter the workplace.”

The Shed currently supports more than 50 residents to access skills and wellbeing support through volunteering, and the increase in floor space and diversification of offering will allow this to grow significantly. It is based at Unit 1, Gusto House, Greenway, Collingham, NG23 7DX.

Whether you’re looking to learn new skills, pursue hobbies, or simply enjoy the company of like-minded individuals, The Shed@Collingham offers a place to do all that and more. For more information, visit https://theshedatcollingham.org/.

The Rural England Prosperity Fund is integrated into the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, acting as a top-up to eligible rural areas. The purpose of the fund is to provide capital funding to support new and improved community infrastructure in rural areas, providing essential community services and assets for local people and businesses to benefit the local economy.