Impact data and claims within this report are provided by the project creator and have not been independently verified by Spacehive.
Our Man Shed will reach out to men in our community who are experiencing mental health issues or who at risk of developing mental health issues due to social isolation and loneliness.
We are going to build a Man Shed at our mental health resource centre in Surbiton. Our Man Shed will support good mental health, by helping men feel good about themselves, by being productive, feeling valuable, making friends and keeping the mind and body active. It will be a friendly, safe, welcoming meeting place, where men can come together to find meaning, purpose, friendship and belonging. It will help reduce loneliness and isolation but most importantly it will be fun. It will be a place where men can share their skills and knowledge with others, learn a new skill or redevelop skills they already have. It will make them feel valued. It will be a safe and busy environment but without pressure. Our Man Shedders will each decide what they want to make, upcycle, repair or refurbish. Most of the tools have been donated we need funding for a new floor, outside decked area and lockable storage . It will be open 2 days a week initially on a Monday and Thursday between 10am-3pm.
What we'll deliver:
Why it's a great idea:
Suicide is the most common cause of death for men under 49 years in England and Wales and men are three times as likely to commit suicide as women. Men are less likely to seek help for their mental health issues and are at more risk of social isolation than women as they tend to make friends less easily than women and don't take part in as many social groups. More than one in 10 men are lonely but would not admit it. Our Man Shed can't promise to solve all of that but what we can promise is to provide a safe place where men will be at less risk of social isolation, where they can make friends, feel valued and reduce their risk of developing mental health issues. Men with existing mental health issues will have the support not just of other shedders but of our team here at our mental health resource centre. We hope some will gain the skills and experience needed to become volunteers themselves or to find paid employment should they seek it.
Steps to get it done:
Our project will have a very low environmental impact. The Man Shed will reuse, recycle, upcycle and mend. It is using an existing building and an area of wasteland will be transformed into an attractive decked work area using recycled timber.
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Journey
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We were so grateful to welcome some of our wonderful supporters from Nikon UK who spent their Community Volunteering Day with some of our Shedders to clear space in our garden which needed levelling off for the outside Man Shed area. This sort of help is vital to us and helps to speed up the process. There is still lots to do but we are working hard to deliver on our promise and, most importantly, our current Shedders are loving the process.
Pilot project Man Shed is coming along beautifully – we now have power and lighting can be fitted, we have finally finished laying the floor and the walls have been panelled. It is so great to see some of our Shedders fully invested in making good the current space for themselves and others. We are working towards a wonderful supportive shedding community and thanks to your generosity, we are on track to deliver just that. For more information, or if you know of anyone who might benefit from attending Man Shed, please call: 020 8399 1772 or email: manshed@thefircrofttrust.org
We are absolutely delighted to announce that, thanks to your incredible generosity, we have reached our target for the first stage of our Man Shed project. We over simply overwhelmed by how this project has resonated with so many people and how you have responded by being so incredibly supportive and generous. Thanks to everyone who donated, including the Mayor of London, we have been able to start laying the floor as you can see in the attached photo, we have used donated pallets to raise and level the floor and have purchased the plywood to actually make the floor. We have also made great strides in clearing the outside work space so that we may purchase and lay decking and erect a shade for our new work benches. Man Shed has now been open for 6 weeks and we have between 4-6 men attending both sessions already more enquiries every day. If you would like to follow the work of Man Shed please email manshed@thefircrofttrust.org and we will add you to our updates list. Once again, and from everyone at our Man Shed, thank you so much.
Brilliant news, thanks everyone!
Whoop, 40 people have pledged since fundraising began!
Mayor of London has offered a pledge of £2,000 to Man Shed if we reach our Crowdfunding target. This is an amazing achievement for our charity - Man Shed was one of 23 projects chosen out of the 66 submitted!! The Mayor said: “I am proud to back these 23 fantastic projects which have the potential to make a really positive impact on communities across our city” A huge thank you for your pledges - we need to keep going though to reach our target so please help us to spread the word and keep pledging. Thank you!!
Whoop, 30 people have pledged since fundraising began!
How will the money be spent?Total £5,671
Costs Breakdown
This shows how money raised for the project will be spent. These costs have been confirmed by the project's Delivery Manager and verified.
Overfunding
This project is enabled for overfunding. If the project hits its funding goal before the end of the campaign period, any extra funds raised will be spent (in order of priority) on:
Total £5,671
Our Volunteer List
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VolunteerThe Fircroft Trust is an independent charity supporting adults with mental health issues or learning disabilities to live well locally. We provide a mental health resource centre in Surbiton and a residential and supported living project in Chessington. We respond to the needs of vulnerable people in our community and continually work to break down the stigma surrounding mental health issues.
Project Owner: The Fircroft Trust The Project Owner takes legal responsibility for receiving and spending the funds raised and ensuring the project is delivered.
