Hello Shedder’s, I’m Kevin Wright, known as Kev and sometimes Q to my fellow Shedders, I’m based in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, and I just love being part of the Men’s Shed.
The journey all began with an unexpected early retirement two years ago. A story that I’m sure some of you will be familiar with. Worked for a good company for twenty years and with a good boss! However, the time came to sell up and we were taken over by an American hedge company. All downhill after that, they began to chop things up and look at ways of cutting back. I didn’t approve of some of things I was asked to do, I believe that people are more important than the company bottom line! So, I refused, and the pressure was then on me. The job I held for twenty years was taken away from me and as a result I became ill, eventually our HR department heard my case, and I was offered a package I couldn’t refuse. To put it in a nutshell I was able to retire three years early. Not the way I expected to finish my working career, but I now live a stress-free life and I reckon it’s one of the best things that’s ever to happen to me.
So, the money was in the bank, and I needed to plan a new life with all my spare time. My wife Judy took early retirement a year earlier after she qualified as a lay minister in the Church of England. Judy was a great help to me and helped to get me off the ground, the first thing we agreed on, was ‘No Daytime TV’! This kind of simplified things, I had to fill my week up with things I wanted to do, keep myself busy and not under the wife’s feet, you can imagine with all this free time on your hands, that the wife will always have a long list of chores! Well, there’s plenty of time for that too!
I joined several groups and clubs as well as the Men’s Shed. I volunteer in the local museum, play bowls for the town, and became a cub/scout leader. Took up new hobbies including photography, model building and watercolour painting. I drive a 7.5-ton lorry for a local Christian charity and will be spending 3 months later this year serving as a ship’s electrician on the biggest hospital ship in the world. Phew! Whoever said we don’t know what to do!
The Trowbridge Men’s Shed is probably the thing I enjoy most. Its not just about making things out of wood, although I do enjoy that very much. It’s about people and that all important cup of tea and a chat. I’ve made some good friends and we always have a good laugh. The banter is great, and you always come away feeling good and happy. It doesn’t stop there; we work well together (Shoulder to Shoulder), a good team of blokes who enjoy each other’s company. When we can, we also run things outside the workshop and recently visited Portsmouth’s historic shipyard with a visit to see HMS Victory, the Mary Rose and an overnight in a hotel.
The Men’s Shed is very important to me and my wife Judy. Recently Judy started up a Women’s Shed under the Church of England and the UKMSA umbrella. New members are joining every week and the membership list has now topped fifty. We have also been able to link the Sheds together, with a visit from some of the ladies to make bird box.
The last two years were tough and we had to close the Shed. However, this time was used wisely and with our contractor hats on, we were able to give our workshop a facelift. A good old clean up and sort out, with new benches, equipment and improvement to the electrics etc. There was a great sense of joy when we were able to open again. We took on new members, went from one morning a week to three and got involved with new projects and a slot at the local Weavers Market. We made lots of wooden reindeer, snowmen, and festive treats for Christmas. We even entered the towns Christmas tree festival and got praise for our wooden Christmas tree, made from old branches from the local woods and painted with snow, we made wooden decorations including tools which were all decorated with bright colours and sparkles.
I believe that the Men’s Shed is one of the greatest ways to bring guys together, to enjoy each other’s company, take care of each other and have some fun. After meeting a fellow Ambassador on an open day last year, I felt that maybe I could also help, so I applied for the role and was accepted. Currently I am helping to get a new Shed off the ground in a small village and working alongside another Ambassador with a planned group chat in a couple of weeks’ time. I’ve also visited some local Sheds to give support in different areas. Being a Shed Ambassador will allow me to get more involved, meet new people, and help to grow the Men’s Shed movement with an outlook for a bright and successful future.