Hello, it’s me, Rachel Meadows, Volunteer and Community Development Manager! My UKMSA colleagues and I were very excited to be a part of the 27th annual North of England Wood Work and Power Tool Show earlier this November. Over 60 brands and companies exhibited their products along with various demonstrators and clubs this year at the Yorkshire Event Centre. The show opened at 10am each day and big queues of eager woodworkers formed in advance ready for a day of tool shopping. The show was busy each day and there was a great atmosphere over the weekend.
UKMSA held a joint stall with Ripon Men’s Shed from North Yorkshire. Shed Manager Barry and Shedders Rick, Ian, Richard, other Ian and Dave showcased a variety of items their Shed had made which ranged from interactive games to beautiful decorative items made from reclaimed barrels and even bowls balls.
Shed Manager Barry Sutton said “Ripon Men’s Shed were delighted to be at the Harrogate Woodworking Show this year to help support UKMSA staff in promoting the Shed movement. Six of our guys helped out over the three days which meant they could speak to visitors and still have time to look round and purchase that tool they hadn’t realised they needed until then. We had a variety of Shed made items on display which provided lots of interest and banter. Our Hook & Ring game proved very popular with visitors – at one stage on Saturday we had a queue forming to have a go! But the real value of the show came from other Shedders from all around the UK dropping by to say hello and compare experiences. It confirmed the universal value of Men’s Sheds in reducing isolation, learning different skills and generating new friendships. We are looking forward to next year’s show already.”
Joining me and Ripon Men’s Shed at the show were UKMSA Ambassador and Chairman John Latchford, Partnerships Manager David Meli, and Chief Officer Charlie Bethel. We had a lot of interest at our stand and spent time talking to people about the concept of Men’s Sheds as well as finding out where visitors nearest Sheds were. We also had a lot of Shedders come and say hello! Shedders had travelled to the show from far and wide; some had come from the far reaches of Scotland, and we had many from the north of England come to see us. Dave and the guys from Long Sutton Men’s Shed stopped by and told us about their developments in setting up a new quiet zone in their Shed and how they’ve been supporting the health and wellbeing of their Shedders by getting professionals in to give health talks about a variety of men’s health topics.
On Saturday we held a mini ShedFest event which featured a variety of sessions and was open to both Shedders and members of the public that wanted to find out about Sheds. David Meli, John Latchford, Charlie Bethel and UKMSA Ambassador Graham Storer all ran sessions over the course of the day which varied in topics from partnerships to Sheds working with others in their communities. We had some good questions and participation from attendees and some people walked away with a new interest in Sheds!
Another highlight of the day included an informative and powerful talk from Ian Yearwood, Richard Egglington and Chris Brumwell from the Leeds Prostate Cancer Support Group. They shared information about prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment, along with their own personal experiences of living with and after prostate cancer. To find information about prostate cancer or your nearest support group visit Prostate Cancer UK | Prostate Cancer UK. And a big thank you to Ian, Richard and Chris!
Oh, I nearly forgot to mention that we had one extra special guest join us on the stand on Friday and Saturday that got a lot of attention. He’s 6’2, has a fine moustache, and was very quiet and well behaved – it’s Dennis the ‘not a Lego man’ made by Amersham Men’s Shed! Dennis attracted a lot of visitors keen to have a look at him, and a few that asked to sit on his knee! Thanks to Amersham Men’s Shed for making him and to John Latchford for driving all the way to Harrogate with him lying prone in the back of your car, I’m sure he was great company on the long drive.
Thanks to all the Shedders that came to see us or attended some of our sessions, it was great to meet you and hear what you’re up to!
