Think about the area your network will cover
Some Networks are county wide, but this can have implications on physical meeting locations, travel time, distance and expense. Think about how many Sheds are in your local area, how many could realistically come together, and the maximum amount of people that could participate meaningfully in group discussions.
Get other Sheds interested
You don’t need many Sheds interested in order to be able to form a Regional Shed Network. Contact Shed Leaders in your local area and find out if they would like to be involved. Three or four Sheds that are willing to take on the initial organisation of the Network should be all you need. Someone should take on the role of Chair ready for your first meeting.
Plan and hold your first meeting
Most Regional Shed Networks prefer to hold face to face meetings where possible, or alternate between in person meetings, and online. Some Networks rotate hosting the meetings at their individual Sheds; others hire a community space. Plan a loose agenda, a few points should be enough for discussion. If you are meeting face to face, make sure there are refreshments available!
Organise your future meetings and network agreements
At your first meeting it is a good idea to discuss how often meetings should be held going forward (some Networks meet quarterly, others may meet more frequently), location of the meetings, how information will be communicated to members, and how to raise agenda items in the future.
Top Tips!
- Regional Shed Networks don’t need to be formal. They are mostly about sharing support, ideas and inspiration.
- Face to face meetings can often facilitate invaluable informal discussion during breaks and networking.
- Although a Shed may be a member of a Regional Shed Network, usually only a few members from each Shed attend meetings.
- Hosting Network meetings in Sheds can offer a way for Shedders to actually see how other Sheds look and function.
- Some Sheds that host meetings may collect small contributions from Sheds attending to pay for refreshments or room hire, rather using their Shed funds.
- Some Regional Shed Networks may wish to become a CIO if they plan to handle larger amounts of money in order to put on their own events, for example.
- Most Regional Shed Networks will have a Men’s Shed Association Ambassador as a member. Shed Ambassadors provide a useful link between Networks and the UK Men’s Sheds Association.
- Some Regional Shed Networks have support from local Development Officers (or similar roles) to grow and manage their Network as well as supporting Sheds in their area.