St Edmundsbury Cathedral have donated woodworking equipment to the local Men’s Shed group. This donation continues the partnership the Cathedral has had with the group which started when members of the Men’s Shed volunteered at The Yard project at the Cathedral in a mentoring role during their summer workshop activities.

The United Kingdom Men’s Shed Association is a national organisation which supports over a thousand local branches. Their mission is connection, conversation, and creation with a hope to banish loneliness and isolation while also providing those who attend with practical skills. Men’s Shed encourages local communities to come together to build, fix and restore – projects as well as themselves! The Shed movement, which started in Australia, is not just for men, it is inclusive and welcomes all who share the values of mutual support and community.

The woodworking equipment from St Edmundsbury Cathedral will ultimately allow the group to equip another workshop and to offer support to more local people and assist with more community projects.

Brian Fell, Chairman of Bury St Edmunds’ Men’s Shed said, “We are pleased to be working with the Cathedral to help in our mission to improve the general well-being of local people, in particular men, and also in assisting other local organisations.”

The Bury St Edmunds Men’s Shed currently run workshops on Saturdays from 10.00 am to 2.00 pm at The Centre UK on Eastern Way. However, they are looking for a more permanent home and their dream is to have their own fully equipped workshop which they can open during the week. On a regular basis the Shed members work on small scale projects to make items to sell at craft fairs throughout the year. At the moment, they additionally have two “commissions” for other local organisations. They are making bird boxes and butterfly houses for West Suffolk Sands, for the children of bereaved families to paint, and they are making two raised beds for “Leading Lives” for their clients at the Community Hub.

You can find out more about Men’s Shed at mensshedbse.org.uk