About

The Broadstairs Town Shed is a volunteer led initiative.

A place for older people, (50+) to get together, and participate in meaningful and rewarding DIY/woodwork and metalwork-based activities.

 

Joining the Shed can help tackle loneliness and isolation, allows members to share and learn new skills, and increases community involvement & engagement. 

 

The Shed works with many other local organisations and support groups, providing carpentry and woodworking skills to help those projects in turn.

  

The original Broadstairs Town Shed opened its doors in May 2014. It's been a team effort and we've had lots of local individual and business support to make it happen.

 

 

Now we are excited about welcoming even more people who'd like to get involved, either at one of our 3 days a week sessions, or to arrange a one off or regular activity for groups or individuals.

 

The Shed is a volunteer-led project from Broadstairs Town Team . 

It's all about Community working together. 

 

As the years go by, this exciting, life enriching project is going from strength to strength as it grows and more and more people are becoming involved. 

 

Having outgrown the original Little Shed in Pierremont Park, we are now situated at much larger new premises, we call the Big Shed. On the Oakwood Industrial Estate, the Loop bus route.

 

Facilities include:

Well equipped woodworking workshop

Lathe room

Metal workshop

CNC & Laser Etching Workshop

Tablet computers

A welcome smile

A place to meet and share stories

Tea, coffee and always, biscuits, in pleasant upstairs kitchen/meeting room. ( The 'Mess')

 

The Shed is run by volunteer 'Shed Heads', supported by Shed Techs and our lovely Administrator, Debbie Meacham.

debbie@broadstairstownshed.org.uk

 

Background

 

'Men's Sheds' started in Australia and there are now over 1200 there, with Sheds in 20 countries, and almost 200 open or planned in the UK. They have proven to help combat loneliness and isolation and have a positive impact on older men's well being, quality of life and life expectancy.

 

Mike Jenn, past Chair of the UK Men's Sheds Association, has been a Shed member since the start.

His said :

"Joining a Shed can sustain a man's health in later life by adding purpose and creating friendships.

 

"We share good equipment, learn from each other, and chat while pursuing hobbies, working on community projects and making things to support the Shed."

Broadstairs Town Shed has had in the past  support from Broadstairs Town Council, Thanet District Council, Kent County Council, Thanet Clinical Commissioning Group and other local groups.

 

TDC originally allowed us to refurbish, convert and then use what was previously a derelict building in Pierremont Park, Broadstairs, to create our shed with the help of a start up grant from the National Lottery People's Millions - secured with the support of the whole community.

That allowed us to open in 2014.

 

Laura Sandys, opened our original Shed in 2014, and gave our project her support, saying:

"I am delighted to support this fantastic project, which is truly community led.

Thanet has above average numbers of older people and it is vital that we do everything we can to ensure that older members of our community are not isolated. This project will really help."

 

We now have over 150 registered members, from all walks of life, all levels of ability who come together to make a new community group - our Shed 'family'.

 

October 2024.

 

Thanks to all your hard work and community support, with match funding from the Community Ownership Fund and National Lottery Community Fund, we finally 'Raised the Roof'.

To allow for these works the Shed was closed from late May to late October '24.

 

 

However, we are now open again and have welcomed back members new and old to our Shed family. We look forward to seeing you all.