ONE year after being formed, the Isle of Man’s ‘Men in Sheds’ group is thriving in the south of the Island.
Set up with initial funding from Manx Telecom’s “It’s Our Community” scheme, the group has established a headquarters in a double garage in Port Erin and now meets regularly to organise projects and share access to workshop facilities.
The ‘Men in Sheds’ idea started in Australia and has proved so successful that groups have sprung up all across the country. It spread to the UK where it is also very popular.
In the Isle of Man, the local group meets every week on Tuesdays and Fridays. The group organises craft projects group members also share their skills with others. It also provides a work space for those who don’t have sheds of their own, but most importantly it is a meeting place; somewhere to have a chat over a cup of tea and to socialise.
“The donation from Manx Telecom was crucial to Men In Sheds being set up as it was the first funding we received,” said Allan Phoenix, secretary of the Port Erin Men In Sheds group.
“We have now almost finished renovating the building and have around a dozen regular members who are working on a number of projects.” The projects range from work on the building to renovating a steam engine and building a radio controlled aeroplane.
Allan Phoenix moved to the Isle of Man after retiring from a career which included working as a manager at BT, lecturing in electrical engineering and his final post as the Principal Electrical Engineer at the National Tramways Museum in Derbyshire.
Other members of the group include retired accountants, engineers, a policeman, a harbourmaster and a weatherman, with ages ranging from mid-50s to one member who is 86.
“The younger ones get all the jobs which require heavy lifting,” said Allan. “The basic criteria are that the group is open to retired or semi-retired men over 55 - but the age limit is flexible so we won’t turn someone away if they are just under the age limit.
“The best thing about the group is the camaraderie of everyone involved - we all get on well and just muck in with whatever needs doing. For some of the members joining the group has given them a new lease of life which has been remarked upon by their relatives.”
Thanks to generous donations from the community, Men In Sheds now has a significant number of tools available for members to use. Allan says that the group hopes to be able to repay this generosity by working on community projects and the like once the group is sufficiently well established.
Men In Sheds meets every Tuesday and Friday from 10am to 4pm. New members are welcome to just turn up. Alternatively, anyone interested in joining can contact Allan Phoenix by calling 835153 or by e-mailing allanphoenix@manx.net
Manx Telecom’s “It’s Our Community” scheme will open again in June.
