• Bringing men together

    to connect, converse and create and stay healthy

    Four men work together in a workshop. Two are building wooden boxes at a workbench, while the other two stand nearby, one holding a bicycle wheel. Various tools and equipment are visible on the walls and shelves.

Examples of Men’s Sheds in Yorkshire

To find out what a Men’s Shed can do for you take a look at examples of local Sheds in Yorkshire on the UK Men’s Shed Association website.

Support and Advice

To answer any questions you may have, please contact our very own UK Men’s Sheds Association recognised Shed Advocate, Andy Ryland.

Andy has supported the development of new Men’s Sheds across North and West Yorkshire since 2016 and has helped some 19 new sheds into existence. He has considerable experience in helping new sheds come into being and works closely with the UK Men’s Sheds Association and local authorities to make sure new Men’s Sheds have all the support and advice they need – whether that is help with forming a charity, grants and funding, finding premises or the multitude of other issues that face Men’s Sheds.

What is a Men’s Shed?

A Men’s Shed is a bit like a shed at the end of a garden. Some of the activities are the same, but the space is often bigger and for the benefit of a community of local men.

When men come together to connect, converse and create, they stay healthier for longer, both mentally and physically.

Invariably Men’s Shed activities involve making, mending or repairing things, such as bikes, cars, woodworking, engineering, or boat renovation etc. Similarly reclamation, reuse and restoration all feature strongly (some say this is true for the men too!).

We work in partnership with local organisations to support the development of a number of Men’s Sheds across the region. Our Development Officer, Andy Ryland, is currently supporting the development of Men’s Sheds in the Bradford District Council area.

How do I get involved?

There are many ways to get involved with Men’s Sheds. It may be that you want to join as a member or volunteer at your local Shed. You may be thinking about setting up your own Men’s Shed.

To answer any questions you may have, please contact andy.ryland@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk  or call us on 01904 704177.

Men’s Shed blog

Can I borrow your brain for a moment?

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One of the things, which a men's shed offers its members is access to a range of tools and space to carry out projects in the company and with the support of others. In this environment some of the common requests you might hear include: "Can…

Men’s sheds chiming with wellbeing

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By Andy Ryland Anyone who has been to see blacksmithing or been into a Men’s Shed may have heard the sound of the hammering of hot metal or nails being banged into timber. What I have noticed, is that a blacksmith develops a rhythm to his/her…

Setting up a Men’s Shed: your own charity or an umbrella organisation?

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When a group of guys is coming together to form a Men’s Shed, one of the questions that often comes up is does the Shed need to form its own incorporated group?  Or should the shed shelter under the umbrella of an existing charity, who already…

Is Paying the Rent for Your Men’s An Up Hill Struggle

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By Andy Ryland Over my time working with men’s sheds one of the core concerns is:  Can the shed group afford to pay the rent on their premises? While commercial workshop space is attractive it comes at a price and whilst there may be pressure…

Attracting New Members to a Men’s Shed

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By Andy Ryland As Men’s Sheds are opening up after the lockdown, many are finding they have lost members. Some have found new interests, others are anxious about joining in a group activity or for a whole variety of reasons from moving away…

Sheds come in all shapes and sizes

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One of the questions I am often asked is:  "how big does a men's shed need to be".  This is a difficult questions to answer, as it depends how many people will be working together at the same time. One men's shed project that does bike recycling…

Can men’s sheds help people recover from long Covid?

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The Guardian newspaper reports on the 4th of June that: "The Office of National Statistics estimates 1 million people in private households in the UK were experiencing symptoms of long Covid in the four weeks to 2 May. About 650,000 people had…

Men’s Sheds and Governance

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When a group of guys come together to start a new men's shed, their thoughts are often focused on what activities they will be able to undertake, finding suitable premises and the last thing that is on their mind is what sort of legal structure…

Making predictions or projections of Shed finances

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As sheds are emerging out of lockdown many are starting to plan ahead for the next year. After these last eighteen months, we have realised that this isn’t easy especially as things can change really quickly. Who for example knows, if there…

Our partners

VONNE logo with VON in blue and NE in orange. To the left, a circular symbol with blue and orange lines and dots, and the letters N and E, resembling a compass or network design.
VCS Emergencies Partnership logo featuring three overlapping, multicoloured squares next to the organisation’s name in bold black text on a white background.
Logo for Rural Arts, featuring an orange line drawing of a stylised animal or abstract shape to the left of the words Rural Arts in bold blue text on a white background.
Plunkett UK logo featuring a green leaf graphic to the left of the green text Plunkett UK on a white background.
The logo of North Yorkshire Council features a white rose inside a partial circular design in brown and green, with NORTH YORKSHIRE COUNCIL written in blue capital letters to the right.
Logo for North Yorkshire Youth featuring a stylised purple “NYY” above the text “North Yorkshire Youth” written diagonally in matching purple font on a white background.
Logo with abstract geometric shapes in pink, teal, and purple on the left, followed by the text NORTH YORKSHIRE TOGETHER in bold purple capital letters on a white background.
Logo for North Yorkshire Sport. The words North Yorkshire are in bold, dark blue text above the word Sport, in bold green text, underlined, on a white background.
Logo of the NHS Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust. The NHS logo is in blue and white, and the trust name appears in black and blue text on a white background.
The image shows the NCVO logo, featuring the letters NCVO in bold, modern purple font with the V styled as a tick. The background is white.
Red NAVCA logo with stylised people forming a circular shape on the left. To the right, NAVCA is written in bold lowercase letters above the tagline local focus national voice on a white background.
The image shows the Community Fund logo, featuring a cartoon hand with crossed fingers and a smiling face, next to the words COMMUNITY FUND with COMMUNITY in bold pink letters and FUND in black.
A blue speech bubble with the word locality in white lowercase letters and the phrase the power of community below it.
Leeds City Council logo featuring a crest with three owls, stars, and a ram’s head, alongside the text Leeds City Council in blue on a white background.
Logo of Lancashire and South Cumbria Health and Care Partnership, featuring colourful abstract shapes and the organisation’s name in blue and pink text on a white background.
Institute for Voluntary Action Research (IVAR) logo with the word IVAR in dark green, the I topped with a yellow teardrop shape, next to a green circle containing 25 YEARS in yellow text.
Logo for Humber & Wolds Rural Action featuring stylised fields in blue, green, and tan on the left, with the organisation’s name in blue text to the right on a white background.
Logo for Howardian Hills National Landscape, featuring a stylised green landscape with fields and hills on the left, and the text Howardian Hills National Landscape on the right.
Logo for Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, featuring six colourful abstract human figures forming a circular shape to the left of the organisation’s name in bold and regular text.
The logo for the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) features a black crown and lion emblem above the department's name, written in black text on a white background.
Logo for Yorkshire Energy Doctor C.I.C. featuring an orange hand holding a house with a sun above it, and the text yorkshire energy doctor C.I.C. in red and orange.
The City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council logo, featuring a detailed coat of arms with two deer and a shield, next to the council’s name in green and blue text on a white background.
Logo for Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership, featuring stylised interconnected figures in orange, pink, and green, with the slogan ACT as ONE to the right.
Logo for ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England), featuring stylised green figures of people above the acronym acre in blue, with the full organisation name to the right.
Logo for Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust featuring a stylised, wind-swept tree in teal and the organisation’s name in purple and blue capital letters beside the tree on a white background.
Yorkshire Funders membership logo A yellow circle with a teal Y shape and the words Yorkshire Funders Member in black and teal text, centred on a white background.
Logo for York & North Yorkshire Combined Authority, featuring a geometric, interwoven teal design to the left of the name written in bold, uppercase letters.
Logo of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority featuring a stylised abstract flower-like icon to the left of the organisation's name in bold, blue text on a white background.