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As yet , not many of you will have heard of the Felixstowe Men ’ s Shed . “ The Shed ” is still in its infancy , but we are growing exponentially , and rapidly reaching the toddling stage .
The Felixstowe Shed was conceived by way of an inaugural meeting at Felixstowe Library in January 2018 . The launch was an open day which included an explanatory power point presentation from Halesworth Men ’ s Shed and a buffet supplied by Basic Life . The open day had an encouraging number of visitors throughout the day , all of whom showed interest in the Men ’ s Shed concept .
“ The Men ’ s Shed ” provides a community space to connect , to converse and create . The concept is that of a large garden shed where men can meet to exchange their vocational and acquired skills , to have a gossip and generally enjoy the collective company “ The Shed ” community
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mission is to help alleviate loneliness and isolation , and to aid a sense of worth and wellbeing .
The Men ’ s Shed Association has an impressive nation-wide network of over 500 operational sheds under its umbrella , and a further 100 or so in the early stages of development and there are more than 10,000 UK members . Felixstowe Men ’ s Shed is a member of the Association . In Australia , where Men ’ s Sheds originated , there over 1000 sheds involved in community work on a daily basis .
Felixstowe Men ’ s Shed meets regularly on Tuesday ’ s and Thursday ’ s from 10.00 a . m . to 12.00 noon . There is no obligation or pressure for a member to be a regular attendee . We meet , we have coffee , we have a chat , and some of us also enjoy a bacon sarnie courtesy of Laydens Community Café . With the preliminaries and pleasantries dealt with it ’ s time to move on to business of the day . This is the time allocated to brain storming , where we harvest our collective thoughts and bright light moments to discuss our projects , both ongoing and for the future .
Currently we have several ongoing
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projects and others in the pipe line . At the time of writing we are working on a gardening project , a plan to recycle used car tyres , furniture refurbishment , varnishing the Sanctuary Cabin and litter picking out in the community . The Men ’ s Shed is a not-for -profit organisation therefore , all the tools and equipment required to keep us actively engaged in these projects are begged , borrowed or hopefully donated .
If anyone has any unwanted , unloved , left under the bench tools , we would be happy to take them off your hands , or alternatively bring them along and join in the fun . If you are interested in what the “ Men ’ s Shed ” has to offer and feel that you can contribute your personal skills to the benefit of “ The Shed ” and the community then please pay us a visit .
Spontaneous visitors are welcome to drop in and see us on any Tuesday or Thursday between the hours of 10.00 a . m . to 12.00 noon at the Sanctuary , 11 , Langley Avenue , Felixstowe IP11 2NB . This is our current location . Our aspirations are to move to a commercial or industrial unit to facilitate our anticipated growth into more ambitious projects and over time
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become self-sufficient .
We are actively seeking to secure premises where it is possible to install two or three items of commercial equipment . Within reason , any premises that are not in use or have lain dormant for a while might be suitable . We are not averse to bringing a building , that might have a small amount of disrepair , into order . If anyone has knowledge of such premises and can supply details , please contact our Chairman Tony Allen at his email address silverdollartrain @ gmail . com
For more information about becoming a member of Felixstowe Men ’ s Shed please contact the membership secretary on our email address felixstowemensshed @ gmail . com you can also find us on Facebook .
For those of you without access to email please write to Felixstowe Men ’ s Shed c / o the above address .
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