About Us
Alan Michael, Founder of Inverness Men's Shed
INVERNESS MEN'S SHED
Our constitution states our main aim is “to address the social, health and wellbeing needs of men of all ages and backgrounds living in Inverness, through the creation, upkeep, and development of facilities in which men can meet and jointly or individually undertake creative, physical and recreational activities of their choice.” In particular, our purpose is to set up and operate a collective “Shed” where the user will be able to:
- Share skills and interests, swap ideas and pass on knowledge.
- Actively pursue hobbies and pastimes.
- Work on projects that will aid the community and help develop a positive sense of achievement.
- Have a place to go and relax, drink a cuppa, discuss issues, share concerns, talk and have a laugh, knowing they are among friends.
- Encourage others and promote general physical and mental wellbeing
- Socialize make new friends and renew old acquaintances.
Our New Building .. A New Future.
Acquiring and refurbishing the Pavilion opens up exciting new opportunities for the Shed to expand our activities and to develop what could be a wide range of new ventures. Our new building is essentially split into two separate, but linked parts, each with it’s own toilet facility.
The participants in the Men's Shed benefit by:
- Improving self-esteem from using their skills for construction purposes.
- With the opportunity to learn new skills and practice old one.
- To have a place to go to spend time, outside the home, with people of similar interests.
- Overcoming isolation through getting out of the house and improve social interaction.
- Improving awareness of medical issues important to aging men.
- Along with NHS Highland, we are leading the fight to reduce loneliness and isolation in men who, for whatever reason have time on their hands.
The Social Side
On one side there is a fully equipped kitchen/leisure area and a separate large meeting room. A range of social activities take place in these
areas: IT Group, Talking & Writing Group, Singing Group and there is now ample scope to add more ( eg Arts and Crafts, games, cooking ).
We welcome fresh ideas from members to expand the range, in fact, any activity for which there may be even a limited demand will be encouraged. A regular feature has been talks from visiting speakers (many related to Men’s health) and these are always well attended.
Inverness Men's Shed is a local volunteer-run facility that enables people to come together around practical projects of their own choice.
The Practical Side
On the other side of the building and subject to some Health and Safety restrictions, are 4 work areas. The standard of available equipment is high and will provide opportunities for all levels of ability in activities such as woodworking, lathe work, metalwork, and more. A new Dust Extraction system is in operation greatly enhancing the working environment for everyone.
