The Times’ Sarah Pitt pays a visit to the ’shedders’ at Okehampton Men in Sheds...

I KNOW straight away I’ve come to the right place when I pull up beside Okehampton Community Garden off Fatherford Lane. There’s a big sign saying Men in Sheds over the funky-looking premises where members meet on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

And inside, on this rainy summer day, a warm welcome awaits me. Regular ‘shedders’ Graham Storer, Terry Kempster, John Woodward and Mike Tyson are sitting around the table with lunchboxes and the teapot, taking a midday break. From here, there’s a panoramic view out across Dartmoor.

There’s a homely appeal to the ‘shed’ – more a workshop really – which the group call home three days a week. They made the building themselves, drawing on the many skills of members, from electrical know-how to carpentry to building. They pull me up a chair and I’m provided with a mug of tea while they tell me more about themselves.

The Okehampton Men in Sheds was born as an idea in 2015 and built by the members themselves on a modest budget with funds from West Devon Borough Council, Okehampton United Charity, Okehampton Town Council, Okehampton Hamlets Parish Council and others.

Okehampton’s answer to a communal ‘man cave’, complete with veranda, opened in the summer of 2017 with the intention of providing a space for retired and semi-retired men to get out of the house and learn new skills from each other in a sociable and relaxed environment.

It proved a winner, to the point that the group is so busy it now hopes to extend its meeting place substantially. Members plan to secure planning permission and raise £35,000 to do this, and already have lottery funding to cover their electricity bills and ground rent over the next five years.

Once they have their extension built they plan to offer woodworking classes, as they have really honed their skills in their thrice-weekly sessions.

There is evidence all around us of their handiwork, from professional looking wooden ornaments that could go on a mantelpiece to the substantial cross made of oak, a work in progress for the school hall at the new St James Church of England Primary School.

In pride of place on the workbench, the cross is being carved by a retired stonemason whose work can be seen in Westminster Abbey. He is in the process of carving the school logo and a spray of ivy, to reflect the school’s focus on nature.

‘We have a lot of skills among us,’ says Terry, himself a retired marine engineer. ‘These days people still do some DIY, but not as much as my generation did. That’s why we thought doing workshops would be a good idea.’

Men in Sheds is a very ‘make do and mend’ outfit. It makes use of reclaimed wood which is donated to the group. Terry shows me the shed out the back which is crammed with wood and the stacks of wood keeping dry in a cavity beneath the shed itself, which has been built on slats. Kitchen units were donated to the group by the local Howdens kitchen supplier and fitted by the Men in Sheds themselves.

Members also encourage wildlife, with their owl boxes being very popular. Some are sold to boost the charity’s coffers.

Men in Sheds in Okehampton, in common with others up and down the country, aims to alleviate loneliness and even depression in retired and semi-retired men.

In that way, this shed is very different from the shed to which a man might escape in his own garden.

‘The socialising is so important,’ says Terry. ‘Lots of the people who have joined us over the years have been quite lonely. After they retire they get stuck in their houses and don’t ever really get out or have the chance to do that much in the community. So firstly what we offer is a chat with a cup of tea and then if you want to make something you can get involved.’

While there are now more than 400 sheds across Britain, according to the UK Men’s Sheds Association, the organisation which helped the group get off the ground.

In fact, though, as Terry explains, the concept started in Australia.

‘The Australian government spotted that these guys were all retiring and were just grabbing a few tinnies and slumping in front of the telly and really forgetting about everything else,’ he says. ‘They decided they had to do something to help them. So the Australian government paid for the sheds, which is a bit different from here in the UK because we didn’t get any government funding.

‘One of the things that has surprised me is that we have had a lot of people come who have been suffering from mental health issues to try and get them back on track. Some of them have stayed. We even found one person a job. That wasn’t something I was expecting.’

Project manager Phil Bush says meet ups in the shed replaces the camaraderie of colleagues which many men find themselves sorely missing when they retire.

‘Men retire with the expectation that retirement is going to be spectacular, but I’m afraid to say that it isn’t unless you happen to win the lottery and even then, money doesn’t necessarily make people happy. They often find themselves saying to themselves “I’ve cleaned my new car, I’ve cut the grass, I’ve tidied the shelves. What do I do now?”

‘That’s where Men in Sheds come in. We are open from 9.30am to 4.30pm and you can come in anytime you like. You don’t have to be there at 9.30am and if you want to come in at 3.30pm you can. The only rules are that you come when you like, go home when you like and drink as much tea and coffee as you like.’

There is no obligation to be the life and soul of the party, he adds.

‘In our tea breaks we air our views on practically any subject and if you are not a conversationalist you don’t have to say anything. You can just sit and listen.

‘There is never any pressure to do anything you don’t want to do. If you’ve worked in an office and don’t know how to work a sander we will show you, nobody’s going to tell you off or bite your head off. You’re here to relax and enjoy yourself.

‘You can guarantee, too, that you’ll find someone to talk to, and before you know it you’ll be meeting them for a drink down The Fountain.’

Men in Sheds is holding a barbecue on Saturday, July 27 from 4pm to which all are welcome.

For more details contact Phil Bush on 01837 658779.