Men in Sheds Lancing and Sompting
"Each shed participant is both a teacher and a learner" ..." Associate Professor Gary Misan
"Each shed participant is both a teacher and a learner" ..." Associate Professor Gary Misan
Frank's Blog
Our Shed Manager, Frank keeps everyone up to date with what is happening at the Shed(s) and our involvement in the community
Our Shed Manager, Frank keeps everyone up to date with what is happening at the Shed(s) and our involvement in the community
04 10 2024 We have exciting news to bring this week !!! We knew nothing about this at all, there we was merrily making items and working on projects when we came in one morning to a surprise of Reindeer Babies we no longer have single adult Reindeers we have babies too . With all the excitement of the new arrivals we still did manage to work on projects and have now also finished the ply store tidy up. Having been away from the shed for a while it was great to be back and open an envelope that had been left for me Thank You so much for the lovely card, I am glad I was able to help out and point you in the right direction and the fence is now fixed and the little ones are safe and able to play outside again . Have a Great Weekend, we will of course update should there be any more new arrivals over the weekend .
27 09 2024 No watering needed on the garden at the shed this week it certainly had a good soaking on and off during the week. Good for us in a way as we can check to see the works put in place so far to keep us from flooding like we used to are working really well, big Thanks to the Council Parks who were working around Manor Park a week ago and cleared all around the rear of our units as they do regularly when working in the park this ensures the water is allowed to run away as it should and it did, the front of our wood store is next area to receive some work to stop the pooling of water and after a few further minor repairs to the roof areas that will complete the work needed to ensure our units stay dry this winter. During this week we have been having another tidy up/move around this time in the cow shed area where we store our ply and the loft spaces we created above big thanks to those shedders involved in helping with that. Plenty of projects completed this week including the garage for Penhill Playgroup that will be delivered next week. The bird box request for Tarring Flood Action Group have been collected and we even found time for a day trip to Tangmere Military Aviation Museum (Members) , big Thanks to Mike who helped with the group booking and gave us all the information we needed for the day, the guys had a great time . We received some lovely pictures this week of a treasure box we made for a local youngsters school project that he has now decorated it is always great to receive pictures like this so our shedders can see the end result. We make so many items knowing what they are for but to see them being used always makes us smile . Have a Great Weekend
30 07 2024 Bank Holiday weekend means a short shed week just the two sessions this week . Projects collected/delivered this week include another bird feeder table a treasure box for a school project and we have been planning some winter changes with our recent additional funds to be used on our garden area . We also collected a mobility scooter that was no longer required from a local resident which is now in a new home with shedder Tom along with the hedgehog house he was building. Big Thanks to Maureen for making our scarecrow again for us this year, he has a canny resemblance to a bearded shed member of ours as well . Will he be on show at the shed or at a Shedders house in North lancing we will see on the 1st . The shed week although short was yet again one enjoyed by all especially with the added bonus at elevenses of sausage rolls and cake from our lovely cake lady Eve . It was great to see the event held by Lancing Parish Council was very popular and the weather was very kind too so much so they actually ran out of items to paint and we cut over 150 if you have not seen the great pictures from that event click here Lancing Parish Council to see them on their page. Have a great weekend
28 06 2024 We are all set for the Village Summer Fayre tomorrow, see poster in our pictures from the Lancing Parish Council page for all the details. We will be running a free build a bird box session whilst there ( you can make a donation if you wish, all proceeds will be given to Lancing and Sompting Churches' Food Bank ). We will be bringing some of our wood turned items and other items we make such as planters etc, examples of what we make our tables from and examples of our bird feeder tables, orders can be placed on items we do not have in stock. There will be plenty of stalls and activities including rides, face painting and the great smoothie making bike we hope to see you there. A big Thank You to Xandra for the lovely donation of goodies for our elevenses and also the lovely cushions for us to use on our benches and the bags of bark also for our garden area . We have also been busy on some great projects for a lovely local lady who calls into our shed often called Virginia who had some benches in need of some TLC and also wanted a chopping board and other items made, some are completed and will be collected/delivered next week . The gate project for local resident Martyn is well underway and will be finished and fitted very soon. We finished the week with beautiful weather and a great chat over a brew with some lovely gifted biscuits and some cracking sausage rolls made by Sue Recycling in Lancing . Have a great weekend .
21 06 2024 A great week at the shed working on and fitting/delivering projects for people in our community. We have repaired and fitted the side gate at Noah`s Ark Nursery , we have also finished the repairs to the shed doors for local resident Dawn and fitted those this week as well , we have delivered the planter requests from local resident Deni this week as well. We have been working on numerous other projects during the shed week as well including more bench repairs for North Lancing First & Middle School and some repairs to garden furniture for a local resident and regular visitor to our shed. We are also working on a new gate project for another local resident which is clamped up and drying over the weekend. Big Thanks to Craig from the Parks Dept Adur & Worthing Councils who very kindly brought us some chippings for our garden area this week . We have had a great week helping others in our community and have received some lovely Thank You cards and gifts which included the essential ingredients of a smooth running shed refreshments along with the odd biscuit and a fantastic home made Lemon Drizzle cake for elevenses on Thursday. Thank You Dawn for the wonderful Thank You card and donation of Tea ,biscuits, coffee etc we are glad we could help out repairing your shed doors. Thank You to 1st Sompting Scouts for the lovely Thank You card and donation for the low level trolley we made recently to help store your items under the stage. We also received a lovely Thank You card from the organisers of the recent open garden event we took part in , great to read so many enjoyed calling int o see how our garden is progressing and also to take a wander around our units to see what we have also done inside as well . We finished the week with a visit from Nicole from Durrington Infant & Junior School PTA who came to collect the Tombola and had in her arms a fantastic home made Lemon drizzle cake a firm favourite of many of our shedders Thank You for the lovely cake elevenses was very nice with that addition . Enjoy the pictures Thank You for all the lovely comments we get each week when we post our updates, we hope you have a great weekend .
07 06 2024 This week we would like to Thank https://www.ronseal.com/ for their continued support to all UK shed groups via our membership to UK Men's Sheds Association , we receive a regular donation of materials from Ronseal that enables our group to use those funds saved on community projects and of course the donated materials are also used on projects . Also this week I would like to Thank shedder Geoff for the picture he sent to ensure I was in top form before a procedure, having only been able to pop into the shed and give advice rather than work on projects shedder Geoff was turning his first Burr, these are tricky as they are always odd shaped and gnarly to ensure I knew he was safe he sent the picture to me below this is what makes a shed group what it is and makes each and every shed group individual yet all working together for the same cause. A shed group is only as good as it`s members and we are lucky to have some proper characters in ours. Also this week we collected some fantastic materials from a building company, we will as always make good use of it all. We have made sure we have managed to start the works needed to help Noah's Ark Nursery whose gate we made for them was vandalised recently, work is well underway and shedder Keith was putting a top coat on the project this week and looked very happy doing so . Have a great weekend .
18 05 2024 A Lovely few hours spent amongst shedders and our supporters, funders and those we turned to for advice and support during our journey refurbishing our units . Our units are now finished and all those shedders who have been working on them can now be what they should be Shedders . Big Thanks to all those who could not make it today we are humbled by all the local and national support we have received to help us get where we are today and continue to receive. We look forward to continuing our work in the community and helping other local groups/charities with their work in our community. Have a fantastic weekend and Thank You Bob Smytherman Carol Albury Sarah Leeding Lancing & Sompting Lions Club Doris Martin Stuart Jones Ltd The National Lottery Community Fund Sussex Community Foundation Cardiac Rehab Support West Sussex Worthing and Lancing & Sompting Co-op Members Forum. Lancing Parish Council Gardner and Scardifield Adur & Worthing Councils Seaview Building Company Xandra Stringer Recycling in Lancing Sussex Police H G King Funeral Services our lovely cake lady Eve for the fantastic buffet you supplied today and all those who have also supported our group we Thank You all.
03 05 2024 Busy week at the Shed with some great weather to plant up another fantastic donation from Ferring Nurseries and Lancing & Sompting Lions Club . Our Gates are now finished and we are well underway on the tombola for Durrington Infant & Junior School PTA and we have also collected another bench from North Lancing Primary School / North Lancing First & Middle School after delivering the one we recently completed . We are also starting to refurbish the lovely chairs we saved from The Three Horse Shoes Pub . A project for local resident Wendy Keep Lancing Lovely was also completed and delivered and we have now completed the wood turning items we have been working on Xandra see pictures . Big Thank You to local resident Christine who kindly donated some timber materials and also to Lee Gardner and Scardifield for the donation of timber materials we collected from the Garden Centre we will make good use of both donations on our projects in the community. Have A Good Weekend
22 03 2024 We held our AGM this week and are very pleased that the same team are with us again for another year . Big Thanks to Jo Zoe Lancing and Sompting Royal British Legion Club for looking after us so well, providing some fantastic light snacks and allowing us to use the Brian Turner suite to hold this years AGM. We would also like to Thank Tinia and the team at Lancing & Sompting Lions Club for another great donation of plants for our garden area. Big Thanks also to Sue Recycling in Lancing for the lovely Lemon Drizzle cake she made for us on Thursday. A short week at the Shed due to the AGM but plenty of things happening including more work in our garden area, projects being worked on and our Shed office had some heating fitted as well . We collected some compost for the garden and whilst there could not resist grabbing a little Thank You present to our garden helper Shedder John (see pictures) . Another great week at The Shed and plenty of good weather to sit and chat in our ever developing garden area. Have A Great Weekend .
15 03 2024 Some nice periods of sunshine this week allowed for great elevenses in our garden area . This week we finished and delivered the Bin Store to Sandy Lancing & Sompting Lions Club . The Tombola is almost finished after a request from Sarah Lancing and Sompting Churches' Food Bank . We have also added a great sign to our Garden Area and have painted the gate and front security grills. Bench ends are being prepared and we have set up our second lathe area now as well for our shedders to learn on/use. What started as a very wet week ended with the Sun managing to shine on our last session of the week . Big Thanks to local resident Jean who contacted us regards a donation of tools we will make good use of them and ensure they all get used again . Have a great weekend
08 03 2024 !!! WOW !!! what a week. Where to start ? Ok this week we visited the Lancing Parish Council Community Hub to see Cllr Doris Martin and hand over a project request, whilst there it was only right we tried the great new coffee machine the Hub was a hive of activity great to see . We also attended the Lancing Parish Council annual meeting and are proud to say we received the Community Champion of the Year Award 2024 all the Shedders are so happy to of received this award and be recognised for their efforts in and for our community . The great news this week kept on coming we also received some brilliant news regarding a funding bid we had submitted to The Asda Foundation grassroots fund that we had been successful and would be receiving a Cheque for £1,600 to help with the costs of fixings and the tooling we use to complete our projects . What a brilliant week for our group and one we will remember for some time. This week we also received two lovely gifts of Biscuits and tea one from Phil Lancing Bowls Club for the recent project we completed for them that is now installed and also from local resident Wendy who asked us to make her a couple of bird feeders from used tins that she had seen somewhere and liked, always happy to help we got straight to work and made them for her. We also had a visit from Lancing & Sompting Lions Club Tinia with some more lovely plants for our garden area Thank You again for your continued support of our group and helping us to get our garden area looking so nice . It still does not end as this week we also collected another donation of Ply wood from Stacey, Vinny and the team Stuart Jones Ltd these donations are vital for us to be able to continue to help others and attend the free build events we do with local schools and groups etc , all of us at The Shed Thank You for your continued support shown to our group. What an amazing week we have had we hope you all have a great weekend we certainly will:) .
02 02 2024 Some great projects have been finished and delivered/installed this week and plenty of other project requests are well underway . We have delivered the Mud Kitchen we made for The Globe Primary Academy after a request from Mumma Fitz . We have also installed the new Information Board at Chesham House Centre after a request from Volunteer Glynis , Big Thank You to the lovely ladies in the Tea room for the treat of Cheese Scones and a brew before we left . Other projects underway include an adaption to the trolleys we made for Lancing & Sompting Lions Club Tinia and we have also started on two Food Donation boxes after a request from Sarah Lancing and Sompting Churches' Food Bank . Another project well underway this week is the request from Phil for a Rack to house the Bowls collectors they use at Lancing Bowling Club. Projects of our own that we have been working on this week include the install of our Projector in our chill room and we have finished creating a dedicated painting area in our woodstore. Work on the Garden area continues and we are also working on a fairy tree house and also some more whirligig items as well . Another busy week working within our community and after a misty start to the week it ended with some lovely Sunshine . Have a Great weekend .
19 01 2024 Big Thank You to Stacey, Rich, Vinnie and the team at Stuart Jones Ltd for the latest donation of materials for our group to use on projects in our community, all of us at The Shed appreciate your continued support and Thank You for holding onto them until we could get there to collect them . The materials donated will allow us to work with local brownies, guides, scouts etc and pass on these materials in different forms such as bird boxes, bat boxes etc via our flat pack builds . Projects finished this week include the Mud kitchen we will be donating to The Globe Primary Academy Friends Of the Globe Mumma Fitz and also the Chesham House notice board is now finished and booked in to be installed soon , other projects this week included a request for two obelisks and our garden area now has all paths finished after a delivery of aggregate from our local Gardner and Scardifield . We have been preparing some more Groynes to place in our garden area as features and we have also almost finished the Bug Hotel request from Adam . Big Thanks to Craig from Adur & Worthing Councils Parks Department who has sourced some chippings for our borders in the garden area. Our Chairman and Shedder Andy spent some time chilling (literally :)) on one of the benches in our garden area whilst enjoying a shed session and took some great pictures that really do show the progress made and commented: Have to say that "Landscape Gardener/ Shedder" John has done an outstanding job, with help from others of course. We now appear to have a Courtyard, perhaps we should call it that because garden hardly covers the thoughts and ideas that are going on here. The different mediums of gravel and earth combine with the deep bed and beautiful walls to make something very special. And when the colourful plants appear in spring ..... WOW ... . We collected our new T shirts, Hats and cups this week, Thank You Mazzy from all The Shedders they look great. During the sessions this week we received a lovely donation of biscuits for the reindeer we made recently for NHS Secretary Zoe and also received a second box of the very same biscuits from another local resident to Thank us for works carried out on a memorial bench . Thank You to Kevan from Invader Security Solutions Ltd. who visited us to arrange the last phase of security measures at our units and as was the case with the CCTV, Kevan has once again done his very best to ensure we can have what is needed at a great price and within our budget, we have used funds from the fantastic donation we received from the CILS International just before Christmas to complete this project on our units Although a bit nippy it was another great week at The Shed . Have a Great Weekend .
12 01 2024 First week of shed sessions in 2024 and lots happening, we carried on working on the requests including the Chesham House Centre notice board and an Obelisk request. The garden area although a bit nippy was also worked on and we are finishing the outstanding projects in our units as well, this week a new bench has been installed by our office and the paint store area is being rearranged. Work is underway on the request from Adam from The Parks Department Adur & Worthing Councils for a Bug Hotel for a local group and we have also almost completed a Mud kitchen that we will be donating to The Globe Primary Academy . The reindeer is on it`s way to a new home at Worthing Hospital University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust a receptionist there wanted one and the shedders got to work straight away Thank You for all you do in your role for the NHS. Our first week at the shed in 2024 was made all the more special when we received a lovely visit from Clem to Thank us for the work we carried out refurbishing the memorial bench for Charlotte, it was a pleasure to be able to help out and we Thank You for the lovely surprise of some essentials for our Tea Breaks although a cold week it was a great start to 2024 for our Shedders and great to be back in The Shed . Have a lovely Weekend.
08 12 2023 This week we had a trip out to a local stables in Edburton to deliver and install a Saddle Store that shedders Keith and Jock made . The memorial bench refurbishment for local resident Clem is progressing nicely and has been worked on this week by Shedders Alan & Martin. Shedder Stephen has been working on The Chesham House notice board request. The shedders have also been busy working on other project requests including some Seagulls and the last of the Reindeer orders . Next week we will know if we have any of the popular Reindeers left if we do we will post them up on here for those who have asked. We have a small amount Christmas trees left as well. The garden area is now getting the paths installed by Shedder John and next week the ground cover will go down ready for the Chippings that are being kindly donated by the Parks dept. The shed is having a big project ticked off the list on Monday by Invader Security Solutions Ltd. who are coming to install the CCTV for us. We have delivered the raffle prize Bird Feeder table to the Lancing and Sompting Royal British Legion and also the hand made table to local resident Xandra . Big Thank You to Wendy Keep Lancing Lovely for donating the lovely Groyne and Chain that was washed up on our local beach, this is now a great feature in our new large planter area . What a great week for the shed and this week will be another as we tick off a big project and The Shedders are having their Christmas meal on Wednesday, this year we are at Lancing and Sompting Royal British Legion . Have a Great Weekend and remember to check out where the Lancing & Sompting Lions Club sleigh will be, the location is updated daily and you can track the route as well via the app posted on their page to ensure you do not miss it .
01 12 2023 A bit of a nip in the air as December begins, elevenses was taken indoors this week . The shedders have been working hard on all the Reindeer orders we got at the Fayre recently. It was an exceptionally good Fayre for our group, and we want to Thank all those who came along and purchased items to help support our group and those on other stalls as well. We are very low in stock of the Christmas trees we make from reclaimed flooring and all the Christmas wood turned items are now sold . Our garden area is still being worked on and looks great now all the guttering is finished on all the units, and we can now harvest the rainwater in the water butts we have connected as well. Next stage is to add a couple of paths and then we will be ready to cover the whole area with chippings kindly being supplied by The Parks Dept. The model Boat refurbishment is looking great as is the Bird feeder table for Lancing and Sompting Royal British Legion Club . We have almost finished the book nook request from Nina for Mickey Mouse town as well (pictures next week when complete). Also this week, a Horse Saddle store cupboard request is being built by two of the shedders and is almost complete. The refurbishment work on a memorial bench from Manor Park is also underway and will be continued next week once local resident Clem has called in to see the colours. To finish the week, we have been trying on new T shirts and Hats ready for the new year and we had a site visit from Invader Security Solutions Ltd. regards one of the last items on our list to complete the refurbishment project on the units we lease Security Cameras. The superb staff have offered to install the CCTV we need at a fantastic price knowing we are a self-funded charity and have managed to fit us in before the Christmas break as well, Thank You from all of us at The Shed the monies saved will be used to help us continue the work we do in our community. Have a great weekend ( Stay warm ) .
25 11 2023 !! WOW !! what a great time had by all at the Village Christmas Fayre today , big Thanks to Adur Markets for the great set up and Lancing Parish Council for inviting us along again this year, The Shedders had a great time. We are amazed at the fantastic support shown by all those who attended the fayre to support the stall holders. A really busy and enjoyable event Thank You all again .
18 11 2023 Big Thanks to Kathy, Steve and the team at www.lancingcommercial.co.uk for carrying out the MOT on our groups vehicle this week. Great news it passed and the lovely Kathy knowing we are a charity group reduced the costs involved for us as well. A great local friendly company who always go above and beyond to help out , Thanks again from all of us at The shed
17 11 2023 This weeks shed activities included a visit to our local Co-op store to celebrate with the other Local Causes, we would like to Thank all those who use the Co-op store and chose our group as their local cause and also to all those shoppers who do not nominate a cause and pledge funds using their Co-op card as these funds are shared between the three causes at the end of the funding round. This year we received a staggering £3,549.044 Thank You all so much from all of us at The Shed #coopcelebration #itswhatwedo Bob. We would also like to Thank Sandra, Tinia and the team at Lancing & Sompting Lions Club for your continued support, our garden area is looking great with all the superb plants/flowers that you have kindly supplied our group. Projects we have worked on this week included a fantastic local request from Judith at Coombes Church to help refurbish the Notice Board, this was finished and collected this week, Thank You for the lovely email with the pictures for us to share, all the shedders are looking forward to the arrival of a Lemon Drizzle Thank You Cake later this month . We have also received a lovely Thank You email this week as well from Fiona regards the Hedgehog Houses, we made for the 3rd Mile Oak Brownies which reads: Hi Andy, We completed our hedgehog houses tonight! We couldn't do them earlier due to unmovable dates in our programme, fireworks, Remembrance Day. The flat packs were brilliant, the girls were mostly able to complete them without too much help from the adults and they really enjoyed them! I will visit the shed with some biscuits! I have some photos to pass on to you which you can share on your social media, I am just waiting for the roofs to dry - we stuck some roofing felt on and they are currently sitting under boxes, then I will take some photos of the houses in situ too. Thanks so much, Fiona, 3rd Mile Oak Brownies. We will post those pictures when we receive them:). Our Christmas Fayre items are coming along nicely too, we are looking forward to seeing you there it is being held on Saturday 25th November 10am - 1pm - South Street. The garden area has really progressed this week despite the rain the guttering is now installed on The Cow Shed and rain water is now being harvested via the fitted water butt and the Barn will soon have the guttering finished as well and we will also harvest rain water via a water butt on the barn as well The Shedders also have found the time to have a tidy up as well in the units Well done all involved. What a wonderful week Have A Great Weekend!!
06 10 2023 October is here and the weather continues to be kind to us, making our days go with a swing
A most interesting, busy and enjoyable week for the Shedders. Some housekeeping. Our first Shed in Grinstead Lane is now used for storage, so a team have been down there to get ready and take items that we have been getting ready for upcoming events. Also to say say Hi to our landlady Julie.
Reaching out to support and help in our local community is core to our project and all those who read these updates will be aware of that. So today it is particularly lovely to share with you the thanks we have recently received. Noah's Ark Nursery sent us a wonderful poster thanking us for their new gate. North Lancing Primary School gave us a lovely box of goodies to say thank you for our work in a memorial area to one of their students; the cakes, cookies, scones and cordial are most welcome. Thank you to both.
Not all work though - always time for some play. A trip to Amberley Museum. Thanks to all the organisers, Sompting Big Local for minibus and driver Stephen. A separate post about this next week when we have got all the photos together
Best wishes to all our friends and supporters, have a great weekend!
A most interesting, busy and enjoyable week for the Shedders. Some housekeeping. Our first Shed in Grinstead Lane is now used for storage, so a team have been down there to get ready and take items that we have been getting ready for upcoming events. Also to say say Hi to our landlady Julie.
Reaching out to support and help in our local community is core to our project and all those who read these updates will be aware of that. So today it is particularly lovely to share with you the thanks we have recently received. Noah's Ark Nursery sent us a wonderful poster thanking us for their new gate. North Lancing Primary School gave us a lovely box of goodies to say thank you for our work in a memorial area to one of their students; the cakes, cookies, scones and cordial are most welcome. Thank you to both.
Not all work though - always time for some play. A trip to Amberley Museum. Thanks to all the organisers, Sompting Big Local for minibus and driver Stephen. A separate post about this next week when we have got all the photos together
Best wishes to all our friends and supporters, have a great weekend!
20 09 2023 We were delighted to be invited along to Shoreham Fort by Gary Baines and his team to help with the restoration projects that are going on over there.
Work to build Shoreham Fort began in 1857 in response to a perceived threat from over The English Channel in France. The Fort has a glorious history of people, historical events, and importance at a time of war that you can read about on their website at https://www.shorehamfort.co.uk/
Gary asked if we could help to recreate what the Clean Room would have been like originally. This was the area where those working at the Fort, military and civilian came through each day to work. Given the work involved gunpowder, weapons, shells, and other ordinance it was most important that clothing and footwear were fit for purpose, safe and in the case of the latter did not cause sparks! This area was in modern terms, the Changing Room.
Being asked by Gary is a source of considerable pride to The Shedders. In addition to our aim of helping and supporting our local community with our skills and time, it is a privilege to “be part of History.” The work had to be done with great sympathy to The Fort as an historical building.
Shoreham Fort took part in the “Heritage Open Day” weekend and on Saturday 17th September some of the Shedders were present to share with other visitors the works that we have been involved with – as well as having a wonderful time at this fantastic local site!
Work to build Shoreham Fort began in 1857 in response to a perceived threat from over The English Channel in France. The Fort has a glorious history of people, historical events, and importance at a time of war that you can read about on their website at https://www.shorehamfort.co.uk/
Gary asked if we could help to recreate what the Clean Room would have been like originally. This was the area where those working at the Fort, military and civilian came through each day to work. Given the work involved gunpowder, weapons, shells, and other ordinance it was most important that clothing and footwear were fit for purpose, safe and in the case of the latter did not cause sparks! This area was in modern terms, the Changing Room.
Being asked by Gary is a source of considerable pride to The Shedders. In addition to our aim of helping and supporting our local community with our skills and time, it is a privilege to “be part of History.” The work had to be done with great sympathy to The Fort as an historical building.
Shoreham Fort took part in the “Heritage Open Day” weekend and on Saturday 17th September some of the Shedders were present to share with other visitors the works that we have been involved with – as well as having a wonderful time at this fantastic local site!
18 09 2023 Another week of super weather for us all! Lots of talk about a poor summer but so far September has been kind, garden areas are really “blooming”. Lovely roses and the climbing plants that we are using to screen our toilet areas are growing so well. The Jasmine is flowering – next year that that area will look a picture. Big thank you to John W for doing so much work on the garden – ably assisted by Keith S with the hosepipe!
From September we have been focusing on a key areas of what goes on at the Shed, chatting! Some Shedders spend their time with woodworking/project working. Some shedders come along and chat to their friends, get company and catch up with events. Some do both of course! Andy has made his main Shed day a Tuesday to encourage the “chatters” (he is quite good at that himself!) either in the Chill Room or in the present lovely weather in the shade outside with a cuppa. We like this twin approach to the needs of our Shredders and will continue.
We had a visit from Doris Martin to collect the Quoits game that Alan has made, excellent. Young Steve is busy getting ready our Wishing Tree, it looks great. Tom is beginning work on a Beehive, fascinating. John H has been continuing on the Book House.
Martin and Ken went over to our near neighbours at Noah’s Ark Day Nursery to install a new gate for them – reaching out to our community with their requests like this is a key part of the project.
We had a visit from Courtney Everett, Social Activities Coordinator for Adur at West Sussex Mind. Way back in 2015 we started to “challenge” isolation and loneliness that affects us all at certain times and have concluded that our Shed is a wonderful way to build our resilience against that. Courtney, like all visitors was shown around by The Shedders who talked about what they get up to at The Shed and what impact it is having on them.
Maureen Ross from The North Lancing Community Association called in with a “Thank You” card and donation for our help in making frames from the spectacular Scarecrow Festival that is going on throughout this part of the village throughout September – pop up and see the dozens of Scarecrows that residents have put up in the gardens and at the roadside!
Another great week for us and many more to come. Best wishes to you all!
From September we have been focusing on a key areas of what goes on at the Shed, chatting! Some Shedders spend their time with woodworking/project working. Some shedders come along and chat to their friends, get company and catch up with events. Some do both of course! Andy has made his main Shed day a Tuesday to encourage the “chatters” (he is quite good at that himself!) either in the Chill Room or in the present lovely weather in the shade outside with a cuppa. We like this twin approach to the needs of our Shredders and will continue.
We had a visit from Doris Martin to collect the Quoits game that Alan has made, excellent. Young Steve is busy getting ready our Wishing Tree, it looks great. Tom is beginning work on a Beehive, fascinating. John H has been continuing on the Book House.
Martin and Ken went over to our near neighbours at Noah’s Ark Day Nursery to install a new gate for them – reaching out to our community with their requests like this is a key part of the project.
We had a visit from Courtney Everett, Social Activities Coordinator for Adur at West Sussex Mind. Way back in 2015 we started to “challenge” isolation and loneliness that affects us all at certain times and have concluded that our Shed is a wonderful way to build our resilience against that. Courtney, like all visitors was shown around by The Shedders who talked about what they get up to at The Shed and what impact it is having on them.
Maureen Ross from The North Lancing Community Association called in with a “Thank You” card and donation for our help in making frames from the spectacular Scarecrow Festival that is going on throughout this part of the village throughout September – pop up and see the dozens of Scarecrows that residents have put up in the gardens and at the roadside!
Another great week for us and many more to come. Best wishes to you all!
09 09 2023 Phew, "It Ain't Half Hot Mum!" A week of blazing sunshine and high temperatures for us. We hope that you are managing alright in the heatwave with plenty of cuppas, cold drinks and ice cream - and maybe a paddle or a swim
We had two waterboys hard at work this week, John W and Keith S making sure that the hosepipe is working correctly.
T. V. and film buffs will be aware of the famous film by Eric Sykes from the 1960s called "The Plank", well we had our own version of it this week starring Alan, Geoff and Ken.... Oscars await them.
Work has been continuing inside where it is a little cooler on projects for a local playgroup, that boat project and a library box. Braving the heat outside Tom continues to work on the second bench for Manor Park.
We have had some visitors who have popped along to take a look at what we are doing, see how we can help and learn from each other and boost our local community. So thank you for popping in to Keith Colin from Sustainable Sussex https://www.sustainablesussex.org/ Steve Saunders from Fabric Community Garden https://lfcg.weebly.com/ and Catherine Goldsmith from Independent Lives https://www.independentlives.org/ Good to see you
It is great to have Keith D back with us looking so well after recent surgery on his back, we know how important being able to come along is to our Shedders. And with that in mind we send our best wishes to our brilliant Shed Manager Frank who is also undergoing health treatment at the moment and has more to come... Good luck with all that buddy, we want you back with us as soon as you are able..
Our best wishes to you, our friends and supporters, please do not forget that you are always welcome to pop in for a look around, a chat and a Cuppa ....
We had two waterboys hard at work this week, John W and Keith S making sure that the hosepipe is working correctly.
T. V. and film buffs will be aware of the famous film by Eric Sykes from the 1960s called "The Plank", well we had our own version of it this week starring Alan, Geoff and Ken.... Oscars await them.
Work has been continuing inside where it is a little cooler on projects for a local playgroup, that boat project and a library box. Braving the heat outside Tom continues to work on the second bench for Manor Park.
We have had some visitors who have popped along to take a look at what we are doing, see how we can help and learn from each other and boost our local community. So thank you for popping in to Keith Colin from Sustainable Sussex https://www.sustainablesussex.org/ Steve Saunders from Fabric Community Garden https://lfcg.weebly.com/ and Catherine Goldsmith from Independent Lives https://www.independentlives.org/ Good to see you
It is great to have Keith D back with us looking so well after recent surgery on his back, we know how important being able to come along is to our Shedders. And with that in mind we send our best wishes to our brilliant Shed Manager Frank who is also undergoing health treatment at the moment and has more to come... Good luck with all that buddy, we want you back with us as soon as you are able..
Our best wishes to you, our friends and supporters, please do not forget that you are always welcome to pop in for a look around, a chat and a Cuppa ....
25 05 2023 Late August and summer is coming to an end! Tidy up mode in our garden and planter areas. We have been so lucky to have been given plants that boost the look of the place, not just for our sake but also for the locals and park visitors. Thank you to all who have gifted us plants.
Ably led by John W and assisted by Jock and Andy, a busy few hours on the plot and everything is looking better.
Projects continue apace. Finishing off bench refurbs, book stores, planters and a notice board.
Not every Shedder come in to work on projects and with that in mind our Chill area ("Brook Corner") is available with a library, armchairs, computers, a projector and screen. We see talking and meeting up with mates as a very important part of what we are trying to achieve.
A couple of Shedders have recently undergone surgery and are unable to come along at the moment. We know the impact that has and via messaging and support we keep in touch regularly. Very soon they will be back in the Shed with us, their buddies and getting a real lift from that!
Whatever the weather holds for us, we send our best wishes to you all for an enjoyable Bank Holiday weekend
Ably led by John W and assisted by Jock and Andy, a busy few hours on the plot and everything is looking better.
Projects continue apace. Finishing off bench refurbs, book stores, planters and a notice board.
Not every Shedder come in to work on projects and with that in mind our Chill area ("Brook Corner") is available with a library, armchairs, computers, a projector and screen. We see talking and meeting up with mates as a very important part of what we are trying to achieve.
A couple of Shedders have recently undergone surgery and are unable to come along at the moment. We know the impact that has and via messaging and support we keep in touch regularly. Very soon they will be back in the Shed with us, their buddies and getting a real lift from that!
Whatever the weather holds for us, we send our best wishes to you all for an enjoyable Bank Holiday weekend
18 08 2023 Some welcome sunshine on Shed days this week and no let up in the wellbeing and projects there! This week saw a Quoits game being got ready for North Lancing School, the refurbishment of two card tables for a local resident, the building of an outdoor library, a bench being renovated for the Council, the building of a Fairy Tree House for our garden and a new notice board for Brooklands. Also a gift of a model galleon to be finished. Busy, busy Shedders. Visits this week from Steve Saunders, Chairman at the Fabric Community Garden in the village, Sue Brown from Community Works and from a potential Shedder.... Best wishes to you all from The Shedders.....
17 08 2023 Painted pebbles. We found these left for us on the large planter outside The Shed this morning. To whoever did this, "Thank You" it makes our day go even better...
12 08 2023 his week we have been in our Garden area getting some things finished such as the Path Borders, for these we used a recent donation from local resident Mel Thank You we will be using more of your donated decking around our garden and also making a planter for a local resident. Great to be able to repurpose materials in this way . We have also installed the lovely Groyne that was washed up on our beach and found by the Keep Lancing Lovely team. Thank You for letting us have this it looks great after being oiled and put into its news home . Shedder Tom brought in a project from home to be refurbished, that was also completed this week and looks fantastic as can be seen in the video in the comments, well done Shedder John for taking on the project and making it look so good . Work is also well underway on the second bench for the park. A planter was made this week that we may make more of as it has proven to be quite popular, work has also started on a new sign after a request from Lisa Friends of Brooklands Park and work has also started on a book nook after a request from Nina . We have also put the latest donation of plants from Tinia Lancing & Sompting Lions Club into our garden area as well Thank You for those the garden area is starting to look very nice as they get established . We finished the week with a visit from Adam Bennetts Mobile Vehicle Service and Repairs to complete a job on our van Have a great weekend.
04 08 2023 Projects finished this week included another whirligig plane for local resident Phil , we have also been busy making some more planters and have nearly finished a request for a set of two for another local resident. Tinia Lancing & Sompting Lions Club called in with some lovely plants for our garden area great timing as we had also finished the request for a set of ducks so they went home with Tinia . Shedders have also working on personal projects this week which included a garden table top and also a turned Goblet . Our elevenses this Monday not only included the usual Tea, Biscuits but also Sausage rolls, Cheese Straws and the odd Jam doughnut too from the bakers . All in all another great week at The shed with plenty of banter, chats and projects for people in our community and also our members as well , we also had lots of local people stop as they passed by this week as well for a chat and quite a few of the dogs on their walks are now remembering to stop and turn left at the gate to grab some refreshments whilst on their walks and a dog treat when we have them as well . Have a Great weekend .
28 07 2023 We had a full weeks sessions this week and also a day trip out , the latest day trip was to Bird World a very nice day out it was too including lunch and our Treasurer Trevor even treated us all to ice creams Big Thanks to shedder Keith for taking the pictures and all the videos (we will add these to the comments) . Projects finished this week include The Manor Park bench which is now sited on the pad for people to sit and watch the bowls Thanks to the Park Rangers for fitting this slightly heavy item . Shedders Martin and Stephen finished the work they have been doing for the Shoreham Fort project. In the shed we have completed the latest whirligig plane this time a Fokker that also has its very own pilot made by shedder Geoff who also painted it too. Some more Ducks that have been ordered are almost finished and shedder Keith has made some great Bee hotels. We had a delivery of materials last week that are now delivered to Fabric Community Garden in the form of a Mud Kitchen and two Sand pits big thanks to shedder Ken for his work on this project. Another fantastic Australian Burr bowl is almost ready and we are also working on a log cabin birdhouse . We also had a lovely surprise this week from Adam Bennetts Mobile Vehicle Service and Repairs who serviced our van Free Of Charge Thank You so much for that. All in all a rather good week at our shed and the places we visited. Have a Great Weekend
26 07 2023 We just saw this on another page and wanted to share this post about this great project : Carol Albury Writes: Having been asked by so many residents to have some benches overlooking the Bowling Green in Lancing Manor Park and keen to see this happen, working together with our Adur Park Rangers and Men in Sheds Lancing and Sompting we now have the first of these put in place this morning...Thank you to Men in Sheds who are now working on lovingly restoring the second one...
26 07 2023 !!! Wow !!! Bennetts Mobile Vehicle Service and Repairs called round this evening and gave our groups van a full service !!! FREE OF CHARGE !!! . What a lovely surprise from this great local mobile mechanic, we are truly grateful to you and your colleague for coming around when you should be on your way home and doing this for us and at no cost to our group !!! Wow !!! . When things like this happen randomly it really does make your day Thanks again Adam Bennetts Mobile Vehicle Service and Repairs
21 07 2023 Another great week at the shed We have started the Shoreham Fort project this week pictures to follow soon. Items made this week include another Whirligig plane, Planters, Bee hotels and we made a tweak to the Beat The Buzzer game we made for Care for Veterans ready for them to take to this weekends event at The Broadwater Carnival that was collected Thursday by Myra who brought us some lovely biscuits . Our garden area is now being worked on and we have started to tidy up the area ready to top dress and seed the area with the help of our local Gardner and Scardifield . We visited Costcutter Tyres this week and Liam as always got us back on the road ASAP. We delivered all the items we sold recently to raise funds for essential items for Lancing and Sompting Food Bank and delivered those items this week as well, we will see you again soon Sarah ,Thank You very much for the Thank You letter you delivered today. As you know we try and use as much reclaimed materials as possible and that is also the case with our tools as well, our Shed Manager brought in a planer thicknesser to donate this week that was seized up and as always there will be a shedder who will have a go at getting it back into working action and this time Shedder Alan took on the task of refurbishing it and by the end of the week we have a great addition to our tool bank Great job Alan. Have a great weekend .
20 07 2023 Big Thanks to Liam Costcutter Tyres for fitting us in at short notice this morning and supplying us with the tyre we needed. Always a great service from this local business based on Churchill Industrial Estate, greeted with a friendly welcome and great advice. Very prompt service as well, the old tyre was off and the new one was balanced and fitted in no time at all and we were back on our way again Thanks again Liam.
!!!! UPDATE !!!! BIG THANKS to all those who helped raise the funds to purchase these items for Lancing and Sompting Food Bank , we asked Sarah what was needed the most and have purchased items to suit. Your purchases managed to raise £70 for this great cause. Thank You all again .
15 07 2023 Big Thanks to Adam Bennetts Mobile Vehicle Service and Repairs who came to repair our van yesterday evening. The weather was not the best, in fact it was lashing it down for the entire repair, but that made no difference at all, the repair was completed quickly fuelled by a coffee and we are back up and mobile again. Great service from this local company. Thank You for being really fair on the pricing as well knowing we are a charity group . We hope the weather is better for you today .
14 07 2023 We only had two full shed sessions this week due to having a shedders meeting on Monday, we had been busy making items ready for the Summer Fayre but this has unfortunately been cancelled due to safety concerns regarding the weather, Thank You Carol and Lancing Parish Council for the early notice on the cancellation. We had plans to bring the beat the buzzer game we have made and anybody completing it would win a Bird Box all proceeds from those who played was going to be donated to Lancing and Sompting Food Bank , we are still keen to raise some funds for this great cause and will be posting an update on this over the weekend. Last Saturday as was seen in our recent post we attended the Care for Veterans summer fayre and this week received a lovely message and certificate Thanking us for helping to raise essential funds for this fantastic cause and for making the Beat the Buzzer game for them, well done to all those who attended with stalls and those who came along to support this cause helping to raise a fantastic amount of just over £7000 a brilliant result especially considering the weather on the day . It may of only been two full sessions but this week we have finished the items needed for the Shoreham Fort project and a team of Shedders will be fitting those next week. The chair refurbishment is now finished and the coffee table is almost finished as well. We have painted the sailing boat whirligig and also another Spitfire whirligig ( videos in the comments ), the ducks are off to a new home Tinia Lancing & Sompting Lions Club but we will be making more soon for those interested in purchasing a set and we have continued to work on our garden area, although only two full sessions this week as can be seen from the pictures the Shedders have been busy and plenty of items are now finished or very close to being so and Shedder Alan also turned a fantastic bowl from an Australian Burr who would of thought he is still learning . The Manor Park bench that has a new pad waiting for it to be sited on in the park is almost ready too. Any items we made to take to the fayre are pictured below please do send us a message if you are interested in any of them. Have a great weekend .
13 07 23 Fantastic to see this post of some of the Children at Herons Dale Primary School making and decorating these boxes we left them when we held a bird box build for them. Very impressed with the build we may have some future Shedders in the making , Thanks for posting this it is great to see .
08 07 2023 A busy time today despite the wet start at the Care for Veterans Summer Fayre, we built over 50 flat pack Bird Boxes raising over £200 for this great cause. Well done to all the shedders who attended today to help build those. We could not do these types of events without the fantastic support from Stuart Jones Ltd who donate the materials we need to make the items. We had a
wonderful time watching the fantastic entertainment and looking around all the brilliant stalls and displays. Thank You for the invite and for looking after us so well Myra and the Care for Veterans team
wonderful time watching the fantastic entertainment and looking around all the brilliant stalls and displays. Thank You for the invite and for looking after us so well Myra and the Care for Veterans team
07 07 2023 !!! Wow !!! What a week at the shed. We started the week with great news regarding our latest planning application to extend our opening hours to allow access to set up our units ready for when our members arrive it was approved Monday evening Big Thanks to all of our neighbours, visitors, council officers and our landlords who gave support and advice during this latest application it will allow the smooth running of our group on each shed session morning, we celebrated the great news with an evening out at The Royal British Legion. This week we also fitted a project we have made for Lancing Parish Council which is a Toy lending Library, what a great idea and we hope it will be well used, they are situated either side of the perch and have numerous beach toys to ensure the little ones ( and big ones ) have as much fun as possible. We have also been busy in the shed the Shoreham Fort project is now ready for installing, a new whirligig is well underway this time a sailing boat one and it looks like it is going to work great (see video in comments) , the ducks are looking great, the model building is coming along nicely as well. Our coffee table we are making has had a second coat and the chair refurbishment is also well underway. There have been lessons on the lathe for shedders and a second Spitfire whirligig is almost finished as well . We will be finishing the week by attending the Care for Veterans Summer Fayre, what a lovely way to end the week helping this great cause raise funds to care for our veterans, there is lots going on take a look on their page for details. Have a great weekend .
06 07 2023 Families looking to enjoy Lancing Beach this season can benefit from two free Beach Toy Libraries located either side of The Perch.They have been beautifully designed and crafted by our fabulous Men in Sheds Lancing and Sompting team and are full of bucket and spades all donated by Parish Councillors, ready to enjoy while you are on the beach and then return for others to use and enjoy!We ask that you please don't leave beach toys alone on the beach, either take away with you or leave in the Beach Toy Library for a new little set of hands to play with.If you would like to donate any items please do drop them into the Parish Hall or put in the box for people to use.#lancingparishcouncil #lancing #SummerFun #beachvibes #beachtoylibrary
30 06 2023 The Rain arrived this week very much needed for the Garden area and the shed projects keep moving along , this week we have finished the rest of the North Lancing Community Association signs and they are now installed, we have also finished the Beach Toy lending boxes for @Lancing Parish Council and we will be installing those shortly, please do make use of them when you are at the beach, feel free to donate any beach toys you no longer use to them as well for others to use. We have been busy making flat pack bird boxes for the upcoming Care for Veterans event and we have also finished project requests for Tinia Lancing & Sompting Lions Club and a birdfeeder table for local resident Rachel, work has started on another whirligig this time a tri-plane and the Shoreham Fort project is also moving along nicely . We have also started work on the fantastic pieces of driftwood given to us recently by Wendy @Keep Lancing Lovely and also some Groynes we have as well they are all looking fantastic . We have nearly finished a lovely coffee table and we have some new guests in our garden area as can be seen in our pictures all patiently waiting for a coat of paint:) , some more Seagulls are being made for Lin and the new library area at North Lancing Primary/Middle School and we are transforming one of the lovely Cherry tree stumps in our garden area into a fairy house:) . During all of this there was some great conversations and banter this week as well making it another great week to be a Shedder Enjoy the pictures and have a great weekend . Remember we always have water bowls outside our units by the yellow barrier for any dogs that need it, should they become empty whilst using them please do mention it to one of our shedders who will happily refill them .
16 06 2023 A great week of lovely weather and people visiting us along with many projects moving along nicely as well at The Shed this week , Big Thank You to Sue, John & the Team At Recycling in Lancing who came to see us this week to present us with a cheque, all of us at the shed are grateful for your continued support. We also had a visit from Tinia Lancing & Sompting Lions Club who brought us some fantastic climbers for our garden, Thank You for sourcing them for us , Gerry was at the shed on Monday finishing the Wi-Fi into our units it works great Thank You for all the advice and for the time spent fitting all the items for us we can now do so much more at the Shed with this service provided by Mark and the fantastic team at Lancing Manor Leisure Centre , we collected other plant donations this week for our garden area from local resident Lisa and also Shedder Alan Thank You both for those the garden is filling up nicely , local resident Rachel asked if we could help refurbish a bird feeder table so we have also picked that up this week a great looking one it is too and will be lovely when all done . We also went on site to fit the Bookshelf tree requested by Lin for the new library area at North Lancing School, shedder Alan has finished refurbishing the vintage stool, which now needs a new home, and another whirligig plane is under construction. We had a special visitor on Thursday that we put back into the long grass area, Shedder Alan brought in birthday cakes for elevenses this week and some of the shedders also enjoyed a few Strawberries from our garden too, great to see so many shedders enjoying the sessions this week working on their own projects and projects for local people in our community. Our shedders are often having a chat with any passers-by who are looking in wondering what we are doing, so please do stop and ask should you be wondering what it is we are working on or if you want to know more about our group and how we help in our community whilst also providing a safe space for our members to come and enjoy the shed sessions. Thank You again to all those who support our group which helps us to help others in our community, Have a Great weekend.
10 06 23 Another big step forward for our group this week Thanks to Gerry , Mark and the team Lancing Manor Leisure Centre South Downs Leisure who have very kindly agreed to supply us with Wi-Fi to our units the sender unit and receiver is all installed and early next week we will have Wi-Fi across our units , this will help our group in so many ways some of which include teaching our members how to use the internet and use it safely, add more security items to our units, allow our volunteers to deal with shed items at the shed rather than at home and so many more so Thank You again this will really make a big difference to our group . The sun shone again all week enjoyable as it is please do be aware of the current weather warning for our area over the weekend, enjoy the great weather but please be aware to stay safe. We had a lovely visit this week from Lancing and Sompting Food Bank who came to collect the latest batch of collection boxes we have made for them and brought with them a lovely donation of Biscuits which of course are always gratefully received in our Shed , we also had some lovely Sausage rolls and cakes this week as well from our regular cake lady Eve Thank you both for supplying the essential items this week for our Elevenses , we have started work on the Groyne that will be a feature in our garden that was donated to us by Wendy Keep Lancing Lovely . We recently had a visit from Gary Shoreham Fort with a request to help out on a project they are working on, some of the shedders have started that this week, the tree bookshelf request from Lin for North Lancing First & Middle School is now finished, more benches have been refurbished and work on our garden area continues, some shedders enjoyed the fruits of their labours this week via some very nice Strawberries from our raised beds, we have finished another bird feeder table and shedder Ken brought in a very interesting little boat that runs via a lit candle great little item and one we may just have to have a go at making , we will add a video in the comments, the planters for Tinia Lancing & Sompting Lions Club have now been stained too and shedder Geoff turned a lovely bowl as a gift for friend who would of thought a few week ago he had never been on a lathe . We also had a lovely message sent from Tracy and the fantastic team Herons Dale Primary School which read as follows:
Hi Frank
Just wanted to show you the space where Shaun`s hut will now be put so the children can make the most of it - its in our nature hub area - a place to go for some peace and quiet. Now children have somewhere to 'hide away' when it all gets too much for them!
It is always nice to receive pictures and messages about items we have made or projects we have helped out on and to receive this message and see how it is now not only still being used for Shaun once painted but also providing a place of peace and quiet for any children to make use of when they need to is great to read and share with our members. As shedders we all volunteer our time and skills to make items and refurbish items, receiving messages like this shows that what our volunteers who run the group and members do at each session can and does make a difference to so many different people of all ages and for all sorts of reasons whether it be to escape for while or to simply be able to sit for a while on an item that was previously broken or in need of some TLC or that was never there until donated by our group and enjoy doing so whilst among other shedders, enjoying the banter and chats is what makes Men In Sheds such a great thing to be involved with for all those who volunteer and for all of our members, we all gain so much in so many different ways just as those we help do , enjoy the pictures and the video. Have a great weekend
Hi Frank
Just wanted to show you the space where Shaun`s hut will now be put so the children can make the most of it - its in our nature hub area - a place to go for some peace and quiet. Now children have somewhere to 'hide away' when it all gets too much for them!
It is always nice to receive pictures and messages about items we have made or projects we have helped out on and to receive this message and see how it is now not only still being used for Shaun once painted but also providing a place of peace and quiet for any children to make use of when they need to is great to read and share with our members. As shedders we all volunteer our time and skills to make items and refurbish items, receiving messages like this shows that what our volunteers who run the group and members do at each session can and does make a difference to so many different people of all ages and for all sorts of reasons whether it be to escape for while or to simply be able to sit for a while on an item that was previously broken or in need of some TLC or that was never there until donated by our group and enjoy doing so whilst among other shedders, enjoying the banter and chats is what makes Men In Sheds such a great thing to be involved with for all those who volunteer and for all of our members, we all gain so much in so many different ways just as those we help do , enjoy the pictures and the video. Have a great weekend
28 04 2023 Busy, busy at The Shed this week. And a real variety of projects going on!
Boxes and storage for Lancing Parish Council (for toys on the beach) and Lancing Bowling Club (storage of kit), repairing an Axminster lathe for an ex-Shedder, food boxes for Lancing food bank , picnic tables for North Lancing Primary school. And four of the Shedders discussing a project for a Shoreham Fort project
You will see from the list and the photos/videos just how much we reach out to support our local community groups with our skills, time and kindness, this is very important to us
And as you all know, whilst we have Shedders who are very busy indeed on the projects we have Shedders coming along to meet, to chat, have a cuppa and be with their friends. We know that mix works very well!
Have a lovely Bank Holiday weekend everyone
Boxes and storage for Lancing Parish Council (for toys on the beach) and Lancing Bowling Club (storage of kit), repairing an Axminster lathe for an ex-Shedder, food boxes for Lancing food bank , picnic tables for North Lancing Primary school. And four of the Shedders discussing a project for a Shoreham Fort project
You will see from the list and the photos/videos just how much we reach out to support our local community groups with our skills, time and kindness, this is very important to us
And as you all know, whilst we have Shedders who are very busy indeed on the projects we have Shedders coming along to meet, to chat, have a cuppa and be with their friends. We know that mix works very well!
Have a lovely Bank Holiday weekend everyone
The sun came and went this week and brought with it some wet and windy conditions, but we used these to test the great Spitfire whirligig shedder Ken has been working on and it worked great we had a visit from Sandra who came on behalf of Lancing & Sompting Lions Club with a funding cheque that has helped us with the purchase costs of our new woodturning Respirators The Shedders wish to Thank all of the Lions team for your continued support these are a vital piece of equipment needed to keep those who work on our lathes safe and we now have all we need. Another A frame bench request is well underway and receiving a final coat of stain, shedders Stephen and Alan have started the Bowls cupboard request from Lancing Bowling Club and shedder Alan has nearly finished his plant pot stand project, we have also started another great project request to supply some Toy boxes/ crates for Lancing Beach, these will be made from reclaimed materials and stained bright colours with the donated materials we received from Ronseal , we have also completed the first part of a donation for Sompting Village Primary School for their memorial garden they are creating, we are also supplying a bench as well and that is underway, we had a lovely visit from Lucy Brown who mentioned the new memorial garden they wanted to create for the children and the items needed, the shedders where keen to help out and will soon complete the second part of what they need . The quiet room is a great place for our members to sit and have a chat in the warm and was used a lot again this week. Big Thanks also to all those who visited us this week, we are always happy to stop and chat and explain what we are doing and even show you around to see what we are doing , there will always be a shedder happy to do this so please do feel free to stop and ask anything you wish . Have A Great Weekend .
31 03 2023 Our week started with our AGM, this year we had another great turn out from our members and we are happy to announce the team that has carried our group forward over the last year has been re-elected to continue that progress through 2023, big Thanks to all those Shedders who attended and voted in favour of that team, we are confident we shall keep on moving forwards with this team as we have done over the last four years , during the break at our AGM we enjoyed the fruit cake Sandra Lancing & Sompting Lions Club brought in for us, it went down really well every shedder who had a slice commented on how good it was and also the savouries and cake supplied by our lovely cake lady Eve. Tuesday saw us return back to our usual shed sessions and what a session to start the shed week, the Shaun the sheep project for Tracy and the team Herons Dale Primary School is nearly finished, shedder Stephen made a single bench seat for The National Coastwatch Shoreham to enable dog walkers to stop a while whilst their dogs take on some refreshments ( looks great see picture) , our additional bench in the cow shed is very close to being finished and more planters have been made ready for our garden area along with some more bird boxes, we where visited on Thursday by Tinia Lancing & Sompting Lions Club who brought us a fantastic donation of plants for our garden area Thank You so much they are going to look great when we plant them up next week , following a conversation with Carol regarding the North Lancing Community Association signs that are placed in numerous areas in North Lancing we recently removed the first one to refurbish it but decided to make a new one, that has now been made and was installed this week, we will collect another for refurbishment soon:) , the Buzzer game we have been asked to make for Care for Veterans is almost finished as well and was working on our last shed session on Thursday so has been well tested by the shedders ( may need a prize of a sausage roll or cake to get the shedders to try harder to get to the other end) . Have a Great weekend .
17 03 2023 On our last shed session of the week we had a lovely visit from local resident Sandra bearing a fantastic gift of essential shed supplies including a home baked fruit cake to Thank us for refurbishing a memorial bench. In fact we had two visits on our last shed session of the week and they left us feeling humbled and very much aware that what we are doing via our group does not only benefit our members but those in our wider community, to be able to ensure an item can be enjoyed and used for many years to come, those working on the item enjoy doing so and to then receive such humbling words of gratitude makes you stop and think what a lovely way to end the shed week and how good it is to be able to work on such a project for someone else via what we have created at our group, the machines are all very good but without the skill and commitment of the shedders that use them they would lay silent and machines can only do so much you always need skilled hands and our group is lucky to have many. We then had a second visit, this time from Sandra and Tony from our fantastic local supporters Lancing & Sompting Lions Club who came to deliver our yearly sponsorship Cheque for our van, this covers the Insurance, Tax and MOT on our vehicle and allows us to use the monies we would of needed to use from our own funds for running costs on other projects within our community instead, Thank You so much for your continued support it allows us to be able to organise events such as free flat pack events at local schools, groups, fetes and fairs and also make and repair items for local residents too, the circle of support we receive starts within our community and ends back in our community . Elevenses on our last shed session of the week was a great time to have a brew and a slice of that fantastic fruit cake and reflect on how being a shedder and doing what we do can make such a difference to others not just our fellow shedders and their enjoyment from coming to our group but also those who request our help as well in our community. This week we have installed the last of the fencing, the existing garden area is also getting some TLC and we have also started work on a project request from Herons Dale Primary School , in the Cow shed we have started the last bench installation and finished the refreshments area in our quiet room, planters are being made for our garden and local residents and we have also started to carry out some TLC on the North Lancing C.A. signs, another great week at the shed , Have A Great Weekend.
10 03 2023 Big Thanks to all the shedders who braved the wet and mud this week to ensure our new planters got installed and the soak away was created, and also to our other shedders who ensured the other shed projects continued indoors as well such as the tweaking we have been doing to our quiet room, which is now finished and includes a new fantastic library area for our members to use and a corner cupboard to house refreshments etc , more lathe lessons for our shedders and we have also managed to build the flat pack planters requested by Lancing Manor Leisure Centre , shedders have also been working on their own projects and new project ideas for items for us to make. Great to see our project moving forward so much in the last week the Garden area is starting to look great and we cannot wait to sit and enjoy what we have created later in the year when it is all planted up and looking lovely, we are hoping for some dry weather soon when we will level the remaining areas and also fit new guttering and water butts to harvest the rain water. Quite a busy muddy, wet week but so worthwhile when we can look at the pictures and see our Garden area coming together. Big Thanks to Craig Build It Sussex for supplying the digger again for this latest stage of works. Have a Great Weekend.
03 03 2023 Great job by Shedder Geoff on his first lidded bowl that he turned himself on the lathe after receiving lessons from fellow shedder Alan a fantastic looking bowl and something you should be very proud of Geoff, after becoming a shedder and not using a lathe to turning something like this from a blank is a fantastic example of how well our shed and shedders work together to not only help others in our community but to also help each other as well , this week has also included the continued tweaking of our quiet room to make it as comfortable and practical for our members as possible. We are making a library area for our members to use and also the very important cupboard needed for our tea and coffee items is being installed as well . We had a visit from Tinia Lancing & Sompting Lions Club who collected some planters we had made and donated a fantastic fruit tree for our garden area Thank You very much for that we will allocate a nice spot for it when we continue with the garden area next week , we have been tidying our store and re-arranging our stock, a new pin board has been made and installed for our Thank You cards and notices in our quiet room and the Buzzer game we are making for Care for Veterans is coming along nicely, as are the planter requests for Southdown Leisure, their IT installer will be calling in soon as well to do the final fix on our Wi-fi and get us live and online , we are now really close to finishing and next week will hopefully see a further push towards the finish as we continue the garden area and get the new planters fitted and then a team of our shedders will begin planting and arranging the garden, this is one of the last big projects to get finished and we are all looking forward to spending a lot of time in this area enjoying the views and what we have created whilst chatting to our fellow shedders and locals who stop by and chat to us. Another great week at the shed enjoyed by all Great to see Shedder Eddie this week as well who we enjoyed lunch and chat with after the shed session Have A Great Weekend .
Great post on the Herons Dale Primary School page about our visit there today, Thank You. It is great to be able to work in the community on events like this everyone involved enjoys them and the children really done well making them and we are sure they will look great when other class groups get involved with the decorating of them too a great way to involve multiple class groups from one event
10 02 2023 Big Thanks this week to Shedder John for the film show on Monday what a great way to start the shed week a very informative film of Hong Kong shedder John has visited accompanied by Sausage Rolls, Doughnuts and Cheese Straws, Big Thanks also to Stacey, Vinnie and the team at Stuart Jones Ltd for the latest donation we collected this week, whilst there we collected materials needed for an upcoming project at North Lancing School and our quiet room and today another big thanks to Andy Broadway Property Maintenance for the latest donation of materials we will as always put it to good use. This week one of our shedders has made a whirligig from one of our books and it works great , another shedder has made a fantastic Hedgehog House, shedder Alan has made us a blue roll holder for our kitchen area, we have made more flat pack bird boxes for upcoming events, our flat pack storage bin is almost empty but will be refilled with the latest donation from @Stuart Jones Ltd next week. The fencing just needs the caps repainted and we have now fed the lines in for our Wi-Fi which will be fitted in the next fortnight into our quiet room giving us Wi-Fi there and around all our units at Manor Park . As another shed week passes by enjoyed by all who attended we look forward to the next which will see us on site at North Lancing School building the very much needed bicycle rack and also building the new surround for the bund in our garden area . We have the opportunity to also collect offcuts of MDF and Chipboard when we collect our Ply from our fantastic supporters at Stuart Jones Ltd if any of our friends at our other local shed groups needs any or any other local groups need any please do send a message and our Shed manager will be in touch to give you more details, they are good useable sizes as is the Ply we collect that we already share with our fellow shed groups , we collected some this week for some upcoming projects we have and was offered more if needed so would like to help out any other groups that may be able to make use of it as well, as are Stacey, Vinnie and the team at Stuart Jones Ltd . Have A Great Weekend .
03 02 2023 Wow what a difference to the front of our units over this past week , Well done all those involved braving the cold start to get it almost finished, it really is starting to look like a lovely area and one our shedders will be able to enjoy for many years to come, even with all the progress this week we still managed time for a film show this time via shedder Jock who brought in a film documenting the Beeding/Shoreham Cement works very interesting it was too especially as Jock could answer the questions raised as an ex-employee there . more training on the lathe has taken place, shedders are working on new ideas for bird boxes and even a whirligig project is underway too, we also carried out site visits for project requests including a fantastic one at North Lancing School which we are very pleased to of been asked to help on, we will be visiting North Lancing School very soon regarding another project we are helping out on regarding a new Bicycle rack, a nice covered one too The Manor Park benches are now underway and the project for the bandstand is also almost complete too . Another great week at the shed, we have one more large project that requires a digger again and then we will be able to remove the safety fences and start concentrating on the enjoyable tasks such as planting up our new garden area ready to be enjoyed in the spring and summer and also giving the community garden area some TLC too. Have a great weekend .
27 01 2023 Another week of progress at The Shed, we have finished installing the fencing, it is now ready for staining ( when it warms up a bit ) , the outside toilet is now all installed and working as well. We delivered the memorial bench we took in to repair for a local resident, more bird boxes have been made for upcoming events and the shelf has been installed in the quiet room that now houses a very funky fridge for our milk , the trench for our Wi-fi and the tubing needed to run the cables in has been put in this week as well , next big project now being planned is the garden area and then a big clear up and tidy up of all our store areas etc ready for a big open day to celebrate the finish of the refurb to all the units we lease in manor Park. Some of the shedders are working on new project ideas they have including a new style of bird box . We are getting very close now thanks to the great effort put in by all our shedders. Plenty of time was still found this week for chats in our quiet room with a brew and a biscuit or two .
20 01 2023 Another week of very fresh but lovely mornings at Manor Park, there has been more progress this week in the garden area the fencing has almost been finished, the outside toilet now has gates fitted to the outside and the inside is now also complete all that is left is to plumb it in and connect it to the electrics . Meanwhile inside in the warm we had another elevenses spent watching films in our quiet room this time drone footage filmed by shedder John of numerous local places including the roof of Splashpoint and the bee hives that are in place up there very interesting, the shedders have also been busy building our Bird boxes ready for some upcoming events and we have also progressed with a project for Care for Veterans , a request for a Dovecote was finished and collected and we have started another request for some Jigsaw Puzzle boards and another of our popular bird feeder tables is underway. Big Thanks to Broadway Property Maintenance for the donated materials we have been using in the garden area, with this latest donation and others we have managed to use reclaimed materials for all of the work done in the garden apart from new posts and aggregates:) Big thanks to the shedders who braved the cold this week to keep the refurbishment moving along nicely and to all the shedders who also still managed to come in to enjoy the sessions in the warm Another great week at The Shed and another step closer to finishing the refurbishment of the units we now lease. Men In Sheds Lancing And Sompting combating isolation, loneliness & boosting wellbeing since 2015
12 01 2023 Great to be back in the shed, this was our first full week back from our Christmas break and we made the most of it , this week we had another film showing in our Chill room this time brought in by shedder Geoff , Thanks Geoff it was a great short film and enjoyed by all Shedders, we are looking forward to the next, it was only right of course to accompany the film with sausage rolls, cheese straws and doughnuts . We have been working on the fencing in between the wet spells we have had this week and also the new toilet area now has cladding to the front ready for the gates to be built and installed, the post caps are coming along nicely and we have also started to cut materials needed for the upcoming flat pack builds we are being asked to attend, we have milled the cherry logs and managed to gain some nice pieces that are now waxed and seasoning ready for turning later in the year, big Thank You to Broadway Property Maintenance for the latest donation of materials we used some straight away on our fencing . The week was finished helping out on Manor Park by repairing one of the disabled access benches that had been damaged. Have A Great Weekend .
16 12 2022 Well we certainly are getting things done before our Christmas break, this weeks sessions started with a Shedders meeting where amongst other things we discussed all the requests that have come in so far for events and visits in 2023, we received a lovely present and card from the team at Keep Lancing Lovely Thank You , We also received another fantastic donation of Ply from Stacey, Vinnie & the Team at Stuart Jones Ltd Thank You this has allowed us to say yes to many events early in 2023 . New shedder Tom who is learning on the lathe turned a fantastic Pot Pourri container, plenty of reindeers where made after requests by local residents along with the popular trees and we delivered a set to Lancing Fabric Community Garden for their latest event today. We have also been busy out in the garden despite the cold snap, big Thanks to Paul from Gardner and Scardifield Ltd who delivered our aggregate for our top dressing of the paths and to top the week off the new Anti Vandal toilet also arrived just as we finished digging the holes for the fence that will enclose it, this was purchased new via Portable Space with funding from The National Lottery Community Fund , Thank You to all those involved with the decision making and the wonderful players, this is the last big item needed for our group and it is great to see it installed on its new pad before we break up for Christmas A really good week for our group that has brought the whole refurbishment project one step closer to completion . Plenty of tea along the way enjoyed with some fantastic treats brought in by shedders John and Keith that included mince pies, biscuits, fruit and this week even some donuts it is a hard life being a shedder you know .
09 12 2022 We received these cushions for our quiet room today from local resident Lorraine , Thank You so much they look fantastic .
08 12 2022 The cold snap has not held the shedders back this week, the paths are nearly complete, the fence posts are in, the drainage trench is complete
07 12 2022 Big Thank You to Debbie, Michael and the team at The Hummingbird for the fantastic service and food we received today during our Christmas meal, all the shedders had a great time, the food was superb and so was the table service. Great to see so many of our shedders attending too and enjoying themselves, Big Thanks also to the organisers of these trips/visits for us and those who offered to car share/ pick up our members too. Highly recommend a visit. Thanks again from all of us at the shed.
30 11 2022 !!! WOW !!! Just sat drinking my morning Coffee, before I go out and I get sent this fantastic picture of the sleigh we refurbished, it is now complete having had the lights fitted and is looking fantastic, what a great project to work on and a privilege to be asked to do so by Sandy, Tony and the team @Lancing & Sompting Lions Club . To work on an item that is so well known in our village and something I and many of the shedders have come out to see and donate to every year for many years was a daunting and scary task but seeing it all finished with Santa on ready for the rounds to start from tomorrow is such a rewarding sight, updates will be published on their page daily of the route the sleigh will take. A great way to celebrate would be for a record number of us to come out and see it and make a donation if we can, donating any amount you can will make a difference, let's try and break a record this year for Lancing & Sompting Lions Club and show as much support as we can to this fantastic event that they organise for us all every year , even in the times we all find ourselves in if we all donate a small amount it will make a huge difference to all those supported by the Lions #wowwhatadifference #communityprojectdone #enjoy #letsbreakarecordin2022
26 11 2022 Fantastic to see our village so busy with people coming to the Fayre. Thank You all for making it such a great event, we made over 60 flat pack items with the little ones and had a great time as can be seen from the pictures. please do post any pictures you may have taken the Shedders always enjoy seeing them. We will be making a few more items for those who could not attend and will post onto our page when they are done, for those who wanted a tree but could not carry them home please also use the message button on our page when we post them to order one, we deliver locally too . Please like our page if you do not already do so to ensure you are notified when we post anything to avoid missing out on them. Thanks again to everyone who attended and to all those involved in organising the Fayres they really are now very popular and a fantastic event for our village, enjoy the pictures and as mentioned please do post any you may have taken building the flat packs. A fantastic donation was also handed to our shed manager by Councillor Doris Martin, monies from the previous fayre from a stall Doris had run to raise funds for our group, Thank You for this latest donation and for your continued support.
18 11 22 Another Fantastic week of donations given to us and also given by us, this week we took delivery of the Ronseal UK & Ireland donation of materials via our UK Men's Sheds Association Membership Thank You so much, we also received some lovely sausage rolls and chocolate cake from Sue Recycling in Lancing it went down very well indeed Thank You, we made some donations ourselves this week firstly we delivered the bench to North Lancing Primary School and will be delivering another that the little ones can paint themselves shortly , we also finished the cupboard for Lancing & Sompting Lions Club and that was collected this week too by Tinia when collecting some Christmas planters we had also made. This week the shedders have been busy making items ready for the upcoming Village Christmas fayre on 26th November, items being made including Reindeers, Christmas Trees and some lovely turned items too along with some log owls and flat pack bird boxes. We also used the quiet room again this time we looked back on a few videos of how the Barn and Cow Shed was when we first took over the lease, it is always great to be look back and see what we have achieved, having a video walkthrough is also an ideal way to show our new members who did not see the original buildings the progress we have made, a great way to spend elevenses again this week. The Dovecote request by a local resident is also underway. To finish our weeks sessions, we were visited by Shedder Geoff who has been off recovering after a knee replacement, what a lovely way to end the weeks shed sessions. Have A Great Weekend
11 11 22 A week of Cake, cake stands and a packed quiet room of shedders watching a short film of underwater diving in the red sea , Where to start for this week's round up, we collected our freezer order of cakes and savouries from our lovely cake lady Eve, we also received a week's supply of fresh Lemon Drizzle cake and Sausage rolls from Sue , Thank You they went down very well . we have now finished the requests from Lancing & Sompting Lions Club consisting of a new storage unit and some Christmas Planters Tinia, shedder John has been enjoying lessons on the Scroll saw ( look at the concentration shown in the pictures he has never been so quiet ) , we have now finished all the flooring Christmas trees ready for the upcoming Fayre and also to sell via our Facebook page ( listing some soon) , shedder Keith has been working on some log owls for our stall at the fayre, some reindeers are being made as well for the Fayre along with wood turned snowmen and Christmas trees etc, we received a donation of a fantastic Wooden cake stand that needed some TLC , that has now been done by Shedder Stephen and it looks fantastic and is now available for a donation to purchase items for Lancing Food Bank , we finished the week by spending our elevenses in the quiet room with a brew, biscuits, cake and savouries watching a fantastic film brought in by and also starring Shedder Stephen of a recent diving trip in the Red Sea, Thank You Stephen it was great to watch all the fantastic sea life amongst the corals. looking forward to the next one. A fantastic way to end the week Have a Great weekend
29 10 22 We had a great time today at the Lancing Village Halloween Fayre, it was great to see the Fayre so busy there was a lot of interest in building our flat pack items and it was lovely to see so many youngsters having a go at building one ,we are looking forward to seeing any pictures you may of took at the event, please do feel free to post them onto this thread the shedders always enjoy seeing them . We were very keen to supply Bat boxes of a certain size to help our local Pipistrelle Bat species and seeing so many being made and going into back gardens in our local area is fantastic, we took just over 135 flat packs with us today and we came back with 8, it is always encouraging to see how interested so many youngsters are in using their hands building things, today was no exception we saw them being made by all ages starting at 2 up to 74 years young . A Big Thanks to all those involved in arranging the Fayre and those who put the stalls together for us all Adur Markets Lancing Parish Council the Village Fayre was busy from start to finish and the rain held off for the event too, enjoy the pictures and please do add any to the thread you may of took.
21 10 22 Great to see this week's visitors from The Nurture Class At North Lancing School, having so much fun building the flat pack items we had made for them Thank You for the fantastic pictures Lin , great job by all the shedders involved to help make this happen, they seemed to enjoy their visit so much they are asking to come again soon lovely to also have time to show them some of the fantastic trees , wildlife etc on Manor Park with the help of our chairman, a great start to the week, this week we also had our day trip to Amberley Museum it was thoroughly enjoyed by all those who went, plenty of sing song on the way in Rory the SBL minibus as well including firm day trip favourite the wheels on the bus , in the shed there was more lessons this week on our lathes and we have added a stand to one of the Christmas trees we are making to see how it looks , a request was made for a picket fence for the memorial garden at Lancing Parish Council having asked our shed manager for just a picket fence we have of course added some shed sprinkles to make it a bit different we hope Fran and the team like the end result. We are all set for the Lancing Village Halloween Fayre on Saturday 29th October 10am-2pm, we will be bringing some flat pack items for you to make free of charge and take-home with you, this time we are bringing Bat Boxes Hope to See You There. Enjoy the great pictures this week, so nice to see young people using their hands and making items . Have A Great Weekend .
30 09 22 Click here to This week our Grinstead Shed landlady Julie returned home after some time away following an accident, great to see her back and as jolly as ever , we also held our regular shedders meeting this week during which we planned our next day trip this time we will be revisiting Amberley Museum, we also heard some fantastic news from The National Lottery Community Fund that our latest bid was successful, in the shed the shedders have been busy making flat pack items for our upcoming events they have managed to make over 100 flat pack Bat boxes and 70 flat pack Bird boxes, a great effort by all involved Thank You , it was a bustling shed doing so as can be seen in the pictures, we have completed another bird feeder table for a local resident and another A Frame child's picnic bench is complete too, our sink has been fixed by a shedder and cleaned too and now looks great , we even had some great sunshine when enjoying our breaks. Have a Great Weekendedit.
06 09 22 We now have all the fencing we need to complete the garden area made possible by the The Sir Robert Woodard Academy and their kind offer of the fencing and posts they have recently taken down, Big Thanks to our Treasurer Trevor who organised all this and also helped to collect and deliver it & also to Sompting Big Local for lending the Mini bus to help deliver the longer parts saving us having to strip them down on site , these will all be stripped down cut to size, re-purposed and put to good use .
26 08 22 Wow what a busy week for the shed, so much activity this week it is hard to know where to start for this weeks update ,Monday we collected another fantastic donation from Stacey, Vinnie & the team at Stuart Jones Ltd Thank You it is already being put to use & turned into Bat boxes for some upcoming events , on Monday we also received a lovely gift & card from our wonderful cake lady Eve, the gift was a wooden compendium of games & a cribbage board too for the quiet room Thank you for that lovely gift Eve we made a shelving unit from the donated materials for it to sit on. The garden area has been started this week, well done to all those involved, the materials for the planters for Sompting United Reformed Church arrived & they have also been started , we delivered the Gruffalo figures we made for Lancing Fabric Community Garden they have been painted this week ready for todays Gruffalo trail event & look fantastic, Wednesday we also attended Lancing Fabric Community Garden to host a Bird Box building event , it was great to see so many attend the event & Thank You for all the wonderful pictures you have sent us , more shelving units have been made big Thanks to shedder Martin for making some at home for us in his own time, we have collected some fencing donated from SRWA that we will repurpose into smaller fencing in our garden area big Thank you to shedder Trevor and Sompting Big Local for collecting that for us, our wood store has had a big clear up too and is looking great , we have two more confirmed events that we will be attending they are The Mental Health Awareness week which runs from Monday 10th October - 14th October at Offington Park Methodist Church , we will be there hosting a flat pack building event that may include the odd Bird box & Bat box on Tuesday 11th October at 9.30am -11.30am, we are also going to be at The Halloween Fayre in Lancing Village on 29th October, following the success at the summer fayre we intend to do another Free flat pack build event there , we look forward to seeing lots of you there , finally we are also going to see our great supporters & friends at Emmaus Brighton , Andy very soon & will be looking to hold an event there soon ( details will be posted when confirmed), we are looking forward to getting back to our regular visits to Emmaus it is a fantastic charity and it is a place all the shedders feel very comfortable at & enjoy their time there. Well that I think covers the week at the shed enjoy the pictures and have a great weekend .
24 08 22 Fantastic event at Lancing Fabric Community Garden , all 50 slots where taken, big Thank You to Patsy at Freedom Works Lancing who took all the bookings for this event and also arranged the pots, compost and wild flowers that we gave out to everyone that where very kindly donated by Gardner and Scardifield Ltd, really good to see so many attend and enjoy the event and then stay in the garden exploring, learning about Bird species and generally just enjoying the great space that has been created there. I think I even saw a Gruffalo roaming around ready for the Friday Gruffalo trail . Big Thank You to our local Co-op stores in Lancing & Sompting who donated refreshments and snacks, our Town Crier also paid us a visit to Thank you Bob , we will see you again soon at The Mental Health Awareness Week Event. A big Thank You to those who support our group with donations of materials that allow us to hold these free events, Stacey, Vinnie and the team at Stuart Jones Ltd enjoy the pictures below all items made are from the recent donation you very kindly gave our group. The weather was great we had lots of interested and keen Bird Box Builders throughout the whole session who all done a fantastic job building themselves a Bird Box to take home with them, please do post us a picture on this thread if you took one , it is always great to see any pictures you wish to share . A great space has been created by the volunteers at Lancing Fabric Community Garden that today saw many youngsters enjoy what was a few months ago wasteland, fantastic job by all those involved, good luck on Friday with the Gruffalo Trail, the characters we made looked like they may be getting some paint this afternoon . Thanks again to all those involved and our supporters, enjoy the pictures.
!18 08 22 !! WOW !!! Today we watched the Planer Thicknesser get tested for the first time since shedders Alan & Geoff started the refurbishment of it, what a difference it looks fantastic Well Done both of you, this was trying at times , a few scraped knuckles and a fair bit of head scratching before getting to this end result and what a difference . We now have a planer/thicknesser that has been broken down, oiled, greased, sanded, painted and put back together again and also put onto a trolley base for ease of moving around our units, a fantastic example of teamwork and what our shedders can achieve, Thanks again to shedders Alan & Geoff all the hard work has certainly paid off it looks Amazing
After using the quiet room officially for the first time last week to train some of our shedders on the use of a defibrillator, We have today finished the quiet room by adding a plaque to the door, being something our current Chairman has always wanted to create for our group and something that was promised to him when we took over the Manor park units, it only felt right to add a plaque to name the area, it may of been a wish when we started in 2015 and one that he has continued to wish for since , it is now a reality enjoy Andy . Wi-fi is all arranged and will be installed shortly too A great space for our group that will benefit so many of our members and visitors and another big step forward towards completion .
16 07 22 A very warm week at the shed, the food donation boxes are almost complete, we also had a visit from carmen Tideline Trash and Treasures who we are working with on a couple of projects , Thank You for your help and we are looking forward to helping out on the other projects , we had a visit from Sandy & Tony Lancing & Sompting Lions Club who brought us a new radio as a Thank You , a raised planter request for Lancing Fabric Community Garden has been started at our Grinstead shed, Aggy the Tortoise now has a new house after her owner Janine contacted us to see if we could help out. We held a first aid teaching session to show our members how to use a defibrillator , great to see so many shedders attend and gain that knowledge in case they ever need to call on that training, great to see those who have mobility problems preventing them from carrying out some areas of the training also attend the session, they also now have the knowledge to be able to help out by explaining the procedures to someone who can carry out the procedures but does not have the knowledge, well done to all involved and Thank You Trevor for running that session. Some more bird feeder tables are complete, the Rotary Club request for Kitchen Roll holders was completed and collected, we are working on an aeroplane whirligig mark 1 (watch this space as we continue to tweak it) , Shedder Geoff could not resist the opportunity to offer help to shedder Keith after his training he even had a uniform in his car ready ( only at the shed do members carry a doctors uniform in their boot ) . Great to sit and chat over a cuppa although not for so long as normal due to the very warm weather , our wall has been repaired after the recent vandalism that resulted in the flints being removed to make a rather large hole, Thank You to all involved who organised that to be done so quickly for us. The Shed managers week was made when his new friend paid him another visit, new shed mascot? Thank You Stan you are welcome to lay on our floor anytime you like preferably after your stroll however to stop mum having to wait for me to stop fussing over you . There is always water bowls outside our unit for any passing dogs please do feel free to make use of them, we do check them regular but if empty please let a shedder know and they will fill them again. Have a Good Weekend
09 07 22 Another great week at the sheds, after the great Summer Fayre at the weekend we had numerous people messaging us and calling in to say Thank You for running the interactive stall and telling us how much the children enjoyed making the items we supplied, All of the shedders involved in the stall Thank You for all those kind messages and conversations and the feedback given, we will be looking at ways to do another one soon , the food donation boxes are looking a lot whiter this week and are close to being finished, a tortoise house project is well under way and also close to completion, a touch up here and there has been done by returning shedder Brian ( good to have you back with us ) , we had a very kind donation of some biscuits from a local resident whose grandchildren came to the fayre and made items and the cow shed must be getting close now as the first of the tool boards have been put up , having been here before with the refurbishment of the barn we know once the tool boards are being made it can only mean we are getting ever closer to the finish line . We finished the week with a fantastic visit from Broadway Property Maintenance and also Tinia Lancing & Sompting Lions Club who kindly donated items to our group along with a regular donation from Elliot, all of the sessions this week flowed smoothly along helped by the odd cup of tea and bit of banter ( quite a bit of banter this week ) Another great week roll on next week when we will be planning out the garden area Have A Great Weekend .
02 07 22 Fantastic time at the Lancing Village Summer Fayre , great to see so many youngsters stopping at the stall and wanting to make a Bird Box or Bat box , we used all the ones we took with us and judging by the pictures there was some good fun had putting them together , Big Thank You to Stuart Jones Ltd for the recent donation of materials it was these that we used to make the flat pack items , Big Thank You also to all the shedders who helped out on the stall as well ( not sure who was having more fun putting them together the youngsters or us ) . A very busy day with lots of interesting stalls, great weather and superb entertainment with the afternoon finishing with Elvis singing from a fire engine , who would want to be anywhere else than in the village today . A first for us at a stall as well , we concentrated on making the stall an interactive one and it worked well all those that made an item enjoyed doing so and we will certainly be looking to do it again .
01 07 22 Another great week at the shed that saw the Lancing & Sompting Lions Club sleigh completed and collected , we collected another fantastic donation of material from Stacey, Vinnie & the team Stuart Jones Ltd , we carried out a couple of on the spot requests from two local ladies & was rewarded with a lovely Apple Cake , we used some of the donated materials to make the flat pack bird boxes that we are taking to the Summer Fayre in the village tomorrow from 10am -2pm , we have now built the food bank boxes and they will be painted this coming week, we have made some more Kitchen Roll holders as well for the fayre and as always we ensured that we had plenty of time to sit and chat over a cuppa and some sausage rolls made by shedder Eddies wife Joan and of course some of the great Apple cake too that was made for us, plenty of banter as well whilst making the items for the fayre , good to also see one of the shedders grandchildren showing an interest in making things and helping out with the food donation boxes a possible future shedder in the making . Have A good weekend & we hope to see some of you at The Fayre .
29 06 22 The @Lancing & Sompting Lions Club sleigh refurbishment is now complete and will now be collected and the final stage of having some electrics fitted will be next so it is all ready for this years festivities . It was a privilege to work on a project that is so well know in our local area and we Thank You for asking us to help out on it, it has had many coats of paint, quite a few adaptions and add ons but as can be seen from the before and after pictures it is now looking festive and ready to bring a smile to all the local children ( & adults ) again this year and many more to come , we have agreed to do any TLC it needs each season to keep it looking its best . We was given free reign to do what we felt was needed to it, so the sleigh has had numerous undercoats, three top coats , new frame work installed to make the whole trailer more rigid and secure , safety bars have been fitted in the seating area, the bench seat has been removed to make more room and a new seating area fitted along with a walk through opening in the side, a new rear panel has been fitted, the reindeer stands have been sanded , primed, undercoated and top coated , the wheels have also been refurbished, the framework has also been painted and to finish the whole project we added some extra little bits to make it look as festive as possible , pictures of the whole refurb and some before and after pictures are attached, a big Thank You to those involved in the refurbishment it looks great
17 06 22 We hope you did not miss the regular end of week update too much last week , we had a few members off on holiday and others absent for other reasons so it was a very quiet week but we are back in full flow this week , We started the week making a mud kitchen for @Tinia Lancing & Sompting Lions Club , there has been new lights fitted and more overhead storage areas built big thanks to shedder Martin, the food bank donation boxes are being built by shedder Alan with some help from shedder Eddie, Shedder Paul has put a coat of wax on our quiet room table, the sleigh has had the speakers moved from the front to the rear and will now sit on new purpose made holders, the reindeer stands have also had a coat of paint too and the sleigh is now receiving it`s second top coat, Shedder Ken has been busy with the Mark1 bird house and it is now on a stand he also made a great kitchen roll holder too , more bench ends have been sanded down and prepared by shedder Steve, three benches have been finished by shedders Brian and Eddie ready for delivery into the community next week, the request for a Key to the door game is being painted and as always we still found plenty of time for tea,biscuits and banter and to finish the week off we collected a fantastic donation of ply board from local furniture company Stuart Jones Ltd and this week we also had a meeting with Southdown Leisure and they have very kindly offered to supply the Wi-Fi needed to complete the quiet room . A fantastic week for our group that has seen lots of projects finished and going back into the community, the cow shed moves ever closer to completion with the last item secured via the wonderful offer from Mark and the guys at www.southdownsleisure.co.uk and we have the materials we need to continue our projects via the donation from Stacey and the team at www.stuartjones.co.uk . Enjoy the weekend and the bounty of pictures this week .
13 05 22 Where do we start for this weeks round up ? it has been a busy week for our group lots has been done and we have had some great donations too starting the week with a donation of timber from local resident Bob Fairview Road & also Clair from our local Coop, Thank You some was used straight away on the benches we have made, this was followed by a donation of plants for our community garden from Tinia Lancing & Sompting Lions Club Thank you for your continued support the plants where put in the following day by some shedders and look fantastic. Work on the cow shed has progressed well this week and the new benches are all in and painted and the tops have been waxed, the electrical works have also been completed, including the outside lights, we have replaced some of the old lights with LED ones and the office also now has extra electrical sockets and new lighting, the second lathe we had donated to us is now serviced and installed and we have put a shelf up with some of the items the previous owner had turned that we also collected with the lathe, shelving units have been built ready to house the fixings etc we use to make our items, the fire escape door can now be opened and kept ajar allowing a fantastic view from our new quiet room across Manor Park, the quiet room table is being refurbished and the IT suite area now has fold down desks fitted . Bird tables have been finished and delivered/collected, the planters for Lancing Bowling Club are close to being finished, the garden area has also been started this week and we also found time to help our local Woodturning Club move to their new premises today. Phew what a great week for our group finally there was of course plenty of tea and biscuits involved .
06 05 22 After another great Bank Holiday weekend the shedders returned for a short week and progress on The Cow Shed has moved along nicely , more new benches are being installed and the ones installed last week are receiving their final top coats, all of these have been made from reclaimed timbers donated recently by H G King Funeral Services , Gunners waste managment and also Seaview Building Company , Thank You so much after a bit of de-nailing etc we have been able build benches that will serve our group for many years and not use any new materials at all . More Bird Tables have been built for local residents, a local resident needed to replace a bench slat and asked for our help to cut a new one, a fantastic box has been made that will be a gift for one of our supporters. We have had offers of more timber from local resident Robert and we have donated a van load of wood offcuts to Hillside Scout Camp for their camp fires ( plenty of marshmallows needed) some Bat boxes have also been completed for them as well and are in flat pack form just like the bird boxes so the scouts and cubs can construct them . The Lancing & Sompting Lions Club sleigh is now fully undercoated and the top coat paint has been ordered, the quiet room fire escape door is now finished and opens to a fantastic view over Manor Park, a shedder had a small bump that was pulled back out on his car not created by him ( his words not mine ) . We also had a very important donation of Tea ,Coffee and Sugar by our local Coop store Worthing and Lancing & Sompting Co-op Members Forum., Thank You for your continued support with this essential ingredient to a smooth running shed . At our Grinstead shed we now have a dedicated chat table for our members to use with of course a biscuit tin or two . The weeks shed sessions ended with plenty of tea and some superb cakes and savouries, including on one morning fresh out of the oven sausage rolls from one of our shed members wife Joan Thank You they are always very welcome.
29 04 22 This week has seen more benches being made in The Cow Shed all from reclaimed timbers, work is progressing on the Christmas sleigh project, it has now had a new frame fitted to make it more rigid and also a doorway has been cut in the side to enable easier access, a second undercoat of grey has been applied and the rear is now fully enclosed as well with a new removeable panel, next stage will be to start the top coat, the quiet room is now getting its final gloss coat too and will soon be ready to have the flooring fitted that was kindly donated by Martin, Greenfield's Flooring , we have started to refurbish the fantastic lion bench ends brought in to us by the parks dept, they will be used to make benches again and then go back into our local parks, the train track was also delivered back to Penhill Playgroup (Preschool) & Stay and Play just in time for the return from the easter holidays , we hope the little ones are enjoying it , our wood store is having a big sort out and we have been putting any spare wood out the front for people to take free as kindling, we will be topping this up over the next week or so whilst we continue to sort through our wood store, we repaired a bird table for a local resident and also a caravan panel too and enjoyed elevensies every shed session this week in blazing sunshine , a great week at the shed, Enjoy the long weekend here are some pictures from all that has been happening this week, including a great picture of a special little visitor Ronnie on the lookout for some biscuits .
25 04 22 As the Lancing & Sompting Lions Club Christmas Sleigh project gets underway, we thought it only fair the engines of the sleigh take it easy in our quiet room, away from the sanders and noise , a great project for our group to be involved with and one that we will ensure once finished it will be enjoyed by our community for years to come. Although this is only day 2 a lot has been done already, the bench seat has been removed, a new seat for Santa has been built and is now in place a new foot rest will also be added soon, the front area has been made a lot more rigid by installing new framework, all fixings have been checked and tightened or replaced where needed, the metal framework has now had a first coat of primer and the rear is now enclosed again with a panel which easily lifts out when needed. Next stage will be sanding and preparing for painting, we will post some more pictures as we progress with the refurbishment
22 04 21 Back at the Shed after an Easter weekend of lovely weather, great to see some of our shedders returning from illnesses and ailments, the shed is the best medicine available . Being a Bank Holiday weekend it was a week of just two sessions and what a lovely start to those sessions with the walk across Manor Park to The Barn knowing it is going to be a lovely weather day, refurbishment works on the Cow Shed have resumed and projects being worked on include servicing/refurbishing a donated pillar drill to be used in the cow shed, the next set of benches in the cow shed are close to being finished, the wood store is receiving some attention and donated timbers are being stacked in the racks in order of size etc by shedders Jim and Robin, on shed days Mon,Tues & Thursday a kindling/firewood bin outside our woodstore is open for local residents to help themselves , numerous bird tables have been delivered to local residents along with a new house for Tortoise Sam, a local resident also brought in a broken bird table for us to fix, we collected some logs donated by local resident Russ and delivered them to Lancing Fabric Community Garden to be used in the Forest School project, along with some tyres to be used as potato planters, the garden is coming along nicely, if you would like to pop along and get involved in any way or have some spare plants please go onto their page and send them a message. With the great weather we have had this week plenty of time was spent outside with a brew and a biscuit or two, chatting and putting the world to right . We have also taken delivery of a great project that Lancing & Sompting Lions Club asked us to be involved with, we are pleased to be involved with such an iconic local item that has been used in our community for many years, we will ensure it gets the best shed treatment we can give it and return it looking great, ready for when it is time to be used again in our community, we will have a separate post highlighting the different stages of the refurbishment soon . Have a great weekend.
15 04 21 This week saw some machinery replaced at our Grinstead Shed, Sam the tortoise needed a new house that has now been finished, another bench refurbishment has begun and our bandsaw at The Barn has been stripped serviced and treated to some new guide rollers and guide fence, the cow shed is having more shelving and benches fitted and we also found plenty of time for chats and Tea. We also received a fantastic donation from The Wooden Flooring Centre in Portslade https://woodenflooringcentre.com/our-services/ , Thank You Michael and Steve we will make good use of it all and will be back soon for some of those pallets , we finished the week by receiving some fantastic news regarding Wifi at The Cow Shed and The Barn from Richard https://www.southdownsleisure.co.uk/ . We had a meeting a while ago regarding the possibility of obtaining a connection from the Leisure Centre and our Shed Manager received a call from Richard to tell us that after a check by the tech guy it is possible and they will be able to supply our units in Manor Park with Wifi, this is fantastic news and will allow us to have the IT Suite we have planned, this is another big step forward for our group and moves us ever closer to finishing Thank You from all of us at the shed we are humbled by your genorisity in helping to supply our group with the very much needed Wifi. We hope you all have a great Easter Weekend .
06 04 22 We recently had a request from shedder David to make some flat pack bird boxes, this time for 1st Shoreham Beaver & Cub Scouts & Hillside Scout Camp. We have received some fantastic Thank You cards from them all, great to see as well the notes are from pairs so great team work involved in putting them all back together. Great job by all the Shedders involved in this project and one that returns great rewards like the Thank You cards below . Well done to all the Beavers, Scouts and Cubs who managed to put all of them together, fingers crossed they all have new residents soon. Let us know if we can help again at any point .
04 04 22 Today saw the last lid drilled for Keep Lancing Lovely for a project to highlight plastic waste that they are doing, we have drilled hundreds of these over the last few months and they have then been taken to lots of different groups/schools etc in our community to tie them all together, a great joint effort by all involved and a big Thank You to the shedders who have drilled all these lids . We of course saved the very last drilled lid and it is now screwed to our wall in The Barn .
01 04 21 Great to see so many shedders at our AGM this week , lots of great things to talk about and organise for the coming year. The fantastic team that has driven and guided our group over the past two years where unanimously voted back in to their positions to continue that work for the next year. Lots of projects are under way as well from our list , we are starting to get in control of what was a very long list, anyone who has placed requests/orders with us please do bear with us we are getting through them as quickly as possible whilst also carrying out our refurbishment works at Manor Park and our commitments in the community. The Train track play board we took in to refurbish for Penhill Playgroup will be complete and delivered next week, the bird tables ordered will be complete next week also , we are working on a prototype dog stick library for our local parks and we also delivered the timber needed to help construct the pallet wall Lancing Fabric Community Garden , we have finished the refurbishment of a house sign for a local resident and almost finished a request by another local resident for a replacement house for their tortoise Sam . The last of the lids have been drilled for the waste chain project that Keep Lancing Lovely asked us to help out with, we are also working on four bench refurbishments that will go into the community , one will be a chatty bench placed in one of our parks one is for shedder John Recycling in Lancing and one we may well keep as the shedders have taken a liking to using it at elevensies the fourth is also due to go back in to the community, The Cow Shed`s quiet room this week had the bearers put down and the insulation on the floor and the flooring is now underway. What a great week that started with the sun and a great AGM and ended with a quick flurry of sleet . Enjoy The Weekend .
04 03 2022 More progress this week, the quiet room has now had enough coats to put the heaters and other electrical fitments in, this will be followed by the final coats and then the trims being installed to finish the room, then onto the floor , the door is also ready to go in , it is getting very close now Andy , we saw two great donations this week the delivery from www.ronseal.com arrived Wednesday which we received via an application to UK Men's Sheds Association and yesterday we received three benches from Lancing Bowling Club that we will give some TLC too and put them back into the community , the bench we are refurbishing for Recycling in Lancing has been well tested this week by shedders at elevensies, project orders started this week include bird tables, refurbishment of a house sign, an indoor sign is being designed, rubbing down of bench ends for Manor Park , the pond has been painted back on the train track for Penhill Playgroup , a louvre door brought to us in pieces is back together and drying and the shedders have enjoyed another week of banter,tea and biscuits, as can be seen from the pictures all have enjoyed the company of other shedders especially concerning the louvre doors which needed 4 shedders minimum, 3 clamps, one hammer and some choice words to get it to go back together all captured by shedder Keith . Great to also have a visit from Shedder John this week after his recent surgery, his recovery will be boosted after a good dose of shed medicine whilst there washed down with a Tea.
02 03 2022 A delivery arrived today from Ronseal https://www.ronseal.com/ with the items they have very kindly donated to our group, an application was submitted to UK Men's Sheds Association who Ronseal are working with to help Men In Sheds. Donations like this are so important it allows groups such as ours to continue to offer our services on projects in the community . All of us at The Shed are truly grateful for the support being given by Ronseal not just to our shed but all the other shed groups they are also supporting as well around the UK . A great amount of Thanks also to the UK Men's Sheds Association for continuing to create great funding sources and discount at major retailers for all Men In Sheds groups across the UK .
03 02 21 . Whilst the works were carried out on the new premises of H G King Funeral Services , Henry managed to save ply boards and lots of other off cuts for us, we collected those today along with lots of spare fixings he also donated and will make good use of it all, the boards and other bits of timber will be used in the Cow Shed refurb straight away. After looking around the new premises it is great to see Henry has managed to reuse a lot of the original fitments and materials from the old bank, keeping a lot of it`s history and we will reuse all the other materials we have collected as well. Thank You again Henry from all of us at The Shed for this donation and the very kind offer of additional support for our group .
26 01 22 We try very hard to ensure we complete the works we are doing as sympathetically as possible and keep as many features as we can , we managed to do this with The Barn and we are confident we will be able to do the same with what was the Groundsman’s Unit /Middle Unit, we are always keen to find out as much as we can about the buildings we now lease and have researched and had many meetings with people who remember what they were used for, or when they changed use etc , we had a meeting before Christmas with a lovely lady called Heather whose Grandfather worked in the buildings with the cows etc and lived in what was the cottage (no longer there), Heather remembers the buildings very well, having always wanted to be able to enter the middle unit but it was always too busy and dangerous to do so with the milking of the cows and the bull that was kept in the front area, being of a young age Heather was never allowed inside , until she contacted us over 60 years later and told us the fantastic story of her family members working there and how she would look over the flint wall into the units but could never actually go inside, we of course set up a meeting and gave Heather a guided tour of the whole area including The Barn and the Middle Unit, it was a fascinating meeting we found out so much about what the buildings where used for and what was kept on Manor Park as well, along with what buildings/ out buildings where around the complex and what they were used for. We were informed that the Groundsman unit/ middle unit had a dividing wall inside and the front area was where the bull would stay and the rear was where the cows would come in for milking before being let loose onto Manor Park, we have until now addressed the latest unit we lease as the middle unit, we feel it is only right now we know more about the building that as a group we no longer call it this it has so much great history and stories as much like the other buildings we now lease, it only seems right that we name the building to highlight what it was originally being used for and also keep as many of the features as we can that will enable us and visitors to remember the history of this building. The building has no postcode unlike The Barn it is known by a unique property reference for legal matters etc, but as a group we shall now refer to the latest building we lease not as The Middle Unit but as The Cow Shed. We are as mentioned keen to keep as many features as possible to keep the history of these great buildings alive and we feel by referring to this unit as it would of originally been known namely “The Cow Shed “will only add to that.
18 01 22 We collected the rest of the timbers from Seaview Building Company today, Thank You Mark for letting us know each time you had some more timbers for us, we have used the previous donation to make the benches and also the stud wall in the middle unit and this latest collection will help us to complete the refurbishment and use reclaimed materials for almost all of it, the guys you have on site have been great each time as well and even stacked items for us seperate from other materials to make it easy for us. We came bearing goodies today fresh doughnuts from the bakers shame you was not their, the guys said not to worry though they will not let yours go to waste Thank You again for all the donated materials.
19 12 21 What a difference a morning makes, the timber pile that we collected from Seaview Building Company has certainly gone down this morning, good job everyone who has helped out during the shed sessions this week denailing, we used a lot of it this morning to make the shelving and ceiling in what will be our store area for the items we make. There was also some more lids drilled for Wendy and the Keep Lancing Lovely team to use for the great bottle top campaign as well, a great finish to the week and a good deal of progress made in the middle unit and all of the shelving we have made so far is all from reclaimed timbers
05 12 21 Another busy week for our group, we have collected 3 van loads of timber to use in the middle unit, our Grinstead shed was a hive of activity too this week, we made items for local business The Coffee Lounge and other projects for local residents too and to finish the week on Friday two of our members attended a first aid training course to ensure our group has fully trained first aiders at each shed session
04 12 21 We are so lucky to have such great support within our community this week we collected lots of timber Joists and other timbers to use in the middle unit, 3 van loads was collected from Seaview Building Company who are working on a local project, Thank You so much Mark and the rest of the boys on site we are so grateful and will make good use of it all, see you again soon when you are at the next stage as you have kindly offered our group even more
22 11 21. The Planters and Bench are now installed at Penhill Playgroup (Preschool) & Stay and Play , we also added a few extras such as Bird Nesting Boxes, Feeders and Bug Hotels. Our Shed Manager also took away an old railway track board to refurbish for the little ones. A great visit that was enjoyed by all shedders and one that makes us all proud to be able to help on local projects, to see some of the little ones coming out to investigate what has been done is so rewarding, we will update with pictures when they are all planted up and thriving. When we had finished, we were made a cup of tea and given some wonderful homemade cakes, both went down very well, and the ones left we donated to the local hospital night staff team via one of our shedders. What a fantastic way to start the week.
17 11 21 The Middle Unit is starting to take shape, we have been getting the storage racking and benches in and they are all from reclaimed materials so far we will then start to add more lighting to make the whole area safer for our members and visitors, the walls are starting to look better with a fresh coat of paint and the shedders are all coming together for the shed session tommorow at The Barn and will be starting to clear up the ground we lease around the unit as well , all great progress as can be seen from the pictures.
Massive THANK YOU to Sue and John at Recycling in Lancing for this funding and their continuing support to our project. This will be put to very good use!!!
26 10 21 With the filming and interviews by Futurist Media https://www.jonrist.co.uk/... at The Barn today we were still encouraged to carry on as normal so we made sure plenty of tea was drunk with the odd biscuit or two, more lids where drilled by shedder Keith for a project called The Great Bottle Top Chain that we are helping out on for Keep Lancing Lovely , lessons on the lathe and scroll saw are now in full swing, the Penhill Nursery Seat has had another coat by shedder Brian and we also managed to finish the mud kitchen for North Lancing Primary School and yes there was the odd trick or two played as we knew the cameras where rolling
26 10 21 All of us at The Shed would like to Thank John Rist from Futurist Media https://www.jonrist.co.uk/... who paid us at visit today at The Barn to talk to the shedders and find out more about our group, plenty of pictures and film shots where taken and will be published once edited. The time spent with Jon was most enjoyable and even with a camera in hand his professional approach made it very easy to chat with him whilst being filmed or pictures being taken. We look forward to you coming back again in the future to see us and maybe next time even have a lesson on the lathe that you took a fancy to. Thanks again Jon from all of us at The Shed .
21 10 21 This weeks shed sessions involved the tidying up of our Grinstead shed, well done to all those involved in helping out with that, more projects have been made/started at the barn including more christmas items and items for our upcoming new For Sale folder, a mud kitchen for a local nursery, a three tier planter with lids for winter pot storage, remembrance garden items that have been requested, we are continuing to work through our project list and will be in touch with those who have made enquiries soon. Two more locals have been enjoying shed taster sessions this week at our Grinstead shed and as always there has been a plentiful supply of tea, coffee and chat along the way . We also had visits this week from Adur and Worthing council and City fibre, Thank You for coming along to see us to share ideas. Remember our newsletter is now live if you have not signed up for it yet but would like to, you can do so by using the link below, your registered email will be automatically entered into our free draw to receive one of the items we have made recently. https://meninshedslancingandsompting.weebly.com/newslette...
18 10 21. Another stunning walk into the shed this morning, followed by a full house at The Barn, great to see this now being enjoyed by all our members and being used to make items for us and also projects/requests for local residents too , roll on phase two coming soon
Another great week at our sheds, with plenty happening including our shed manager having happy birthday sung to him by the resident shed choir and a few words of wisdom given by shedder Eddie , a great donation of ply wood and other timber for our projects, items have been turned, the plans where submitted for the next phase of our group, the pew is having the broken part replaced by shedders David and Stephen, items have been made such as bird boxes, remembrance items that have been requested have been started, gnomes are being made (new project), Shedder Andy has been busy at our Grinstead shed staining bird boxes and helping shedders Jock and Jim have a tidy up and most importantly plenty of chat, banter, cake and tea topped off with a long discussion about how is it when you cut something wrong it is always only short at one end, roll on next week when hopefully we will have more of the same but with less items short at one end.
05 10 21 Big Thank You to Bob and the team who organise the Mental Health Awareness Week https://worthingmentalhealthweek.co.uk/ for inviting us along to do a presentation this morning, It was great to be able to explain and show you all what we do and what we have planned. We hope the bird boxes you all made gain new residents. A great event that continues throughout the week, well worth a visit, use the link above for full details of who is attending and when. We had a great time, great lunch and being an event to raise awareness of Mental Health one we where keen to attend and will happily attend again.
28 09 21 Thank You Sarah Leeding... Adur Voluntary Action for the wonderful donation today of three big desks, drawers, chair and stationery all will be put to good use in our planned IT Suite area later in the year. Please do pop in to see us again when you are passing the kettle is always on
*** BREAKING NEWS *** We have a feature in the latest UK Mens Sheds Newsletter about The Barn and our group. https://menssheds.org.uk/.../lancing-and-sompting-shed.../
28 09 21 Great shed sessions this week, Bird nesting boxes and feeding stations are made ready for an event next week for mental health awareness, a few extra are made to take along to the market this saturday and we also made a cross requested by shedder Paul for an upcoming display at sompting united reformed church. Personal projects where also worked on and there was plenty of time for a good natter to put the world to rights, this weeks hot topic was Fuel lack of and when am I collecting some more cake from our wonderful cake maker Eve lack of not an issue
22 09 21 Great to be able to have a walk around with so many enthusiastic supporters of our group today, some had already seen what we have done at our open day and arranged visits after, but it was a first for Martin Randall, Director for the Economy, Adur and Worthing Councils who was keen to take a look around to see what we have done and plan to do. It really is encouraging to know that you are all behind us, supporting us, giving us advice and help when needed. Please do pop back in to see us we enjoy being able to show you all what we have done and what we have planned. Thank You all for the continuous support it is with such support that we are able to do what we do, work within the community, have a lovely heritage building as one of our sheds and continue to be able to combat isolation and boost wellbeing within our community.
21 09 21 Today we have received our Defibrilator Machine that was funded by Cardiac Rehab Support West Sussex www.cardiacrehabsupport.org.uk . Thank You so much for supplying our group with the funds needed to be able to purchase this, it will be available should it ever be needed for any of our members or visitors and it will also be available for anyone who is using the park where we are based when we are open too. This is something we hope we will never need but also very reassuring that we have it here just in case. Thank You again from all of us at The Shed.
21 09 21 Our local Co-op came to The Barn today and donated the items needed for when we install the next area of raised beds, not only did they bring along Bark, Compost and Top Soil but they also gave us plenty of plant food and also some food for the birds too, we are sure we can find a feeder to put up for them here somewhere . Thank You again from all of us at the shed for your continued support we could not do what we do without all the local support that we receive.
13 09 21 Sharing our experiences and reaching out to the local community. We are delighted to be taking part in Worthing Mental Health Awareness Week. On Tuesday 5th October from 10am until noon at Offington Park Methodist Church in Worthing, we will be giving a presentation about “Friendship, Creativity and Volunteering” at The Shed. And hosting a workshop where visitors can join in to create a bird box or a bug hotel. We would love to see you there at this event .. Much more information here at https://worthingmentalhealthweek.co.uk/weekly-schedule/
Reaching out to our local community. We are very lucky to be sponsored and supported by the brilliant Recycling in Lancing project run by Sue and John Wellfare that raises funds for local causes by recycling items. In return we store flat pack cardboard boxes for them. These are used to pack everything they collect for collection. John popped down this morning to collect some more....
https://recyclinginlancing.org.uk/
https://recyclinginlancing.org.uk/
10 09 21 A massive "Thank You!" to Lancing and Sompting Lions Club for their donation of wood and wood items last evening. These will be repurposed and used for the benefit of our local community via our projects and involvements
Got some wood, building materials, tools or plants that you would like to donate? Please Message us on here or use the form on the Home Page of our website at https://meninshedslancingandsompting.weebly.com/
THANK YOU #lancingandsomptinglions
Got some wood, building materials, tools or plants that you would like to donate? Please Message us on here or use the form on the Home Page of our website at https://meninshedslancingandsompting.weebly.com/
THANK YOU #lancingandsomptinglions
09 09 21 Men in Sheds Lancing and Sompting. Community policing really is important to us all. Reassurance , a friendly face and being both around and seen. So it was really good to have PCSO Stewart and PCSO Steve of Sussex Police call in at The Barn. A chance to look around, chat, have a cuppa and share thoughts. It ticks a lot of boxes and we will be exploring ways that our buildings, location and facilities might be useful to them.
A busy day all round with Stephen and David giving an early Autumn tidy up to the deep bed. Incidentally if you have spare bulbs or plants we would be delighted to take them and plant them up on one of our gardening sessions with the local community - please get in touch!
Local resident Peter and Joyce popped in to collect their trellising made by Colin that will be used initially to support a scarecrow as part of the Scarecrow Festival organised by the North Lancing Community Association
Ex fireman Shedder Keith S went up the ladder to get some flat pack cardboard boxes for John from Recycling in Lancing
Jock, Ken and Keith D spend time getting wood ready for making bird boxes and bird tables
Another great day of chatting, friendships and boosting wellbeing!
A busy day all round with Stephen and David giving an early Autumn tidy up to the deep bed. Incidentally if you have spare bulbs or plants we would be delighted to take them and plant them up on one of our gardening sessions with the local community - please get in touch!
Local resident Peter and Joyce popped in to collect their trellising made by Colin that will be used initially to support a scarecrow as part of the Scarecrow Festival organised by the North Lancing Community Association
Ex fireman Shedder Keith S went up the ladder to get some flat pack cardboard boxes for John from Recycling in Lancing
Jock, Ken and Keith D spend time getting wood ready for making bird boxes and bird tables
Another great day of chatting, friendships and boosting wellbeing!
07 09 21 A fascinating and interesting session at the Grinstead Shed today. One that shows how community projects succeed in bringing us together. They do that via the wide life experiences of members. Different. Diverse. Inclusive
Trevor gave us an introduction into coin collecting and how the crowns, the pennies and the threepences take us on a historical tour from the time before Christ to the glory of the second Elizabethan Age. Everyone enjoyed this!
And then what about comparing notes on driving from Moscow to St Petersburg? No problem, two Shedders relating their tales. Or motorcycling across Southern India on a Royal Enfield machine. No problem apart from avoiding the potholes and the need to follow behind the biggest vehicle that is ahead of you. The Aden conflict of the 1960s from the perspective of one who was there. The danger, the pullout and the tragedy that the political situation there remains the same, almost fifty years later
Brexit too! And work experiences and planning to start cutting out wooden templates on Thursday to make up the bug hotels, the planters and the bird boxes that will be going on stalls at a couple of events we have been invited to towards Christmas. And cuppas of tea and coffee
The whole World in a couple of hours really ..... And what a boost to our friendships, wellbeing and simply enjoying the day
Trevor gave us an introduction into coin collecting and how the crowns, the pennies and the threepences take us on a historical tour from the time before Christ to the glory of the second Elizabethan Age. Everyone enjoyed this!
And then what about comparing notes on driving from Moscow to St Petersburg? No problem, two Shedders relating their tales. Or motorcycling across Southern India on a Royal Enfield machine. No problem apart from avoiding the potholes and the need to follow behind the biggest vehicle that is ahead of you. The Aden conflict of the 1960s from the perspective of one who was there. The danger, the pullout and the tragedy that the political situation there remains the same, almost fifty years later
Brexit too! And work experiences and planning to start cutting out wooden templates on Thursday to make up the bug hotels, the planters and the bird boxes that will be going on stalls at a couple of events we have been invited to towards Christmas. And cuppas of tea and coffee
The whole World in a couple of hours really ..... And what a boost to our friendships, wellbeing and simply enjoying the day
01 09 21 The planters are coming along nicely ready for fitting this week at Penhill Playgroup . The shedders have managed to make these from reclaimed materials , another good project made from items heading for landfill or the chipper. The little ones will have great fun planting them up and seeing things grow, we will also be putting in some bug boxes and bird boxes too.
A visit to Penhill Playgroup today to get the garden area ready for the new planters and seating area we are supplying for the little ones ready for next term. We were surprised with some homemade biscuits before we left, Thanks very much. We will see you next week with the planters and some other surprises.
26 08 21 This is what makes our Shed such a great place to be, Shedder Brian enjoying working alongside potential new shedder Howard, helping out on a planter for shedder Andy and sharing a few seconds to allow a photo to be taken and what a photo, it represents exactly what we are about Brian who is a new shedder ensuring Howard is made to feel at home and one of the bunch. Great photo thanks Andy it makes all the organising and preparations for each shed session so worthwhile when what was two strangers 30 minutes prior are then captured in a picture like this , time was also set aside for a good chat and shedder Alison was busy inside sanding on a project she has started. #meninsheds #combatinglonelinessandisolation
26 08 21 A big Thank You to shedder Alison who made this wonderful sign for us , it now sits above our cupboard in the upper area and looks very nice too in its new home.
So great to get messages like this one ! back in February 2020 just before Covid, we refurbished some benches given to us by Adur and Worthing Park Rangers as part of an initiative by Cllr Carol Albury and took them along to Crabtree Lodge, in Crabtree Lane in Lancing. Yesterday we received the following message by Lodge resident, Su Guest
" These benches have been a god send throughout lockdown. A lot of our residents don't see anyone from one day to the next. We started a Friday morning meet in the grounds at the begining of the pandemic, asking residents to bring a garden chair so we could all socially distance. It was greatly received by most of the residents and is still happening now. These benches really have helped the community spirit and allowed us to use our beautiful gardens. Thank you again xx"
At the Shed, we are always looking for ways to reach out to our local community, like this. Please get in touch if you feel that we can help or if you wish to pop along to see us for a cuppa and a chat
" These benches have been a god send throughout lockdown. A lot of our residents don't see anyone from one day to the next. We started a Friday morning meet in the grounds at the begining of the pandemic, asking residents to bring a garden chair so we could all socially distance. It was greatly received by most of the residents and is still happening now. These benches really have helped the community spirit and allowed us to use our beautiful gardens. Thank you again xx"
At the Shed, we are always looking for ways to reach out to our local community, like this. Please get in touch if you feel that we can help or if you wish to pop along to see us for a cuppa and a chat
22 08 21 The good news for our group keeps on coming, an application was recently submitted to help with the work needed on our next big project and today we have been informed that we have been successful via The National Lottery Community Fund. This grant will go towards the budget needed for our next big project we have planned and will mean we can move forward straight away with the project now. We have some of the funding in place already, another superb result for our group that will help us to tackle loneliness and isolation in our community, whilst we were discussing many months ago how our group was moving forward when we first gained the lease on The Barn, we knew that a dedicated quiet space is needed for our members and visitors and it was agreed that once The Barn was finished our focus would then turn to providing this, with this great news we are now a step closer to achieving that goal. A big Thank You to all The National Lottery players from everyone at The Shed. #nationallotterycommunityfund
19 08 21 Grinstead Shed today. New faces from our waiting list coming along. You will also note essential items to what we are all about ; the cuppa and smiles. We were chatting about some very interesting subjects too. First days at work, suggestions for our soon to begin monthly outings and even, believe it or not, Brighton and Hove Albion! What is there not to like?
At The Barn 16th August. A chance to use the tools. Jock and Keith S began working on a second planter for Andy. Colin brought along a lovely gift, the Union Jack. He thought it might serve us well to cover items prior to unveiling - like the Fircroft " Sister Paddy" bench last week. Good thinking Locals called in to enjoy a cuppa, a look around and get their names onto our waiting list. We took donation of an unused electric screwdriver and charger.In wider news, we are being encouraged by a local business group to share news with their members and discuss funding and support. Meetings are being arranged to discuss projects to boost the local community in both Lancing and Sompting . We will be organising a "Chat and Repair" workshop in October as part of Mental Health Awareness Week, in Worthing. We are back in The Barn, tomorrow morning , Tuesday from 930am until about noon if you are passing by....
14 08 21 Some of you may remember a little while ago we agreed to refurbish the memorial bench in Fircroft Avenue, today we have re-installed it and it also has the memorial plaque that was missing re-installed as well. It was great to see so many local people there to see the unveiling, Thank you to parish council chairman Mike Mendoza for cutting the ribbon and a big Thank you to our Manor Ward councillors Carol and Carson Albury for all the organising and the lovely cake too of course. We wanted to try and refurbish the bench as sympathetically as possible to keep some of its character and we managed to keep the original back supports and the ends also are original too. Pictures from start to finish are below to see what we have done but please if you are passing Fircroft Avenue (oppostite St James The Less Church) take a seat and enjoy
13 08 21 A nice breakfast this morning at The Hummingbird with Shedders Martin, Brian And Eddie to celebrate the finishing of the works on the barn and a rest for us all Thanks for all the help during the last 14 months the end result we have achieved has been well worth all the effort.
12 08 21 What a great day, the sun even joined us on our open day at The Barn, it was good to see so many people coming to see what we have done to the great heritage building that we now lease and learn more about what we do, there was plenty of potential new members as well who left their details, we will be in touch soon to invite you in for some taster sessions as explained, the snacks and cakes made by our wonderful Eve where very well received. Thank you to Sam Harrison from BBC Radio Sussex who spent some time with us making a feature about our group which will be aired next week ( link will be posted) it will be a great feature, Shed members where involved in the interviews and there was a walk around to explain what we have done. The afternoon was spent showing our supporters/funders around to see what we have done; we would like to Thank You all we really are profoundly grateful without your support none of this would have been possible. A big Thank You also to all those who have given us moral support and advice throughout the entire process from the very first email to arrange the possibility of leasing the barn and garage to becoming Charity Registered again without this great community synergy none of this would have been possible. To see so many of you today coming to see what we have managed to accomplish in what has been a difficult time for us all makes all the struggles and hard work involved so worthwhile, we are truly humbled and Thankful to you all and it is with great pleasure we can now announce " We are happy to say we are now officially open at The Barn"
03 08 21 We are delighted to announce we have been successful in this months draw via the #ArnoldClarkCommunityFund , Thank You so much it will be put to good use on an upcoming project we have planned for our group .
03 08 21 Another good shed session today at The Barn, we extended the run off for the rain water and built up the banks to ensure our fire exit path stays clear and our chair Andy was busy staining his Three Tier planter that he has recently been working on at our Grinstead lane shed with help from shedders Keith and Bert and Brian K, it was collected and brought up to the barn today to get the final coat of stain before heading off to his garden
02 08 21 The path to enable access out of the barn via the fire escape door was completed by shedders Martin & Brian today, having found an original brick path whilst digging we ensured we kept that too and just extended it to meet our needs, another project ticked off the list whilst still managing to save/work with as many of the original features of the building as possible. Thanks to all those involved in getting this completed
28 07 21 The Community Garden is coming along great, it is so good to see some of the locals and shed members now able to take some produce from it, this week there has been Beetroots, Runner Beans, French Beans, Broad Beans and Courgettes
30 07 21 Getting down to the smaller jobs now which is a sign we are getting close to completion , the bandsaw is now fully serviced and running well, the emergency stop switches are fitted, items are being set out on shelves/walls etc ready and the old tools that we want to display are starting to come out too
27 07 21 Another good session at the shed today, along with the much needed cuppa and chat, some of the shedders decided to have a tidy up to the front of our shed and what a difference it has made, well done lads Great Job MORE
27 07 21 It is with great delight that we can announce we have just secured funding from Cardiac Rehab Support West Sussex, that will enable us to purchase an iPad Fully Automatic Defibrillator for our group, we are keen to also make it available to anyone in our locality during the times our shed is open. We will be registering this unit on the national defib hub with our opening times so the local ambulance service have the details and we will also make it widely known via our contacts and social media outlets once it is purchased and fitted. We have ensured we have chosen one that is easy to use and is fully automatic, it will read the patients vital signs itself and know what steps to take until the ambulance arrives it is also suitable for children as well as adults, this is an item we hope we never need but one that is also a great security blanket to have should it ever be needed A great addition to our group and another big step forward in ensuring we offer the best safe space for our members that we can. Thank You to all those involved in this bid it really is appreciated and is a real comfort to know that this unit is at hand for us and those around us MORE
22 07 21 A big Thank You to Claire and Dino from our local Co-op store , for the delivery on Friday to top up the refreshment cupboard, it also had a nice surprise of some biscuits too. All are much appreciated by the shedders MORE
25 07 21 Another project is closer to being finished today, the barn floor has now had a couple of coats of primer and it already makes the barn look so much bigger. As we tick off each of these outstanding projects our open day gets ever closer, anyone wishing to come along to take a look at what we have done or to find out a bit more about our group or perhaps are thinking of becoming a member do keep checking back on our page as details of the open day will be coming very soon, we will also be holding an additional open day session for all the people who have helped us along the way and all our local supporters too MORE
25 07 21 *** PUBLIC NOTICE *** Do not approach these shedders if you see them ....
21 07 21 It has been over 18 months since we have had a trip out, but today our shed had the first of many and what a a great way to spend our first trip. Today we visited Brooklands park to see the Bird Boxes, Bat Boxes, Feeding Stations and Planters we have made for the park via requests from Friends of Brooklands Park , we are amazed at how good the park is looking and how much wildlife is around the park, all the shedders enjoyed the walk round the park, enjoying the many areas where you can stop and take in the sights and sounds of this great wildlife area, we finished our trip out with a visit to The Beach Green Hotel a very enjoyable afternoon was had chatting over refreshments and snacks in the rear garden, the service and help received by the staff was superb, Thank You for looking after us so well, no doubt we will be back again soon.
17 07 21 Whilst collecting the empty bags used for the logs/offcuts we supplied sat on the top was this lovely gift of biscuits , Thanks very much Carole they will be used to top up the biscuit tins in The Barn and Grinstead Shed
17 07 21 The end of another great week that has seen shed sessions held at The Barn and our Grinstead shed, lots of local visitors to the barn to have a chat and a cuppa and see how we are getting on and to also enquire about joining our group and we have also managed to get numerous jobs finished and ticked off the to do list as well, these included repurposing the garage into the reclaimed timber area, the repair of the garage roof and installation of the pipework for the site toilet and today the installation of the security grills, all bringing us closer to the finish line and our Big Open Day
15 07 21 The Garage area is now our reclaimed timber area, this will be used to process any timber that gets donated to us, it has been transformed using donated timbers too, new lights have been installed to ensure it is bright enough to work safely in. With the roof repaired last week as well it is another big project ticked off the list to bring us another step closer to finishing. Thanks to all the shedders that where involved in this project
09 07 21 Another great session at The Barn we are currently holding our Tuesday sessions at our Grinstead lane site and our Thursday sessions at The Barn, once we complete the works at The Barn both sheds will then be back running sessions Monday, Tuesday and Thursdays. Today we had the last of the great cakes we get supplied by our lovely supporter Eve , so good are they that when shedder Paul heard lemon drizzle cake was on the menu for elevenses he brought along his own plate, fork and some squirty cream ready. Another good enjoyable session at what will soon be our completed fully working second shed.
09 07 21 Thread just put up by Penhill Playgroup regarding the Car we recently repaired it is so good to see it back in use and being enjoyed and even having little ones waiting to have a go too, to think this was not even the reason we paid a visit it just happened to be noticed that it was broken and taken straight away by our shed manager for a repair makes this thread even more special. Great to see and read Thank You for the great picture as well, please do let us know if any other items break or you need anything else made. Thread as follows :
"Hi all We'd like to Say a massive THANK YOU to the Men in Sheds. Thanks to them today the children are using our newly refurbished car to steer the role play pirate ship. Land ahoy! It was a joy to see them playing with it again at one point there was a queue to play with it. Please Please go say Thank You
"Hi all We'd like to Say a massive THANK YOU to the Men in Sheds. Thanks to them today the children are using our newly refurbished car to steer the role play pirate ship. Land ahoy! It was a joy to see them playing with it again at one point there was a queue to play with it. Please Please go say Thank You
06 07 21 The garage is coming along nicely and is getting close to becoming our new reclaimed timber area, the lights have now been changed and additional ones fitted to make it safe to work in there and the racking is also coming along nicely thanks to donations from local builders A G Langham and also local residents as well including most recently donations from Beverle