We registered with the Scottish Mens Shed Association two years ago. Since then Ryan has invited all age groups to participate in different forms of woodwork sessions – trying new approaches at every opportunity.
Sessions have seen as many as 16 primary School pupils take part in woodwork in a 2-hour period. The adult sessions have had as many as 8 in the four-hour Wednesday session. The group is happy to state that the Workshop (massively funded by Fife Voluntary Action) has been a success – now we could do with a bigger building!
The images above are from December 2024 onwards and show a mix of activities including festive decoration, wood cookies cut for use by other groups (Playrangers and family sessions), nesting boxes and firewood being collected for our fires.
2025 – New Mud Kitchen and Planters
We have a great plan to fundraise by building planters and nesting boxes for donation. This gives the men a sense of purpose. I also designed and began building a new Mud Kitchen for the kids, just last week. This was modelled online first to help the men visualise what they would be building. The design is a response to the play I’ve witnessed over the last couple of years. It also has to be robust because it’s a public space – open 24/7!
There is a lot of opportunity in what we’re doing and it can benefit a lot of people so maybe it’s time for me to seek more funding – what do you think?
The workshop is solely led by myself with admin support from Kirkcaldy YMCA. I’m currently offering a wellbeing focused session which includes gardening and maintenance of our outdoor play space. A range of circumstances and illnesses exist among our group. All attendees have expressed the benefits of one session a week – but they would like and probably do need, more.
I’d like to gain more hours and offer more support this year. Half of the hours I put in are as YMCA staff and half are voluntary. If I can gain an additional 4 paid hours per week I’ll be able to offer another 4-hour session with an additional 2-4 voluntary hours spent on everything involved in running it.
