Men’s Sheds Celebrate International Men’s Day 2020

‘Think where man’s glory most begins and ends, and say my glory was I had such friends.’
WB Yeats 

Looking back at International Men’s Day last year, November 2019 it seems such an innocent time. We took it for granted that we could visit our sheds for some tea and chat, work away on our projects and make plans for the future – building, growing, gathering together. We were probably looking forward to Christmas and the dawning of 2020 with little idea of what that year held in store.  

Since then, some of us have lost family and some of us have lost friends, some of us have lost our livelihoods, our sports and hobbies have been curtailed, our projects abandoned and most of us have lost that strong social connection that made day to day life so much easier. Many of us have been able to use digital technology to recreate some semblance of normality through zoom classes, skyping with family, teaching and learning through webinars. But as we struggle through our ‘new normal’ lives, we remember our friends: those Shedders that may be alone today, who are cocooning, wisely and quietly keeping themselves and others safe. They may not have access to a smartphone or a computer like we do and their loneliness may feel stifling and never-ending.  

With talk now of vaccinations and easing of restrictions our minds turn to reopening and reestablishing our shed network so that we can welcome them into our lives again. We have all suffered to a greater or lesser degree – through fear, through loneliness, through our own illnesses and the illnesses of our loved ones. As ever, humanity is working to pull itself out of this pandemic and we, as Shedders, will work hard to ensure that we come together again, stronger and more committed than ever to supporting each other.