Today, Men’s Sheds Cymru asks all members to be mindful of the risks posed by Covid-19.

We ask that members, especially those with underlying health conditions, think twice before going to their shed. If you are feeling unwell, stay at home and follow the current advice. Many of our membership fall within the ‘at risk’ population of being seriously affected by COVID-19.

The most recent advice can be found at Public Health Wales.

Sheds are well-known places where men come together to learn, share and connect with one another, and if sheds are unable to meet due to the coronavirus outbreak, we would encourage members to maintain that connectedness through other means, such as checking-in with one another through phone, email or social media.

The Men’s Sheds Cymru Project Team and Wellbeing Advocates will continue to be available by phone for help and advice.

Hi Shedders,

I can’t keep up with the excitement at the Shed, every week something seems to be happening.

Friday morning the container from Parker Plant, Llanelli arrived and several of us were at the Shed super early, mainly because we knew the delivery might cause chaos with the roadworks and we didn’t want to miss that ha ha. The day before I was thinking of the possible disruption we were going to cause so in my head I was preparing to wear a high viz jacket and direct traffic.   I needn’t have worried because Young Bros, who are working on Mond Corner, helped us out and did the traffic management on our behalf.  They were superb and I cannot thank them enough.  The boys form Parker Plant operated the crane and lifted the two tonne container off the lorry and onto the hardstanding as if it was a corgi toy, we were all impressed.

After the excitement we retired to the Shed for a celebratory tea/coffee and cake, there was a party atmosphere going on which was infectious because before we could say “hooray” the Shed was full, it really was.  It wouldn’t have surprised me if everyone had started dancing, that was how good it felt.  Thank you Shedders.

What will this week bring?  Well, Swansea Bay TV ‘phoned tonight and they are coming Wednesday at 11am to film us in action.  The recorded programme will be on at 6pm Channel 8 Wednesday evening. The excitement never stops at Men’s Shed Clydach.

Looking forward to seeing you all on Wednesday, the kettles will be whistling.

Belinda

We are supporting the Samaritans who are keen to invite Men’s Sheds to participate in ‘Brew Monday’.

The message from the Samaritans is:

When it’s cold and grey outside, getting people together to connect over a warming cuppa helps to make us feel better and manage the ups and downs of life.
This winter, we’ll be encouraging people to have a Brew Monday to brighten up a cold and grey Monday or any other day that suits them. They can use their get-together to raise money for Samaritans, so someone having a really tough time has somewhere to turn if they need us.

Brew Monday will be launching on 20 January 2020, the third Monday in January, which is usually known as ‘Blue Monday’. Blue Monday is often described as one of the most difficult days of the year, but at Samaritans we take this with a pinch of salt. It’s not backed by any scientific evidence and we know that people can struggle to cope at any time of the year.

For Brew Monday 2020, Samaritans in Wales would love to invite Welsh Men’s Sheds to get involved and help them promote the importance of talking. We would like to encourage Men’s Sheds across Wales to hold a get-together with tea and cake and most importantly, a good old chat.

To get involved and express your interest, please email wales@samaritans.org We will let you know how to set up your event and sign you up for a free Brew Monday kit.

– Samaritans Wales

A ‘Brew Monday’ event can take place anytime in January or February. If you decide to take part, let us know and we will help to publicise your event.