Men’s shed needs new base
Oban Men’s Shed needs a new roof over its head.
The peer to peer support group, which encourages men to socialise and be constructive, has had free use of part of the Stevenson Street building owned by the Salvation Army, but now the premises is being put up for sale, although they have not been given an exit date.
The Shed’s John McAllister wants to hear from anyone who can help or has an idea.
A central spot in town would be ideal but size is more important, says John. A space a little wider than they have now would be the best fit.
One of the locations they have in mind is the hall at the back of the former church in Argyll Square, but they are struggling to find out who owns it.
‘It would do the job nicely but we can’t find out who owns it now. It was sold by the Church of Scotland some time ago. If anyone knows who we need to talk to about it, we’d love to hear from them,’ said John.
The church building was used as a pub before it was taken on by VisitScotland and is now lying disused.
Although the group, which classes itself as a community resource, could try for a grant to buy a building - getting a grant to pay rent is not easy. The Men’s Shed relies on donations.
There was an offer of a hut at Rockfield but there was not enough money in the pot to afford it, said John.
‘We rely on donations. We see ourselves as a community resource. If we start making a profit we would turn ourselves into a business and that’s not what we are about,’ he added.
Members of the Men’s Shed take on projects and jobs brought to them by the community, from fixing benches to restoring shelves and garden equipment as well as taking on special one-off requests like making a muscle-strengthening piece of kit for the hospital’s occupational therapy unit.
‘They ask for it, we do it the best we can,’ said John.
Last month the ‘Shedders’ partnered up with Argyll and Bute Council to bring a disused shack at the side of Ganavan toilets back into use as a public shelter.
The revamped shack, that will be gated overnight, can now be used by groups meeting up at the beach and snack van customers needing shelter. A community noticeboard will also go up in it soon.
‘Up until the Salvation Army’s last service in town we had not been told we would be closing here,’ added John. ‘We realised what was happening when we saw the note on their door.
‘We’d been given gratis of the building as a community resource for about four or five years, which we’ve very much appreciated and want to thank them for.
‘It’s worked well, but now we have to search for somewhere else to go.’
A former sandwich place in a Nissan hut near Tesco is also being looked at as a possibility.
Talks with Argyll and Bute Council about old toilets below the Corran Halls fell flat three months into talks when the council realised it did not own them.
If you can help the Men’s Shed find a new home, message Men’s Shed Oban on Facebook.