Mobile Men’s Shed bus tour

A tour of South Lanarkshire promoting highly successful community workshops for men has begun.

Men’s Sheds operate in communities across the area and offer all men, including those who are retired or out of work, a chance to pursue hobbies and pastimes and share skills while also relaxing and socialising with a cuppa and a chat.

Sheds are informal and no two need be the same, with each one developing in the way most suited to its particular members.

Christine Calder, Seniors Together manager at South Lanarkshire Council, said: “Men’s Sheds are a haven where men can have an opportunity to relax, get out of the house and expand the range of people they mix with.

“There are no set activities – for example, woodwork, engines, cards, darts, electronics, photography, cooking and lathe work, all with frequent tea breaks and a healthy dose of chat and laughter – are all popular pastimes.

“Each one takes on a life of its own, because Men’s Sheds work best when they are run by the men who use them, usually by an elected committee or by shed members and local people.”

To take the message of the benefits of Men’s Sheds to pockets of Lanarkshire where they do not currently operate, the council’s Mobile Men’s Shed – a converted bus designed to demonstrate what a typical Men’s Shed can offer – has embarked on a ‘World Tour’ of South Lanarkshire.

Open to all-comers from 10am to 2.30pm on each occasion, the Mobile Shed will visit Cambuslang, on July 16, 17 and 18. Details of exact locations will be released closer to the time.

Anyone wishing further details on existing Men’s Sheds or interested in starting one should email SeniorsTogether@ or telephone 01698 454105.