A bi-product of the Shed is our ability to make and repair items for the village
community. We will always try to make or repair things as long as we are not
taking work away from local tradespeople. We ask for a donation for each
completed job, which keeps us going, by helping to pay our utility bills and rent.
We have also received funding from larger or corporate sponsors who have been
kind enough to help us with significant sums of money from our very early days.
These were often for specific ‘big spends’ which we needed to get going, or keep
us evolving.
We have benefitted from local donations of tools and materials, for example
timber. Sometimes these are simply surplus after a project, or might be older
tools that are being replaced by something more modern, but sadly also
occasionally from someone whose partner has passed away or who can no
longer use them.
We are very grateful for any donations of tools and equipment, large or small, in
any condition really. We’ll collect of course, by arrangement, the only proviso is
that although we’d like to use everything, we may well end up with duplicate
tools we can’t use. We like to refurbish these and sell them to provide funds for
the Shed at one of our occasional tool sales. This provides another service to
the community, in that tools that would otherwise have languished for years in
dusty drawers will have found a new lease of life with new owners. Anything
that we cannot use or sell is donated to charities such as Tools for Africa.
If you have any equipment or timber you no longer need and want valuable
space back in your garage, please click here to contact us by email, or use the
‘Contact Us’ page in the menu.

What are Sheds… and how did they start? Why are they often
called Men’s Sheds?
In Australia in the 1990s a number of issues were raised about men’s health. In
Australian culture, there was little encouragement for men of all ages to
socialize and discuss their feelings and well being. At a men’s health conference
in the mid-1990s, plans were put in place to improve a number of aspects
relating to men’s health.
The conference in question took place in 1995, and was the first national health
conference dedicated to men in Australia. It was suggested that men’s sheds
could help promote social interaction and reduce depression related illness in
elderly men.
Men’s sheds originated from the ‘Shed in a backyard’ scenario, where a man
would go and carry out tasks, such as restoring furniture or fixing lawn mowers.
The first men’s shed was opened in Tongala, Victoria, Australia on July 26, 1998.
Since then a number of articles supporting men’s sheds have been published,
stating they help increase the length and quality of life of elderly males.

Shed activities typically involve making or mending in wood, such as carpentry,
joinery, carving, whittling and furniture renovation, but can also include larger
projects such as bike repairs, metalwork, tool renovation, upholstery etc.
Reclamation, reuse and restoration feature strongly in Shed activities. Although
Sheds mostly attract older men, some have included men of any age, women
and young people. Whichever activities are pursued the essence of a Shed is not
a building, but the network of relationships between its members.
One Man’s ‘Shed Journey’…
Roger Knill moved to Australia in May 2010. His wife had passed away, and following
major surgery he was invited to join his daughter and her family in Melbourne. The
family ended up in Queensland, in a town called Highfields.
He’d never heard of the Men’s Shed movement,
but joined in March 2012, though the Shed was
still in its earliest days. The Highfield Men’s
Shed went from strength to strength, moving to
ever improving locations several times. Roger
ended up on the committee and became the
Shed Photographer.
When his family returned to the UK in 2015,
Roger returned too. He started looking for a
Shed, and visited some locally but didn’t quite
find what he was looking for. In early 2017 he
heard about Henfield’s initiative to form a Shed,
and attended the first meeting. His enthusiasm
and experience was invaluable to the team who
were steering the new Shed into existence. He helped with the fitting out of the Shed
and was one of the very first members to ‘sign up’.
Since the emergence of Men’s Sheds in 1996, the number of Sheds has grown year
on year. The first country in the Northern Hemisphere to have an association was
Ireland, where the Irish Men’s Sheds Association was established in 2011 to support
the development and sustainability of men’s sheds.
The UK has its own Men’s Shed association – The UK Men’s Sheds Association.
The Henfield Shed is proud to be a member.