MEN’S Sheds is a community initiative to help men to connect, converse and create.

Now it’s coming to Ludlow.

They are increasingly popular around the UK and now David Burton, together with Hands Together Ludlow, hopes that before too long Ludlow can celebrate the opening of its very own Men’s Shed.

He says that if you think of a ‘men’s shed’ as a collection of grumpy old men pottering about on an allotment then think again.

Men’s Sheds, as part of the international movement, are similar to garden sheds – a place to pursue practical interests at leisure, to practice skills and enjoy making and mending. The big difference is that garden shed activities are often solitary in nature while Men’s Sheds are the opposite. While the activities are similar, including woodwork, DIY and general making and repair, they are performed by groups of people acting together. They’re about social connections and friendship building, sharing skills and knowledge, and laughter.

Men typically find it more difficult to build social connections than women, and unlike women of a similar age, less older men have networks of friends and rarely share personal concerns about health and personal worries. While men of all ages are welcome for some men, when retirement comes, it can feel like personal identity and purpose is lost.

“Our first challenge is to find a suitable starter space,” said David Burton.

“This could be a garage, portacabin or similar, what we’re looking for at this stage is a rent free place - perhaps in need of a bit of TLC – within walking distance of the town centre that can take a couple of work benches, this gives us a simple starting point to develop. As the scheme grows we can look for larger and more permanent premises.”

Anyone who knows of any suitable place or plot of land are urged to contact Hands Together Ludlow with their ideas by calling their community helpline 01584 817250 or emailing sheds@handstogetherludlow.org.uk.