Kirkcaldy and District Men's Shed opens doors with the offer of a cuppa

An open day on Saturday was used as a way of showing what it can offer to the community. It included the chance to chat to fellow craft enthusiasts and to watch demonstrations of calligraphy and wood turning from the Shed’s lead technicians.

The group currently boasts around 25 members who can attend its two meetings per week. Dave Stewart is chairman, and he says the group's main aim is to reduce isolation in the Kirkcaldy community – all whilst undertaking craft projects.

He added: “It’s about creating, maintaining and developing a facility, namely the Men’s Shed. We’re offering opportunities for men in the Kirkcaldy area to meet and undertake creative, physical and purposeful activities of their choice. The members choose what they want to do.

“It’s also about developing the capacity of men in the area to share their skills with others in the community”.

Meetings take place every Wednesday and Friday between 10:00am and 1:00pm. and while the shed is focused on craft projects and restoring the building, Mr Stewart said the real essence of meetings takes place not with tools in hand, but with cups of tea.

He added: “The door opens at ten and the guys come in. The people in the workshop have been involved in getting the equipment into place so far.

“But the main meeting takes place around the tea table. Guys come in, the kettle gets put on, and we just sit and have a blether.

“The subjects range far and wide - it could be anything! I think most of the members enjoy that bit, just chatting away. They come in and it just starts”.

The shed also encourages collaboration, with members of the groups helping each other out on projects and coming up with some novel solutions in the process.

Mr Stewart explained: “We have an art section as well. We’ve got one member who joined up fairly recently, and he wants to make plaster of Paris moulds from chessmen - like the Lewis Chessmen.

“He’ll be starting that soon, and we’ve been giving him some tips because if you make white plaster of Paris then the chips show through the black, so one of the technicians suggested dying the plaster black”.

After struggling to find new premises for four years, the Men’s Shed finally found its home in Ravenscraig Park’s old football changing room pavilion. It took over the running of the site in February, and, after months of renovation completed by members, the facility is now in working order.

Mr Stewart said: “if anyone had come to see the shed a year ago when we first got it, and then came back, they'd see quite a big improvement in the shed itself!”

“The building was in a bit of a dilapidated state because it hadn’t been in use for a number of years.

“We’re now about 50 per cent of the way through its refurbishment, but we’ve managed to get our two workshops done, and we’ve got them equipped”.

Despite the name above the door, Mr Stewart says one of the key drivers to success will be bringing more female members on board.

He said: “Half of our committee is made up of women. I think any organisation that ignores half the population is never going to be successful.

Mr Stewart says the shed still has a long way to go until it’s complete, with next year, and the better weather the Spring will bring, as a potential end point for the restoration works.

In the meantime, he hopes to help the burgeoning women’s section grow and to encourage members to take on their craft projects.

But Mr Stewart is keen to reiterate: “The most important thing will be the conversations around the tea table”.