The Petersfield Men’s Shed was honored to be selected as a finalist in the UK Men’s Shed Association’s esteemed Shed of the Year Awards. This national program acknowledges the remarkable contributions of Men’s Sheds and their members to their local communities.
Representing the Petersfield Men’s Shed, Chairman Nick Broom and Treasurer Trevor Nichols attended the awards ceremony and afternoon tea. They were invited by Mr. Speaker, The Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, to this distinguished event held in the State Rooms of the Speaker’s House in the House of Commons on International Men’s Day, Tuesday, November 19th, 2024.
The Shed Awards are sponsored by TiteFix, with specially designed trophies for the winners, crafted by Carveco.
The commitment of all the Men’s Sheds to community and camaraderie is truly inspirational.
We’re incredibly proud to be nominated in this year’s UK Shed of the Year Awards! 🎉 Being shortlisted for Shed of the Year is a huge honour for our Shed and a testament to the amazing work of our members. Thank you to @UKMensSheds for bringing our community together and to everyone who’s supported us along the way. Here’s to connection, creativity, and making a difference – wish us luck! 🤞 💚#UKShedoftheYear #MensSheds #ShedAwards2024 #Menshealthmatters #ShouldertoShoulder #Community
Check out our team in action! 🛠️ Peter, John, Nick, and Simon are hard at work assembling 40 Kestrel nesting boxes for Newton Valence (located between Petersfield and Alton). These will soon be painted and installed to provide a safe haven for these beautiful birds. #kestrel #Conservation #petersfield #alton #community
On 19 November, which is International Men’s Day, Petersfield Men’s Shed will visit Parliament for the UK National Men’s Shed Association awards hosted by Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons. One of three shortlisted (out of 1100 Men’s Sheds in the country) for ‘Men’s Shed of the Year.’
Chair Nick Broom spoke to Mike Waddington about being shortlisted for the ‘prestigious’ award.
Listen to the Shine Radio recording here:
He also speaks about current projects in the community (and they are open to further approaches if their help is needed), they are always open to new members – and they are giving away free firewood!
We would like to remove as much as the unwanted timber from around the site to take advantage of two local bonfires.
Before removal starts, we want to devote our next Friday clean-up and social day to sorting what timber is useful and what can be disposed of. We plan for that to happen on Friday 25th October.
We can start at 1pm and stop for food etc as normal at 4pm. We would love to see you there to share a drink afterwards.
We also have two days set aside for transporting the timber using our trailer. The first day, to a bonfire in Steep will be Sunday 27th October and the second day, to Bell Hill will be Saturday 2nd November.
We are also calling for help on those two days please. In addition to some helping hands, we need help from members with a tow bar to pull our trailer.
So, if you have a tow bar and can be available could you please let us know.
We’re thrilled to announce that the Petersfield Men’s Shed has successfully created and installed two stunning wooden trees into Herne Junior School. These unique structures are sure to spark creativity and imagination in the young minds of the school’s students.
Listen to the Shine Radio recording here:
The trees, crafted with care and skill by our talented members, add a touch of nature and wonder to the school environment. Their designs and sturdy construction make them both visually appealing and practical for use as display shelves.
We hope these beautiful creations will inspire the students to explore their love of reading and learning.
Thank you to the dedicated members of the Petersfield Men’s Shed for their hard work and dedication to this project.
As Nick mentioned in his email last week, we would like to have a general tidy up at the shed and as a reward for a good job done, we will be having beer, pizza and BBQ afterwards.
Join us from 14:00 for a general tidy up Join us for food and drink from 16:00
The plan is to have a general tidy up in the house, garden, and workshops, and we would love to see as many people as possible. We may do a tip run if needed, so please let me know if you are able to do this in your car.
We will provide the ingredients for pizza bases with cheese and passata but please bring your own toppings and any BBQ items (burgers, sausages). And of course anything you want to drink.
I am sure we will also be treated to some music by our lovely guitar group.
If you are a new member and want to know a little more about the members’ socials, just get in touch and we can give you some more details ahead of Friday.
The members of the men’s shed are helping to make 40 Starling boxes that will be installed on houses around Newton Valence. “The startling is one of England’s most romantic birds but is now on the list of endangered species as their population has plummeted by 53%”
Nick Broom and Rob Brailey of Petersfield Men’s Shed with the first batch of Starling nest boxes heading to Newton Valence. (Petersfield Men’s Shed)
A group of East Hampshire handymen is boxing clever in the bid to save a treasured bird from extinction.
The importance of saving the Starling is being hammered home by the Petersfield Men’s Shed as they’ve received an order for 40 nest boxes.
The custom-made boxes will be installed on houses around Newton Valence this autumn under the close supervision of ornithologist Dr Francis Buner.
It’s part of a plan by the Newton Valence Nature Group to create a “great new Starling murmuration” in the skies above the village between Selborne and the A32.
The Starling is one of England’s most romantic birds having inspired a Hans Holbein portrait, a Mozart Piano Concerto and a Tennyson poem.
But this treasured species is now on the IUCN Red List of endangered species as its population has plummeted by 53 per cent by 1995.
“In Newton Valence we are lucky to hear them ‘clapping their tiny castanets’ as they roost in our chimney pots,” said a spokesperson for the NVNG.
“We have a unique opportunity to create a new constellation in the skies above our parish, by providing the nest boxes our endangered Starlings need to safely raise their broods year after year.”
The village is fast becoming one of the county’s most ecologically important areas as efforts to protect and boost the toad population have also been recognised.
Its pond has been designed a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) in recognition of its significant toad population by the Hampshire Biodiversity Information Centre.
Hullam Lane – an ancient sunken lane and an important toad migration route – has also been designated a Road Verge of Ecological Importance by the same group.
The designations will help the efforts of Toad Patrol, working alongside the pond committee, to protect and enhance the habitat for biodiversity.
Stephen Allberry from Petersfield Men’s Shed used his skill to construct two new Accessible Backgammon Boards for the Petersfield u3a.
These Backgammon Boards were specifically designed to make the game accessible to players who are visually, or dexterity challenged. The board incorporates colour contrasted zones (replacing the traditional points) to allow the counters to stand out against the background, and ridges between zones to prevent accidental knocking of counters between zones. Note also the use of an iPad to automatically generate random dice throws. One of these boards has been trialled over a few weeks and has been welcomed by players who are novices, experienced, able bodied and most importantly the target audience those with visual or dexterity issues.
Novices are welcome to contact the u3a to become a member and then receive instruction on how to play this ancient game of skill and luck. They meet every Monday at 10am, attending every week is not expected. Contact the Backgammon Group on the Petersfield u3a website: https://petersfield.u3asite.uk/u3a_groups/backgammon-friendly/
Stephen Allberry of Petersfield Men’s Shed hands over an Accessible Backgammon Board to David Ford1A Backgammon game in progress on an Accessible Backgammon Board
