Member Update – Feb 2024

Welcome to our latest member update, with some news on what’s been happening over the past couple of months.

Cookery Class

Steven Watts conducted another successful Cookery Class in cooperation with the local charities Age Concern and Winton House. This time Creamy Chicken Curry with Basmati Rice.

We plan to run the class monthly if there is interest, please email Steven ([email protected]).

The Petersfield Seed Swap

Peter Reeves, along with Paul Crocker made 10 seed boxes for the seed packet exchange at the upcoming Petersfield Seed Swap on 9th March (10am-2pm) at Winton House.

Here’s Peter handing over 2 of the seed boxes to Claire along with a poster of the event.

Pop along and say hello on the day because we have been invited to have a sales stall at the event.

Poster for "The Petersfield Seed Swap". It reads; The Petersfield Seed Swap Saturday March 9th, 10am - 2pm Winton House Centre, 18 High Street Swap seeds & seedlings to try something new Meet fellow gardeners in a friendly setting Gain gardening advice from experts & local organisations Be inspired for the upcoming growing season Free Workshops 10:30-10:50 Start Your Cut Flower Garden with Helier Bowling 11:30-11:50 Plan Your Veg Plot with Steve Amos What will you grow this year? Refreshments available www.growingtogether-pod.com

Organised by the Growing Together gardening podcast (https://www.growingtogether-pod.com/) with Petersfield’s Shine Radio, the Petersfield Seed Swap is supported by East Hampshire District Council’s Grow Up programme, funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

80’s 8 bit home computers a bit of R&R (Research & Repair)

One of our recent members, Rob Bewes brought along a couple of 80’s 8 bit home computers for an entertaining evening on Wednesday 21 Feb and provided us with some interesting facts as well as hints and tips on repair.

Also joining us was Ian Wegg who had delved into his loft and found an early ZX80 which he brought along to show us all.

An Oric 1 and Sinclair ZX80 home computer on a desk, connected to a computer monitor

We are hoping to be able to host Rob another evening with a variety of other home computers from a similar era.

Recent Projects – Feb 2024

The Petersfield Men’s Shed have been contacted by a variety of people over the past months and here is a summary of some of the hard work of our members.

Dog Gate
A portable dog training gate for use by the Petersfield Dog Training Club is one of a number of examples of a successfully completed project.

Kestrel Boxes
A couple of industrious group sessions by our members resulted in twelve kestrel boxes being built for Raptors of Newton Valence ready for installation around their village ready for Spring.

Market Stall
A local not-for-profit organisation ‘Entertainment Events’ which donates all net proceeds of its activities to specific local charities, requested a ‘Market Stall’. Our members designed and built one which was used for the sale of ice cream during the Seussical Musical event held at the Festival Hall.

Pilot Cookery Class

On Friday the 19th January 2024, we ran a pilot cookery class to teach some basic cookery skills.

In conjunction with local charities Age Concern and Winton House, five men (including John Liddall and Roland Goodbody from the Men’s Shed) prepared spaghetti bolognaise together and then enjoyed an early supper with a well-earned glass of red wine.

Supported by Winton House volunteer cooks, Marion and Jenny with Steven, the 5 participants were taken through the recipe steps stage by stage, resulting in a delicious meal enjoyed by all.

We plan to run more classes, now we know the format works and the facilities at Winton House can cope. The support and input by everyone at Winton House has made this possible, proving collaboration really works to benefit local people.

Member Update – August 23

Welcome to the second PMS Latest News. Its aim is to ensure all PMS members are up to date with the workings of the management committee, news from individual activity groups, future events and general news from members themselves. So, if you would like to include a note in future editions, please drop me an email.

Whinge!

Unfortunately, this month’s News starts with a whinge. I think every member will agree that the effort, input, and results to get us this far of mostly those on the management committee, Trustees and a few wonderful members has been amazing. However, we cannot keep relying on these few to keep the Shed operational, forward thinking and vibrant for all of us to enjoy.

We have nearly 90 members and not only do we need more members to volunteer some time and effort for vital aspects of the Shed, but we would also like to see more of you simply coming along. We are open Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm and some Wednesday evenings and starting next week, Saturdays from 10am to 1pm, so plenty of opportunities to visit.

This is “your” Shed, please help and support it.

We Need You!

Currently, we are looking for member volunteers to take on the Membership Secretary role, Social Organiser and Site Manager.

The Membership Secretary is the first contact if someone wants to join, mostly by email. They must be organised and a good record keeper using a small, secure data base. There is no requirement to join the MC or be a Trustee so probably involves no more than a few hours a week maximum.

The Social Organiser will suggest, and lead organise and publicise social events, visits, talks, etc. They are not expected to do this on their own but with each event having a small team of members who will “make it happen”. Suggestions so far are a pizza lunch, curry night, walks, BBQ, invite the partners, trips to places of interest and museums, interesting speakers, film afternoon, etc, etc. You must be organised, sociable and able to get things done. Again, no requirement to join the MC or be a Trustee.

The Site Manager will ensure the Shed is clean, tidy and any maintenance issues are raised with the MC. Through the various workshop leaders, rostered Shed Supervisors and MC members, they will organise various working groups from time to time to ensure the Shed is always presentable and functioning as it should. A local, physical on-site presence will be essential. Again, no requirement to join the MC or be a Trustee.

If you wish to discuss any of the above roles, please email me.

Garden Group

Last month, I asked members interested in gardening to email me. To say I was underwhelmed is an understatement. Therefore, I have decided that I will start by asking if any members wish to join me on Friday the 18th August at 10am (as long as it’s not raining), with gloves and their favourite garden tools, we shall spend at least the morning gardening. And bring a packed lunch so we can sit in the garden to enjoy our labours.

The great news is that the Town Council has awarded us a £750 grant which the MC has decided will go towards the garden, so over lunch, we can discuss design plans for the raised beds and spend the grant. What fun!

Metal Working Shed

The “Small” Shed now has its electrics and is ready to be converted to metal work. Nick, Malcolm and Martin are now working on plans to equip it ready for operation. If there are avid metal workers who wish to input, please contact them directly.

Bike Shed

The Bike Shed now has its electrics and the Cycle Reclamation Group regularly meets on Wednesday mornings. If interested please drop in and speak to Michael, Mark or any of the group.

Community Projects

We are now starting to receive a steady stream of community project requests, from bat boxes in the South Downs, shelving at the Scot Hut and flower boxes for Petersfield in Bloom to the Physic Garden back gate. We have just received a request to erect a garden shed for a local sheltered housing which will require a cement base. As it’s a big job, before we respond and possibly agree to this request, we shall need confirmed volunteers who have the skills and time; please email me if you have.

Sale of spare tools

We still have some surplus tools for members to buy, so when you are next at the Shed, please take a look. Some are brand new, and all are PAT tested. All proceeds will go towards our future running costs.

Stall Day

We shall have a stall at the PECAN Boot Sale on the Avenue Playing Field on Sunday 20th August. Nick and Peter are organising, but any additional volunteer helpers will be welcome.

We also plan to set up a stall at the back gates to the Shed on Sunday 27th August, which is Petersfield Festival Weekend. Again, volunteer helpers please.

And don’t forget…

  • The guitar group meet on Friday mornings (contact Ray Vogt).

I hope you enjoyed this, second Latest News. If you want to put a note in future editions or are interested in starting an interest group, please email me. And please consider taking an active role and join in the various groups and activities mentioned above. The Shed will only work with everyone doing their bit.

Steven Watts

Chairman

[email protected]

Now open Saturdays 10am-1pm

We’re pleased to announce that from Saturday 5th August we will be open from 10am until 1pm.

Please come along and meet fellow members and perhaps gain a new interest, join a working group, or even just to drop in for a chat and a tea or coffee.