Today marks International Men’s Day, celebrated across 80 countries, which invites everyone to come together and celebrate men and boys in all their diversity. We want to take this moment to celebrate Farnham Men in Sheds and the contributions they have and continue to make to the local community, as well as what the group means to them as men.

So far in 2021, Farnham Men in Sheds have connected with 16 different local organisations, producing bespoke storage solutions, problem solving ways to hang outdoor art, paving and decking areas, building boxes for nature and creating storage for some wellies belonging to St. Polycarp’s reception class.

The welly storage was their most recent project, and Helen Fletcher Chair of the PTA commented that Farnham Men in Sheds ‘could take our outline brief and create just what we needed at an affordable price. It's great that the school and local organisations can support each other.

When making the storage, the guys most of all enjoyed ‘the satisfaction of seeing the thing installed and in use’ and ‘seeing the kids getting what they’ve been wanting’. Several recent projects have involved the men building items for school children, allowing the generations to mix and new conversations to be had.

One of the members shared that he delights in ‘collectively doing useful stuff for the community which you can’t do on your own’. One of the themes of International Men’s Day is making a positive difference to the wellbeing of men. Several of the guys talk about the type of company the group affords, and the ‘chats and discussion we have about our lives’, with one noting that he has conversations he otherwise wouldn’t have.