What's new
Autumn Brunch
Take to the waterways
Books reviews
DVD reviews
Yoga
Our new website - Enjoy Britain online www.enjoybritainonline.co.uk/
New CD releases
Discover Knightsbridge, London
Cruises
Birdwatching and more
IT USUALLY starts off as a bit of a joke. “Where’s your dad?” “In his shed, of course.”
The much-pummelled stereotype of the henpecked husband taking refuge in his shed – often fitted out with an easy chair, transistor radio and flask of tea – is as old as the hills.
A man shed, to the untrained but critical eye, often appears to be a chaotic cornucopia of myriad tools, old machinery, broken appliances, offcuts of wood and metal, and innumerable packets of nuts, screws, bolts and nails that will all become essential some day.
Set among this is the workbench, where the magic really happens. However, there is a serious side to the man in a shed. Whether he’s temporarily escaping from the wrath of a curmudgeonly wife or merely whiling away the long days of retirement, possibly even as a widower, it is in the main a lonely existence.
After all, there are only so many go-karts, soap boxes, dolls’ houses and rocking horses that need making and, as the once-needy young grandchildren blossom into spotty technology-driven teenagers who don’t seem to visit so much anymore, enthusiasm can often seep away.
As with the inspection, discovery and action required to sort out the many health problems that beset the older generation, women are usually more adept than men at dealing with the concepts of loneliness and living as a singleton. So all hail the ‘Men in Sheds’ – an embryonic scheme that is beginning to catch fire around the country, where in conjunction with local authorities, older-generation charity organisations and health services, premises are being funded to provide a more gregarious alternative to spending time home alone in your shed.
Although in the UK it is a relatively new phenomenon (the Shed concept was first started in England by Age Concern Cheshire in 2009) in Australia – where the idea has been going for more than seven years – it is thoroughly embedded, and now boasts more than 1000 sheds. Just three years ago there were a mere handful of British sheds; now there are now more than 60 groups in regular operation throughout the country.
So what goes on in a shed? To find out and continue reading, click here
Have you got a "man shed"? Do you think this is helping the mental health of over 50s men?
Let us know what you think and share your experiences with us and others,, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram and YouTube
Motorbike at the National Motor Museum
June's book reviews
Royal robes
Peter Sellers’ Aston under the hammer
National Bingo Day 27th June 2023
Hen Harriers
Air up
Simon Evans reviews the latest CDs
April’s Top DVDs selected by Simon Evans
Here we go, here we go…for the Coronation
Otter
Easter on a budget
‘The Slug’ will race again after 100 years
Bath night for dogs
Classic Motoring Memories
Tios Drinks
Shake up your makeup
New Year, New You
From Italy with love
Mail-order meat comes of age
Christmas recipes
Christmas Crafts Part 2
Back to your roots
In your garden in Winter
Christmas Crafts
Christmas Gift Ideas
Vegan Skincare
Recipes for hope
Beauty Feature - Embrace the grey
Calling all coffee fans!
World Oceans Day 8th June
Beauty Feature - Feet First
Craft Corner - A great Easter basket
Battle of Britain
Claire Foy "I didn't get life until I was 32"
Alexander Armstong: "My family is my priority"
Cosyfeet Community Award 2019
How to Maintain Your Independence in the Kitchen
Ruth Wilson "Audience's don't know who I really am"
1969: The Year The Dream Died
Want to live the (Feel)Good Life? Move to Watford
Pressures of the sandwich generation
Steve Coogan"The most radical thing I can do is talk about love"
Oldie of the Year 2019
Rabble: The Movement keeping you fit and making you money!
Suzi Quatro: "I've always been a rocker at heart"
Giving up plastic
Women in WW1
Do you remember? UFO
Bognor and other Regises
John Lennon & Yoko Ono: 'Imagine'
Bill roache "It's a real privilege to make people happy"
Nana Mouskouri "Music brings me peace, love and hope"
How to Earn Money by Working from Home
How to get the best night's sleep, every night
Ringo Starr "I'm learning to handle life"
Headphones with a built in hearing test
Petula Clark: "I make the most of every moment"
London's other underground
Blue Peter: Here's one they made earlier
Gary Oldman: "Acting is an antidote to self hatred"
Emilia Fox: "I've learnt to find my own voice"
Love Your Gut Week Recipes
Puffin photos help to tackle decline of the 'clowns of the sea'
Craig Revel Horwood: "I don't care what people say about me"
Do you remember? Apple Records
What a Carry On!
Worried about being worried?
"I feel like the unluckiest person in the world."
Death of a Princess
Queen Elizabeth: Happy and Glorious
The Beatles: It was 50 years ago...
Hank Marvin: “Meeting Cliff changed my life”
Nicole Kidman "Children are the joy of my life"
The world of Parry Ray
Monty Python: Something completely different
Staffordshire Day
I always think I'm going to get found out
All shook up...The day that Elvis died
Twiggy: "I thought the world had gone mad"
Peter Capaldi: "I like characters who are strange"
Make eating breakfast a resolution which sticks, with milk&more
"Turning 60 can't be that bad!"Jennifer Saunders
The Enduring Power of the Unknown Soldier
Bradley Walsh "Variety is great for the soul"
Thank you, Brewood
"You never know what's round the corner"
1966 and All That
Remembering the Heroic Olympians
Martina Navratilova: "I Always Question Authority"
Guide for choosing clothes for older relatives
Getting older and disabled drivers behind the wheel
Scared to Shop!
Over 40s Named Most Successful Online Daters
Stay at home mum and author re-ignite's her career
Dating in later Life
Great garden getaways
Toton Engineman Review
The Making of Les Mis
“I’m a restless person by nature”
"We’re such country bumpkins”
Still time for tearooms
Hallowed hall of fame
Autumn Brunch
Take to the waterways
Books reviews
DVD reviews
Yoga
Our new website - Enjoy Britain online www.enjoybritainonline.co.uk/
New CD releases
Discover Knightsbridge, London
Cruises
Birdwatching and more