Malmesbury Men's Shed is nearing launch despite delays

The Malmesbury Men’s Shed is nearing launch after years of planning, with only final approval from Wiltshire Council standing in the way of progress.

John Fairbairn, from Corston and one of the founders of the new shed, said: "At the moment, we are a shed in name only, until we get a home.

"We were promised the site in July last year, but due to several delays, one of which was finding a rain drain under where we will have our shed, we are still waiting for Wiltshire Council to give the go-ahead to have the drain moved and are hoping that the decision will be taken very soon."

Once the site is secured, the group hopes to erect an 18ft by 30ft Canadian log cabin-style shed, their first project as a team.

The Malmesbury Men’s Shed, officially called ‘Malmesbury Men’s Shed The Jackdaws MS,’ is already registered with the UK Men’s Sheds Association (UKMSA).

The movement began in Australia around 35 years ago and has since grown to more than 1,200 sheds across the UK.

Mr Fairbairn explained the concept and its appeal to men.

He said: "Men’s sheds were first started in Australia about 35 or so years ago with a few blokes in a garage repairing a lawnmower.

"Since then it has developed across the world and we have about 1,200 or so sheds here in the UK."

Sheds typically offer practical activities and the chance to learn new skills, from woodworking to small repairs and community projects.

However, their real value lies in bringing people together.

Mr Fairbairn said: "One of the reasons that the men’s sheds are so good is that men don’t tend to talk face-to-face as the ladies do.

"We tend to talk shoulder-to-shoulder."

Once operational, the shed will also serve as a social and support hub.

Mr Fairbairn said: "We will be putting out an information sheet and posters in the town shops in the near future to give details of when we will be holding a meeting to let the folks of Malmesbury know both when things will be happening and to recruit our members.

"When I have been in Malmesbury I have spoken to quite a few people about having the shed here and I have had a really good response from folks that would love to see our dream happening."