The gentlemen of Gilligham enjoy unrivalled use of fantastic facilities as part of the men’s shed network.

Since its inception in 2019, Gillingham Men’s Shed continues to go from strength to strength. With support from the community and local businesses, the hard work and persistence of the core team of eight men has resulted in a wonderful space in which gentlemen are welcome to work on their own projects, help out with tasks that benefit the community or simply sit and have a chat.
“We wanted to create a shared space,” explains Chairman Phil Wheatley. “So we approached Blue Diamond, who allowed us to use an area of the Orchard Park Garden Centre. One of our team applied for National Lottery funding, and the £35k we were awarded enabled us to purchase machinery and tools. The sheds were purchased with a loan from an anonymous benefactor
“The Shed really got going in August 2021, when it was finally ready to be opened up to everybody who wanted to join.”
GillShed, as it’s known, now has 38 regular members. Membership subs are £20 a year pro rata and a contribution for tea or coffee. The Shed is open on a Tuesday and Thursday from 10am to 1pm.

The Men’s Shed movement is a nationwide initiative (find out more at menssheds.org.uk). Phil explains: “GillShed is mainly for retired men who don’t want to sit around at home vegetating! You don’t even have to make things – if you want to come and sit in our tearoom for three hours and chat, it’s fine by us.”
But if you do have the urge to pick up tools and get creative, there are plenty of opportunities. Men from GillShed built the noticeboard for the Donkey Field Community Orchard, rebuilt and installed the seat in the Bay area of Gillingham, and tidied up the bench outside the surgery at Peacemarsh. They’ve made bird boxes for the community garden at Fontmell Magna, with swift and hedgehog boxes in the pipeline too.

The sheds are well-equipped, with one fitted out as a dedicated machine shop, another the bench room, while the third is the tea room. Even those with zero experience are welcome, as there’s always a duty manager on hand to guide you – and everyone has to have a safety induction before being let loose!
Phil explains the range of projects on offer at the shed: “Woodworking has always been a hobby of mine – my dad was a cabinet maker and I picked up most of my skills from him. But you don’t have to be a woodworking fiend! One of our chaps is doing up a Lambretta, and brings in bits every week to work on. While we’re not a repair shop, we do work with NorDDis and so far have made upholstery and mechanical repairs to five wheelchairs.”

If you’d like to find out more about GillShed, the chaps will be at the Spring Countryside Show on April 22-23, where they will be selling some of their creations as well as being ready to chat.
New members are always welcome, so if you would like to take a look around the sheds, email pajcw@btinternet.com.