The Story So Far

It's hard now to believe that it all started late 2016 with out first visit to the site only in January 2017.  For a very long time we would often be saying to each other "what have we done!?", "this place it too big!" yet at the same time looking around and fearing the Shed would not be big enough for all the things we wanted to do!

We can't thank everyone enough for the selfless hours they have put into the renovation; years of back-breaking toil so that one day, men would have a place to come, hang out and play with all sorts of toys together.

2024

This year has proven a critical time in the Shed’s life as we were given planning permission to stay at the current site indefinitely. With new members coming in almost every week and progress being made on the building itself we look forward to sharing with you everything we have achieved once the year is done!

Seven men standing together in a workshop, smiling, some holding saws and a glue gun, around a table with tools, in front of a large sign that reads 'Men's Shed Guernsey' with a green house logo.

2023

So far… the south ('clean and quiet') shed is looking tidier than it has in decades and it's most certainly warmer!  The north ('noisy dirty') shed is being rearranged to make more precious bench space.

We've also made preparations for a Public Access Defibrillator.

An elderly man in a blue sweater is working in a woodworking shop, measuring a piece of wood on a workbench surrounded by wooden planks and tools.

2022

A change of gear… the south shed ceiling was completed and insulated and the walls lined in insulated plasterboard.  Immediately the warmth was noticeable!

Internal structures miraculously appeared — the 'inner sanctum' / 'retreat' / 'hide-hole' and a 'tech-room' — one with a wooden floor and the other with carpet!

All the while, our array of tools and machinery grew, allowing other projects, some personal and some for the Shed stall, to flourish.

Four men working on construction or drywall installation inside a partially finished room with a brick wall and unfinished concrete floor.

2021

Despite the second lockdown, huge progress was made on the Shed; inside and out.  The metalworking workshop got some serious equipment, the walls got insulated, ceiling joists were installed, the ceiling began to be closed up.  A big change was coming!

The outreach group at Le Grand Courtil ploughed on with the 'Wise Words Owl' and the many other jobs that always crop up.

Two men with glasses working together on a construction project inside a building with wooden framing. One man is smiling and holding a CLAMP, while the other is operating a cordless drill. They are smiling and appear to be enjoying the work.

2020

Lockdown held us back us a bit of course but we took to the internet, hosting group hangouts and a weekly SHEDcast which connected us with shedders in the UK and beyond.

Our outreach group presented the market barrow they had made to the residents of Le Grand Courtil then got stuck into making a giant owl!

Our transformation stepped up a gear when the Shed got new ceiling trusses installed ready for the new ceiling.

A group of people standing around a red and white miniature shop cart, decorated with Christmas items, in a room with paper chain decorations hanging from the ceiling. There is a window and a presentation screen in the background.

2019

With the kitchen completed we moved our 'catering' facilites from the north shed to the south.

Instead of just plastering the internal wall, Michael agreed to workshop the process.  Over a few weeks more than a dozen guys and gals — aged 12 to 90yrs — had a go at 'not making too much of a mess on the floor'.

We finally opened to the public in November.  There was still lots to do but it was time to spread the love!

A man with glasses and a beard smiling while holding a red and black thermos bottle in a partially finished kitchen. The kitchen has wooden cabinets, some construction tools, and signs on the window with rules about not being a rooster or hen.

2018

Toilets got demolished.  Toilets got built.  Toilets got plumbed.

It was a massive leap forward in terms of 'comfort' and the general usability of the shed.

All the while, our merry band grew stronger and closer week by week.  We were "Shedding"!

Construction site with a small excavator demolishing a brick wall inside a building, debris on the ground, and an open garage door revealing outdoor scenery.

2017

We started by sorting the junk and dumping more than 40 tonnes of it over 8 months!  It was an extremely hard and demoralising process.

The stripping back eventually slowed and we started adding to the building — most notably a roof!

We hosted a wonderful 'sharing' event with many other agencies and organisations who we thought would be interested to know what we were up to.  Our aim: to leave them thinking about how their patrons, services users and clients would benefit from the Men's Shed.

A house under construction or renovation with scaffolding surrounding it, some windows boarded up, and a partially completed roof. There are construction materials and tools around the site.

2016

It started with Patrick Abrahams from the Frome Shed in Somerset speaking at a conference which inspired a few people to set up a Shed in Guernsey.  There were meetings and excited dreams being shared then… picture a shed with decades of detritus piled up everywhere, windows smashed out and 'unauthorised openings' in the roof letting the outside grow inside!

A man presenting on a stage at a conference with a slide showing a diagram of a shed emitting a rainbow beam, labeled 'UK Men's Sheds Association' and 'The Frame Shed', against a black background with colorful circles.