The Men’s Shed movement was founded in Australia when a small community lost one of the biggest  employers in the area.

This left a lot of men without employment and little prospect of finding  alternative work. A Nurse had the idea of meeting together in a space where they could put their skills to good use and share their experiences. The space was no more than a ‘shed’ but it enabled the men to use their hands and have conversations in a work type environment i.e shoulder to shoulder.

The concept took off and soon the Men’s Shed Movement became global. 

In early 2019 a group of people in Fraserburgh got together to launch Fraserburgh & District Men’s Shed.

Despite an obvious need for a Men’s Shed in the area finding a suitable premises was proving difficult.

Just  when it looked like the idea wasn’t going anywhere Fraserburgh Sea Cadets offered us a small shed  and use of their HQ building on Balaclava Quay.  

Then, in March 2020, Covid 19 and subsequent lockdowns meant that the Shed could no longer operate. To add to the problem the Sea Cadets had to find alternative accommodation as the harbour area was being redeveloped to house the wind farm operation. 

This meant no face to face meetings inside and limitations of outside meetings.  

The end of Fraserburgh & District Men’s Shed?

Fortunately, technology came to the rescue and regular Zoom meeting meant we could share our  experiences – not just with our ‘Shed’ but with others around Scotland, the UK and USA.  

Although lockdown caused many problems the search for new accommodation carried on. Several  properties in and around Fraserburgh were considered but none came our way. 

By late summer 2021 lockdown was easing and larger groups were being allowed in outside spaces. We approached Fraserburgh Community Garden, and we were given the use of the beautiful garden on Tuesday afternoons. These meets were well attended, and it was decided to also meet at the seating  area by the Beach Cafe one evening each week.  

So, Fraserburgh & District Men’s Shed had survived the pandemic and loss of accommodation.

However, by the end of British Summer Time, it became apparent that our outside meets were becoming too difficult and inside space was needed. 

We approached Fraserburgh Lighthouse Museum who warmly welcomed us and Wednesday mornings in the cafe became our regular venue. 

During this time Fraserburgh Cadets were pursuing a Council owned property and asked if  we wanted to join them in the Community Asset Transfer process for Grampian House. 

With Grampian House still under renovation, we had the use of a large meeting room on Wednesday mornings.

In 2022 we were offered the use of a former fish factory’s canteen and portakabin where our membership continued to grow. We offered a comfortable social area, weekly art classes and a workshop. 

In early 2023 however, we realised that to continue our journey we need a place to call our  own. The rent had gone up to commercial rates and the site was offered on the open market for rent.

Our membership had grown so we had proved that we needed somewhere to carry on providing a valuable service to the Fraserburgh community promoting social inclusion and mental health awareness among members in the area.  

The search continued.

The Committee looked at several options for new premises including approaching the Scottish Land Fund for funding to purchase a former net-store but the timescale, cost and condition of the building were prohibitive; the former clinic at Kessock Park was investigated as an asset transfer but it had been sold to a private buyer; an Aberdeenshire Council Industrial Unit was considered but again, the rent  would have been excessive. Other options were considered but were quickly discounted mainly due to cost – including the AOG building on Queens Road!

Just when we thought the time had come for the end of Fraserburgh Men’s Shed one of our members spotted a premises that could possibly meet our needs. A quick phone call and arrangements were made for a viewing. A small group went to meet the owners where they learned the history of the building.

The Brethren Hall on Albert Street had been disused since lockdown and the congregation now met in each other’s homes and the building was redundant. Our prayers had been answered and thanks to a member who loaned the money for the purchase it has become our permanent home.

We continue to search for more ways to keep our members interested and, after consultation, we have had a coach trip to Nairn Men’s Shed, had various speakers over the year including health care professionals; worked with NHS Grampian to host Confidence to Cook courses; have regular themed Monday nights including our very popular Pudding Club; formed a singing group. We work with FairshareGo to collect surplus food for our members. Not forgetting our very popular Art Group which goes from strength to strength. As our membership continues to grow, we are planning to build a space where we can offer more activities.