On the Roll

Wheelchair Steve is always on the roll. We have immortalised him in plastic and shrunk him to appear on our model railway, at several locations probably. 

Perhaps to be realistic, we ought to have a broken down lift accessed by three steps with no model staff around to help! Tanni Grey-Thompson knows the problem far too well because she has to be permanently on the roll on rolling stock to manage her role.

We are really pleased though that we found the original CAD 3D model, for us to be able to modify.

This particular figure was part of a model gymnasium, with others doing various exercises. He (or she) had outstretched arms holding on ropes presumably for upper arm/body strength (???) so we broke the arms at the shoulder joint (by ungrouping arms from the complete wheelchait model), then rotating them downwards and rotating them inwards to rest in the figure’s lap. To reduce the figure to 23mm high to be in proportion for an OO scale modelrailway, we also had to simply features such as the spoked wheels which  were not printable at this scale.

Our model making expert, Walter, will spray figures with matt finish primer that brings out the shape visually and then apply some acrylic paint with small brush to add so colour and to differentiate wheelchair figures (after all, Wheelchair Steve cannot be in two places at once!).

A visit from local Cllr. Steve Nelson

After the visits from our two local MPs, we wanted to meet local councillors for similar in depth visits to meet the Shedders (more than the Shed!) and hear the different reasons they come to the Shed. The good it does them to combat loneliness and isolation.

Shedder Derick (the 79 year old enthusiastically learning from Paul as mentor the rudiments of 3D design for printing and learning for himself too) announced on Tuesday that Cllr. Steve Nelson lived almost opposite him and maybe he could approach Steve to come.  In fact Derick bumped into Steve Nelson on his way home from the Shed that very day. Derick issued a verbal invitation and followed it with a short emailed invitation. By return, Steve said he’d come on Friday morning. 

People were quite busy with projects so we decided that rather than drawing everybody together in a circle we’d take Steve to different activities going on with Shedders stopping work to talk to him in their small working groups.

He started with Paul and Derick for 3D design and printing, illustrating not only the technique but also the way Derick began to take interest as Paul was introducing it two or three months ago. The technology interest has enriched Derick’s, Paul’s and Graham’s lives in part because adaptation and design can be done at home for free.

From there Steve moved to the outside table on a sunny day to meet half a dozen Shedders there and then onto a working party making the Locomotion backdrop (also working outside). From there the final stop was with Dennis engaged with a planer/thicknesser (safety) demonstration and practice session. 

Throughout it was about people’s stories about their social isolation and the way the Shed has radically transformed lives: restored self-esteem, rebuilt confidence, offered renewed purpose,and offered the opportunity for Shedders to receive AND give.support.

It was , said Shedder Paul, a surprisingly satisfactory meeting!

On Friday afternoon Graham and 3D Paul had an arranged meeting with two senior members of the Stockton-on-Tees staff . It was a meeting that resulted from comments written as feedback by Graham after a recent Stockton community meeting. So, an invitation came to meet with Sarah Robinson, Community Engagement Team Manager. 

We will not write here in detail about the discussions (difficult anyway because they were wide range and free flowing) but it is worth saying that from our (Graham’s and Paul’s) points of view the meeting was not rushed, that both they and we had prepared for the meeting, that discussion revealed considerable synergy between the Council’s aims and future strategy with objectives of the Shed. Separate from the Shed, there was a close match of approach and method used between work initiated by the Council to collate information about community services, volunteer-based activities and social groups in Stockton to work Graham had undertaken elsewhere. 

We had not intended, and did not(!), promote Norton Shed as some wonderful venture outstripping all others. It is but one jigsaw puzzle piece (important to some men) in the  Norton area which is itself a “geographic clump” of jigsaw pieces in the overall Stockton jigsaw.

We presented our Shed strategy of the past couple of months that will continue throughout 2025 (and ongoing) to get acquainted with other projects and initiatives in and around Norton (not just Sheds) that are rooted in the community and often little known about.  A little informal collaboration can help not only the projects but  more importantly, people in our community with needs of all sorts. Norton Shed’s work, we explained, is to bring people in from the cold; a step into community reconnection. It was the same message that Steve Nelson and the MPs  heard.

At first sight this kind of meeting might seem a long way from Shed experience, but it is what makes what we do sustainable and robust. It’s risky some might say, but stepping out and trying the new is what opens up opportunities.

Paul and Graham really appreciated the hour and a half meeting, and slept peacefully in our beds that night!

Paul and Graham are are happy to share more with individual Shedders (and 2s & 3s)  about the discussion and its significance.

Bowling Up

On Saturday afternoon there was an opportunity for the community (including Shedders!) to try their hand at bowls at Norton Bowls Club. It was a very interesting and engaging experience. Graham turned up (with near flat shoe soles) and was soon being instructed with a family from Billingham. We went through some introductory build ups games (not formal bowls) to build up a small degree of skill!

It was fun. The Bowls Club Members were very welcoming indeed and it was the kind of atmosphere Shedders would be very comfortable to be in. It was commented that the members are very supportive of one another. What does the Bowls Club do? 

1. They organise and provide facility for people to play and enjoy bowls – entertainment
2. They provide an antidote to social isolation
3. They provide a foundation for new friendships
4. They care about each other and keep an eye on each other.

Aren’t these much the same as the Shed?

There may be a bowls player coming our way for good reason. Let’s see!

Another example of reaching out to each other informally.

The Skills Shop will open soon on a Wednesday morning

It’s for authorised Shedders to undertake personal projects where they are using skills they already have; for possible “apprentices” to learn from them or for someone to learn a skill not available at the Shed.  Fewer people (around a total of 10) but with no one working alone for safety reasons.  

It has the hallmarks of TV’s Repair Shop and indeed some of what is done may be restoring items.

About the same time we should see the model railway beginning in-situ. Already some of the crafting of models is underway.