The Shed is not a homogeneous project on the ground. It has layers of activity, like skins on mobile phones, as it continues to evolve.
So, let us look at some of the skins that continue to develop, starting with fridges. Very useful in the hot weather we are experiencing. It’s about Tom “Man with a Fridge” Judge. From BBC Tees.
Men carrying fridges aim to walk to Benidorm
Thomas Judge and Kev Wilcox are aiming to walk to Benidorm with fridges on their backs
Two men are aiming to walk 1,400 miles (2,250km) with fridges strapped to their backs to raise mental health awareness and charity funds.
Thomas Judge and Kev Wilcox have been causing a stir while training in north-east England for their walk from Middlesbrough to Benidorm in Spain.
The pair will set off on 30 August and they aim to spark meaningful conversations while walking 22.3 miles (about 36km) every day of their 12-week journey.
Mr Judge explained how the fridge symbolised the weight and struggle that people suffering with mental health issues endured every day, adding that people had opened up when they saw the pair doing something unusual.
Together they will be raising awareness and funds for Mr Judge’s charity First Contact UK Mental Health.
During training the pair are walking 15 miles a day around the north east
Mr Wilcox first met Mr Judge while he was out walking and they quickly formed a close friendship through their struggles with PTSD.
Mr Wilcox said: “Tom was looking for volunteers to walk along the beach with and I got to know him.
“I suffer from PTSD as well as Tom so we clicked and, before I knew it, I’ve got a fridge on my back.”
Mr Judge added the fridge was a “magnet” for conversation, with people asking questions such as if there were any beers in it.
He said: “People open up when they see something unusual and its good for them to talk about how they are feeling as well.
“We have had some really heart-stopping moments and conversations.”
Norton Shed has a medium term support and (mutual) encouragement role in the wider strategy of First Contact UK Mental Health. The two projects complement each other rather than overlapping too much.
Model Railway Sub Project – another skin
We know several men who have lived long wanting to create a model railway layout. Shedders Dennis and Andrew are two. Dennis has collected all manner of OO gauge “stuff” over many years and now is an opportunity for him to join a few others in bringing a joint dream to reality. It has been a bit of a slow burner because it was overtaken somewhat by the construction at full scale of Locomotion 1 and space needed for that but at last it can begin with the allocated space now being cleared and the base board construction starting next week.
So what? There is a track layout that is being adopted (with adaptation).
The basis for our long wall section, around 5m long. It is “A” on the original loft layout below
“B” and “C” will be to our own design (twice the width) providing end loops that allow continuous forward motion!
That’s enough information to begin making the base board supports with adjustable feet for levelling.
Being As One
Being As One is a joint venture with Whitby Town Shed’s Tech Shed to tackle social/digital exclusion. There is a bid being prepared for North Yorhire Council’s Digital Inclusion Programme and we are looking for a smaller sum to parallel/complement the Whitby district initiative. Aidan from Whitby and Paul & Graham from Norton.
We want this to be a demonstrator project that encourages others (not only Sheds) to adopt similar ambitions that help people learn.
Below is a first draft of a future newsletter on the evolving Being As One initiative. Draft in both design (this reuses a standard Word newsletter template) and text. For release later in July.
Newsletter Being As One 1St. Joseph’s School, Norton – a young skin!!
We have been asked by St. Joseph’s Junior School to assist with making play area/learning area equipment. They have seen and also Googled ideas.
The Shed is happy to co-ordinate and work on this but we would welcome some collaborative help from others in Norton, including parents and (like many of us!) grandparents.
Some of the work will be done at our Shed, but assembly and finishing will be done in location at St. Joseph’s.
We might make this a community make, over a day or two at weekends to allow others to participate in a bit of community come together.
We will see how youngsters can be involved at school in this. Maybe some painting in overalls!
This fits our strategy to meet others in Norton, and in this case they came to us,
Shed Open Day Saturday July 5th
Candelabra Assembly
The Iron Shed (Skinningrove Shed) – a video introduction sent by Jim
Catalyst Visit Introducing Link The Way Thursday 19th June
Link the Way is a project which aims to support social prescribing link workers and their clients in Stockton-on-Tees
We aim to link volunteers with clients to help them access events and classes in their community.
This unique project offers clients up to six weeks of support from a volunteer who will give them the confidence to step into these community groups and activities. This is NOT a befriending scheme, the aim is not to create a dependency on the volunteers. Quite the contrary, the aim is to build the confidence and independence of the client so that they can access activities of their own accord in the future.
This project will benefit some of the most marginalised and isolated people within our community, enabling them to socialise with new groups of friends and avoid the damaging effects of social isolation and loneliness.
How you can get involved
If you would like to volunteer to help us on our mission to help the most isolated individuals within our community, you can do so by completing a short form HERE.
If you are a social prescriber, mental health professional or any organisation that believes their client would benefit from this project, please complete this referral form.
Whitby Shed starts preparations for Being as One
Whitby needs a space within the Shed that can be protected from wood dust and helps retain heat in winter.
On Wednesday Graham joined Aidan (leader of the Thursday Tech Shed) in creating a stud-wall enclosure.They got about half way with it.
Look back a blog or two to see the 3D image of the “to be”
And we have a projector for the new Being As One project (and film shows!)