Men in sheds

Recently, Dr Kevin Burke and Bren Cook from the ‘Community Development and Youth Work’ team collaborated with Dr Gill Brown from Psychology to conduct some research around a community initiative in Bolton called ‘Men in Sheds’.

‘Men in Sheds’ is a national initiative which was designed to help people from diverse backgrounds reconnect with their wider community, whilst developing practical skills and forming a social network. This evaluation attempts to understand the impact of shed participation on the physical and mental well-being of the shedders and how this is achieved. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of participating in a community-based shed on individual health and well-being and to more fully explore the impact of this intervention on the community.

This work was requested through partners at Bolton Council and Bolton at Home, who have worked in collaboration with the University of Bolton. The work has recently been shared with our partners at Bolton at Home and the Council with the production of a research report and further academic papers will be released over the coming months discussing the successes of the sheds and the shedders (people who attend the sheds). Watch this space! For the initial summary report please see the attached document.