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Trend is supporting the Men in Sheds activity group in Milton Keynes with equipment and product demonstrations. Men in Sheds aims to provide a place where men from all walks of life can get together to share their experiences and skills on a variety of projects.

The Men in Sheds Milton Keynes project was launched through a press announcement by a member of the public, and actively supported by Age UK Milton Keynes. With 80 or so men expressing an interest, there was a lot of enthusiasm but the limited accommodation and opening hours meant things developed slowly. Until by a fluke, an adjacent warehouse rented by Age UK became available and they generously let Men in Sheds have it rent-free for a year. The shed in Milton Keynes is a big Shed, over 4000 square feet, but this brings its own problems; £8000 a year rental cost. However, there is a sizeable woodworking area, with several 2-man working benches, lathes, band saw and table saw, planer/ thicknesser, handheld and table routers and dust extraction. There is also wood storage, but never enough.

There is a modest metal working area, with 2 benches, welding, turning and milling. Then there is the model making area, several model railway layouts and aero model making taking place, along with a flourishing arts/painting section and occasional music sessions.

For those requiring a rest, there is the kitchen and lounge/office area.

The Trend product demonstrations showed the members routing techniques like profiling, edge-routing and moulding, working with router tables, dovetail jigs, mortice and tenons and  pocket-hole joinery. Various members had the opportunity to try some techniques, which was a great experience, as many of them had never used a router before.

The shed is open Mon, Wed, Fri, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m, but there is no supervision, it is run and manned by the members, they do their own thing, but also engage in various community projects.

There are more than 50 active members, so if you are interested in becoming a member, please contact MIS MK by telephone on 01908 267126 or by email: [email protected] or visit their website www.meninshedsmk.org.uk.