A Basingstoke shed group has dug its way to receive almost £1,000 in vital funding.
Basingstoke Shed, which meets at Everest Community Academy in Popley, got a grant of £993 from the Asda Foundation.
“I am so pleased that we have been awarded this generous grant by the Asda Foundation and Royal Voluntary Service (RVS),” said group chairman Mike Branding.
“It will make a real difference, enabling us to buy much needed tools, replace defective heaters and install a dust extraction system and other safety equipment.
“All of these things are vital to us, especially in protecting the health of our members and the teenagers we coach from the nearby school.”
Shed groups originated in Australia and are places where people can come together and work on individual or community projects.
Practical skill and activities are on offer and provide opportunities for people to share tools, resources and skills in order to create, learn, and develop social networks.
There are now over 300 shed groups in the UK, with three a week opening on average.
Increasingly, younger people are getting involved and benefitting from the social interaction and skill sharing that a shed project provides.
Jo Phillips, sheds project manager at the RVS, said a variety of interests are catered for at these community projects.
She said: “Most sheds are started by local groups coming together due to a shared interest in traditional crafts such as joinery, furniture renovation, metal work and mechanics.
“We are delighted to administer the grant funds so that these skills can flourish in a friendly and sociable environment, and that more local community based sheds can get up an running.”
