History - Shedders and Fixers

Shedders and Fixers was created in 2017 by a couple of of inspired volunteers who wanted to set up a space that replicated the style and ethos of the Men’s Shed Association. It started in a humble polytunnel on site of the Secret Garden Touring Park leased by landowners Neil and Lesley Pollington, who wanted a group that would benefit the local community and be sustainable for the future. Since these humble beginnings, many different members have contributed along the way to build the space that we have today.

Photo from inside the polytunnel, with it's muddy ground — The muddy polytunnel

Photo of the inside with the layout of the shed spaces — Laying out the separate shed spaces

Photo of men laying the concrete flooring and leveling it off — Laying a concrete floor

The installation of sheds, concrete flooring and workspaces has created a unique environment that enables our members to build, repair and create items either for themselves, for the local community or in collaboration with local charities.

Photo of two men pointing and drinking tea — The bosses busy at work

Photo of a man up a ladder, drilling panels to create a wall — Creating the craft room

Photo of a man mixing cement — Laying the cement

Photo of insulation boards, piled up inside the polytunnel — A donation of insulation board

Photo of men installing panels to the craft room walls — Putting up panels

Photo of a man painting the ceiling white — Decorating the craft room

Photo of a woodwork bench — Making bespoke, upcycled woodwork benches

Photo of the interior showing the Craft shed, the Kitchen and the Metalwork area — The completed interior

Photo of the exterior of Shedders and Fixers, minus a section of the polytunnel roof — Cladding the exterior

We continue to be very grateful to all those people who have contributed along the way, as well as to all our members who continue to volunteer their time.

The Future of Shedders and Fixers

We’ve seen some big and wonderful changes at Shedders and Fixers and we have lots of exciting plans in place for the future. We’ve done extensive remodelling to our kitchen which is now much bigger, ground-level, and has a lovely, wide sliding door. The Craft Shed has also been updated with a sliding door, making it much easier and accessible for our wheelchair users.

Photo of the kitchen extension taking shape — Gutting out the kitchen and extending the space to support our wheelchair users (December 2025)

Photo of the sliding door on the Craft room (left) and the extended kitchen on the right — The sliding doors, installed by January 2026

Check out our Sponsors and Community Partnerships pages to see all the amazing people and local businesses who have supported us along the way. We are always looking for additional grants and funding to help us expand our services and facilities even further, so if you can help, please get in contact.