Clydebank Men's Shed praised for helping widower with loss

Robert Simpson said the laughs and banter he enjoys at the Dalmuir-based Men’s Shed are something he has relied on over the last three years since the loss of wife Jessie.

The Clydebank fraternity of Men’s Shed - which prides itself on being a community space where men can connect, converse and create - was recently presented with a cheque for £1000 by two local businesses, Employment Experts and Novo Therapy and Care, based at the nearby business park.

And Robert said it’s the least the charity deserves for all the work it does in helping men deal with loneliness and depression.

He told the Clydebank Post: “I find there’s always someone here with an interesting story or jokes and the patter, it really works well.

“I come here for the company. Otherwise, I’d be left on my own.”

The guys get together to create anything from bird boxes to benches (Image: Tom Grant)

It is an outlet for men to get together and chat about any problems they are having (Image: Tom Grant)

Members can head a long for a chat and a cuppa if they aren't in to the woodwork (Image: Tom Grant)

The group has been building back over the last 18 months after an admittedly tough spell during the pandemic saw them reduced to just four at a time at the site on Duntocher Road.

Now it provides an area for around 220 men a month – the pre-pandemic level – to use the shed to get together with like-minded individuals and create through carpentry as part of the scheme’s woodwork workshop.

For those not interested in blowing off steam through carving and sawing, the option remains to just pop along for a blether over a cup of tea and a biscuit.

Joint treasurer Alex Falconer insists it has been good to get back to a bit of normality in recent times.

He told the Clydebank Post: “At first, the guys didn’t return. It was a struggle.

“Now we are getting there.

“It is open to anything. We leave it to the members to use the building as they want.”

The Men’s Shed is open on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and has members whose ages range from 36 to 94.

It also welcomes members outwith the Clydebank community, with regulars known to come from Bearsden and Cambuslang.

Ages of the Clydebank group range from 36 to 94 (Image: Tom Grant)

The group also has a garden out the back where they grow their own fruit and veg (Image: Tom Grant)

The group hold a 'Come on in' policy to any man who wishes to talk (Image: Tom Grant)

And fellow treasurer Alan Beaton, who has been part of the Men’s Shed world for over four years, explained just what the project aims to achieve.

He said: “There is a guy in there who got divorced, he lost his business and he really struggled.

“He never went out anywhere. But he’s here every day.

“The main objective here is to get the local community involved and sit in that rest room and talk about anything they want to talk about.”

The Post joined Alex and Alan for a tour of their facility as they received the £1000 funding boost.

Catriona Kirk, representing Novo and Employment experts, told the Post the Men’s Shed was the clear winner when they discussed choosing a local cause to donate to.

She said: “Quite a lot of the clients that we work with have either had life-changing injuries, ranging from losing body parts to brain injuries.

“A lot of them make use of Men’s Shed around Scotland.

“We focused specifically on Men’s Shed because we think it is more difficult for men to get back into some sort of routine if they can no longer work.

“Men are more likely to talk about their problems shoulder to shoulder rather than through therapy.

“One of the stories we heard from Men’s Shed was about a man who hadn’t left his flat for three months before he came down here.

“As the slogan says, you know, it’s a place for men to meet up that isn’t a pub or bookies.”

Girls from Employment Experts and Novo Therapy and Care visited to hand over the cheque (Image: Tom Grant)

The group say they will use the donation to continue to help men that need it (Image: Tom Grant)