'Life-saving' Men in Shed project in Crewe loses funding

A "life-saving" service that allows men to share skills and socialise is under threat after funding was cut.

Crewe's Men in Sheds was formed in 2010 but from August will no longer receive support from Age UK.

Co-ordinator Joe Ashton said the clock was ticking to find new backing for the club.

Age UK said it had working with the shed members and supported them to form a new charity and in a search for new accommodation.

Mr Ashton said the group had been a "godsend" for some members who had found it a lifeline.

"Men don't get down to the nitty gritties of how we're feeling, and that's something that they tend to do here because they can make a joke of it, they can make a laugh about it and it takes some of the fear that maybe they have with health issues - it takes some of that away," he said.

The service for over-50s offered woodworking, upcycling and computing, he added.

Chris, who said he had been part of the group for about nine years, said: "Together we've got a really uniform crowd here - everybody loves it, it's just a life-saver."

Volunteer Simon Farr said he had joined the group after suffering a major stroke which had left him unable to work.

"I was at a loose end which put me in depression really, so I'm worried for people in my situation that struggle with the mental health side of it.

"My depression, since we found out, has been up and down, and there's a few of the blokes here that I've seen that are slowly going in a downward situation because they think that they've got nowhere else to go."

The group is now looking for funding to cover the rent and overheads at the workshop.

Age UK Cheshire said it had sourced funding for Crewe Men in Sheds for over a decade and had supported it by procuring machinery and promoting good health and safety.

It said the group was warned in 2019 that funding would end in 2022 and had supported them to form a new charity and transfer machinery to the new trustees, as well as support to secure new accommodation.

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]