Projects galore for Community Shed

It’s been a busy time for the Aylsham and District Community Shed, with members helping to create and refurbish items for other local organisations.
They have helped create a ticket office for Blickling Hall Christmas light show; built a cupboard to store vegetables for the Eve’s Hill Veg Co; built planters for Aylsham Care Trust and refurbished a town council noticeboard.

The Aylsham Care Trust (ACT), a keen supporter of the Shed, asked if members could build two planters as part of their event display at last year’s Aylsham Show. It was decided to make bespoke planters which were robust enough to be transported, could be flat packed for transportation and storage, and easily movable. They took pride of place at the entrance to the ACT tent, where the ACT team assembled the planters and dressed them with a flower display. The two charities look forward to working together on more projects this year.

In addition to the planters, members are making some classic tabletop games for ACT members. A hoopla game involved splicing rope, which brought out members’ nautical and scouting skills. Five different members worked on this project and there are more classic games to come.

A giant cupboard for vegetables was commissioned to store fresh produce grown by Eve’s Hill Vegetable Co in Aylsham. It had to be weather resistant and available to the public, but the hardest job for members was conveying the cupboard to Norwich, since its size and weight meant that a trolley had to be built to move it. It now stands in a garden at Mile Cross in Norwich, so that customers can access vegetables in their neighbourhood.

In the future, possible projects will include supporting Aylsham Climate Emergency with their wildlife trail through Aylsham’s green spaces, making nest boxes and hedgehog homes; involving more young people in the Shed’s activities, learning woodworking skills to give them a foothold in the construction industry; developing classes for adults in topics like woodcarving; and building a small wood store by the Construction Shed at the High School. Members have also been busy sorting out the many gifts of tools from supporters in and around Aylsham.

Shed Chairman Steve Pickering said: “We are very grateful for all the donations of machinery, tools and wood. We will find a good home for them in the Shed or use them to help our younger members to continue working independently.”

While the Shed members have been busy managing projects for the community, they have also been preparing a new machine shop at Blickling Hall in cooperation with the National Trust. This will mean that the two workshops – one in partnership with The Aylsham Community Trust (Families) in the High School’s Construction Shed every Saturday and one with the National Trust on a Thursday – will add greater flexibility for the Shed’s members.

If you have a community project that needs attention, want to join the members to learn or to share your skills, or you have tools to donate, do get in touch with the Shed at secretary@aylshamcommunityshed.org

You can also find out more by visiting the Shed’s website: aylshamcommunityshed.org

WORKING TOGETHER: Members of the Community Shed at work.