Fifty new ‘life-saving’ men’s sheds will be set up in some of the most deprived areas of London, as part of a £10 million scheme aimed at driving down suicide rates in the capital.
The social spaces, where men come together and work on activities such as woodwork, boost mental health, reduce isolation and provide a sense of purpose and camaraderie.
The new sheds will open over the next five years across London, but with a particular focus on the boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Hackney, Newham and Tower Hamlets.
UK Men’s Sheds Association aims to more than triple the number of sheds currently on offer in the capital, creating new community spaces to help cut suicide rates which see 10 Londoners take their own life every week.
The project is supported by London’s biggest ever suicide prevention initiative, a £10 million programme launched by City Bridge Foundation, the capital’s biggest independent charity funder.
Rachel Meadows, UK Men’s Sheds Association head of development, said: “Sometimes men can find it hard to talk face-to-face, but when they’re shoulder to shoulder working on a task like woodworking, it can be easier to open up.
“Shed members often tell us the shed improved their mental health and wellbeing, and in some cases it even prevented suicide, so the funding will have a huge impact not just on them but on their families, friends and the wider community.”
The £200,000 grant from City Bridge Foundation is part of a £5.8m boost for 32 charities tackling isolation, particularly among groups at highest risk of suicide such as middle aged men in deprived areas.
Meanwhile, the foundation has awarded £4.2 million for strategic work, including helping charities increase the resources they can put into suicide prevention projects and driving up involvement of people with experience of suicide in their own lives.
Paul Martinelli, City Bridge Foundation chair, said: “Suicide is not just a mental health issue – it’s a social issue too, and projects like men’s sheds can have a huge impact on reducing isolation and helping people feel like they’re part of a community.
“One suicide is one too many and, as the name suggests, our suicide prevention programme is all about tackling the root causes and giving people the support they need before they get to a point where they consider taking their own life.”
The programme was developed, and grant applications assessed, with the involvement of a group of people with life experience of suicide, including Philip Pirie, who became a campaigner for suicide prevention after his son, Tom, took his own life in 2020.
Philip Pirie said: “It’s really important that there are people involved in suicide prevention who understand what it’s like at the frontline. We used our own life experience to talk to organisations applying for funding and to give our feedback on the work they were proposing.
“Just raising awareness of suicide is a really important thing, especially among men who still feel there’s a stigma around feeling suicidal and that asking for help is a sign of weakness. It’s not – it’s a sign of strength.”
Anyone who is having a difficult time with anything that’s troubling them – no matter how large or small the issue feels – can call Samaritans free any time on 116 123 or email: jo@samaritans.org
