Way back in early 2019, a small group of ordinary guys embarked on a journey to turn a dream into reality. Concerned with the increasing number of men in our community who were suffering from loneliness, isolation and mental related illnesses, this little group were determined to provide a facility, based on the Scottish Men’s Shed Association model, here in Kinlochleven. This meant providing a building for men from South Lochaber to meet and pursue recreational and social activities.

There was a lot of work to do, this included creating a strategy, applying for charitable status, business planning, fundraising, and a PR campaign to attract new members and most important of all, find suitable premises to operate in.

Initially we attracted twenty active members who started meeting together to socialise and input ideas to the overall strategy to get a Men’s Shed up and running. Then, at the end of 2019, with the support of charitable organisations who were keen to work in partnership with us, we acquired a large garage in Kinlochleven to make this dream a reality.

Although the building was basically sound there was a lot of renovation work to do. The electrics needed replacing, a fire alarm system had to be installed and the shed refitted to meet our needs, including toilet facilities. This work is now complete, and the shed is open for business.