Charity finds new home in restored railway carriage

The eye-catching new railway carriage home of Braunton Men’s Shed is on track to make history following its official opening on Saturday (October 26).

The 1950s carriage in Caen Street Car Park has been restored to become the permanent base for the new Braunton Community Men’s Shed, which offers men a social hub where they can learn new skills, enjoy making and mending and meet new friends.

The official opening was conducted by Councillor Pru Maskell, Braunton county and district councillor, then guests were invited to step into the carriage to find out more about the role of Men’s Shed and see some of the work members have been doing.

The Men’s Shed movement began in Australia but has become hugely popular in the UK. There are several ‘Sheds’ in North Devon.

Based on the idea of a garden shed where men learn or practise all manner of practical skills such as woodworking, the aim is to provide a place to socialise and meet new people to combat loneliness, isolation and improve mental health.

In Braunton, the group meets at the ‘Shed’ every Thursday from 10am to 1pm and new members are always welcome to get in touch or drop in to find out more.

Members are often, but not always, retired and many find it a struggle to avoid isolation after leaving the workforce.

The idea for a Braunton Men’s Shed came about in 2018 when it was suggested by two patients of Dr Susanna Hill at Caen Medical Centre and she was keen to support it, so took the plan to Live Well in Braunton.

It has been a long road to make the project a reality – a meeting was held in 2020 and 100 people attended, but then Covid called a halt to proceedings.

Roger Byrom, chair of Braunton’s Shed, said: “After the first meeting we started looking for a site, but the pandemic delayed us and we could not find any sort of potential premises or a place to put it.

“Local rail enthusiast Jonathan Rodney-Jones came up with the idea of highlighting the railway heritage of Braunton by using a carriage as a venue.

“As far as we know, we are the only Shed in the UK in a railway carriage – they are housed in all sorts of premises such as shipping containers and there is at least one in a station, but not a carriage.

“It’s a perfect solution and where we are in Caen car park is more or less where the old railway went through Braunton. When we did a bit of foundation work, we were actually digging up bits of old track!”

The carriage is filled with woodworking machinery, almost all of it generously donated to the Shed’s toolcycle scheme, which refurbishes old tools or equipment to use in the Shed or to sell on to raise funds.

The group also takes on repair jobs and has refurbished or fixed all manner of items such as a vintage sewing box, furniture, radios and electronic devices.

As the number of members grows, it is hoped to add a second railway carriage to work on engineering or small electronics projects, as well as a tea room.

The current carriage is thought to date from the 1950s to 60s and the top shell was found at West Somerset Railway, while the wheelbase was located at Swanage in Dorset, following many Sunday mornings tramping around railway yards in the South West.

It was restored over 18 months by a team of volunteers and the project has been funded by grants from the National Lottery, Historic England, the Vivian Moon Foundation and Fullabrook CIC. The Historic England funding also included provision for a booklet to be created about the history of the railway in Braunton.

There were also grants from Cllr Pru Maskell, plus support from Live Well in Braunton and Braunton Caen and Braunton Rotary clubs, while Braunton Parish Council provided the location.

Mr Byrom added: “The ethos for Sheds is all focused on mental health – many men have worked all their lives with other blokes. When they retire they often lose that and are stuck at home and don’t know what to do with their spare time.

“They have no male environment, often no-one to talk to and their mental health goes through the floor. But once they come here, as soon as we get them working they start talking with each other and forming new relationships.”

Dr Susanna Hill, now chair of Live Well in Braunton, was away and unable to attend, but sent some words for the official opening. Dr Hill paid tribute to a former patient whose case helped begin the process. He became greatly involved in the project until he sadly passed away two years ago.

Dr Hill said: “We all need purpose, we all needs friends, new challenges and things to get us up in the morning to live our best lives. I see the importance of these things every day as I work as a GP, but also through the work of Live Well in Braunton.

“Men’s Shed can help with this – learning new skills, making new friends, contributing to each other and the community is huge.

“I want to pay tribute to all who have worked so hard to make this happen but particularly my patient who started all this and especially Roger. What you have done so far for all of us is massive.”

Also speaking at the opening, Laura Winkley of the UK Men’s Sheds Association, who lives in North Devon, said: “Guys go to Men's Sheds to find a place in their community, to feel a sense of belonging, to increase their health and well-being and also enjoy making stuff and getting new skills.

“It's exciting to see one here in Braunton and I know you have worked so hard and we’ve been here to support with resources where we could.

“So we're really excited to see what impact that has, because the impact for Men's Shed isn't just the men who go to it, it's their families and it's their local community and all the things that they do for it.”

Cllr Pru Maskell said in her speech: “We know the negative impact of loneliness and isolation on a person's health and well-being and men typically find it more difficult to build social connections than women and for some men when retirement comes it can feel like their purpose and identity is lost.

“The dedication of Roger, Jon, Susanna and the Live Well team has created something really special here. The determination to make this project happen in the face of all kinds of adversity is a testament to the sort of people they are and we're really lucky to have them in our community.

“This beautiful facility will benefit the health and well-being of men in Braunton for many years to come. They have also managed to restore a piece of Braunton’s proud railway history, when carriages like this one would have travelled along this route. It looks truly beautiful and I'm delighted to play a very small part in this project.”

Any men who would like to find out more about Braunton Community Men’s Shed can visit the website at https://brauntonmensshed.co.uk or drop in on a Thursday morning for an informal chat.

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