Congratulations to our volunteer Rob who brought to Medway a UK Men’s Sheds Association award for Shedder of the Year, from the House of Commons Terrace Pavilion. Rob joined our shed when it first started. He has faced punishing health and wellbeing challenges, but has found new opportunities to use his amazing skills to support the development of the scheme. He has grown into a role which helps hold everyone together, support new visitors to bridge the gap between inquiry and joining and Rob provides and maintains important gateways to network with the wider world.

He will often say that we are a lifeline to many of our members, but he is our lifeline, and I don’t know what we would do without him. He brings strength to the backbone of our organisation and the shed movement and therefore he offers strength and hope to the wider community.

Rob has an appetite for administrative tasks which is appreciated by other group members. He has gravitated from a group members to a volunteer as he recognised that we need help in areas such as:

● PR and networking

● Introducing and induction of new shedders

● Manning event stalls and engaging with the public

● Helping people fill in forms and conducting evaluations.

He has an incredible memory, valuable contacts and knowledge from his career in the civil service, building management and security. Like many other shedders he adds a vital component to enable us to function as successfully as we do. Rob is delighted with the award and the gravity of this prestigious award is still sinking in. He accepts it for his own achievements and on behalf of all the talented members in our Medway men in sheds team and the Sunlight Development Trust as a whole.

The award event was attended by Speaker of the House of Commons The Right Honourable Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, hosted by Chris Bloore MP who gave a speech illustrating the benefits of a shed joined by his father. Before him, the Minister for Veterans and People, Alistair Cairns MP gave a moving speech with a few statistics highlighting the reality of the challenges men are facing and how we are losing many to suicide and deteriorating health due to isolation and lack of contact with caring people in their community.

Alistair Cairns MP at the award ceremony.

Rob on The Terace with Meirelle Frost CEO of the Sunlight Trust and Lia Mandaracas, Sunlight Trustee, Medway Councxillor and Caseworkser for Naushaubah Khan MP Gillingham and Rainham.

Photos when Rob joined us 2014:

More recent photos from 2025:

This award is helpful to raise the profile nationally of the value of  shed groups all over the UK. The UK Men’s Sheds Association has been involved in providing evidence to champion and inform decision makers, statutory services and care providers about the benefits of shed groups. The impact of the first Men’s Health Strategy released in November 2025 includes:

• Government recognition: The strategy acknowledges the value of grassroots, peer-led spaces like Men’s Sheds for supporting men’s physical and mental wellbeing.
• Collaboration with community groups: The government plans to work with community organizations like Men’s Sheds and sports clubs to bring health and mental health conversations into local communities.
• Support for a preventative approach: The strategy supports the Sheds’ model of promoting healthier habits through activities like those found at the sheds, which can help address issues such as suicide prevention, prostate health, and cardiovascular disease.
• Encouraging engagement: Men’s Sheds are seen as a key way to help men engage with and access health services in a way that is effective for them.
• National support: The strategy aims to turn the positive impact seen in the sheds into positive outcomes for men across the country, with the UK Men’s Sheds Association welcomed this recognition as a “landmark moment”. 

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-unveils-englands-first-ever-mens-health-strategy

Medway men in sheds was also nominated for the Health and Wellbeing Award 2025 and the award was won by Broadstairs Town Shed.

For more information on this UK movement to support men please explore this site: https://menssheds.org.uk/events/uk-mens-sheds-awards-2025/