A WOODWORKING space in Carlisle, which provides support if people ask for it, is thriving in a new location in the city, after financial difficulties forced it to close its original premises last October.
The Community Shed, which is part of Restore, a charity that has Christian foundations, describes itself as “a place where people come to make things, share meals, and look out for each other. Some people come because they are working through something difficult. Some come because they like working with wood. Most stay because of the people. . . They begin to feel like they belong somewhere.”
The Shed is open to both men and women, and serves people dealing with issues such as mental-health difficulties, recovery from addiction, loneliness, isolation, or life after prison. “We do not pretend those things are not real, and we do not ask people to explain themselves at the door,” the organisers say.
Garry Ion, a carpenter by training and a consultant construction engineer, worked with the Church Mission Society for 25 years, building schools in East Africa and South Sudan. He and the Revd Chris Harwood, a pioneer chaplain funded by the diocese of Carlisle, launched the original project from a garage during the pandemic.
Its closure prompted support from the local community, which, combined with fund-raising, enabled it not only to set up again in one of the city’s most underprivileged areas, but to expand the workshop and to add a social space and a games area.
“It’s truly heart-warming to see the generosity and time given by the community to support its future,” Mr Ion said. “We have so much to be grateful for as we begin this new chapter together.”
Things are kept simple: people make birdboxes, shelves, furniture, and do repairs. At lunchtime, everyone sits down and eats together, no exceptions allowed. The woodworkers are invited to learn at their own pace: “There is always someone happy to show you.”
Community Shed tells its users: “If you value a conversation about life, faith, or anything else that is on your mind, that is available. If you would rather just sand a plank, that is fine too.”