An Aberdeenshire Men’s Shed has been honoured in recongition of their volunteer work amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
Members of Westhill and District Men’s Shed have become the worthy recipients of the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS) in recognition of the outstanding contribution made by their volunteers to benefit the community of Westhill and surrounding area.
The Aberdeenshire group was the first men’s shed to be created across Scotland and has garnered more than 300 members.
‘It is an honour and a privilege’
Chairman David Thomson said: “It is an honour and a privilege to receive this prestigious award on behalf of our 300 members of the Westhill Men’s Shed.
“The award recognises the contribution made by our members, who are all volunteers, in supporting the local and wider community.
“It also recognises that attending the Shed and participating in the wide range of activities available is an important contributor to our members’ health and wellbeing.”
During a brief gathering on Monday, Lord-Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire, Alexander Philip Manson presented the group with their crystal award, certificate and pin badges before taking a tour of their facilities.
The award also featured special recognition for the Covid-19 work carried out by the members.
In the early days of lockdown, the shed was made aware of the grave shortages in personal protective equipment (PPE) for their local care homes when Shed secretary and founding member, Nick Pilbeam, was visiting a Shed member, who has since died.
Acting in the best interests of the community
Mr Pilbeam said it was humbling to see the work of their volunteers recognised in such a prestigious manner.
“Shed members did some research and learned that face shields could be made simply with a 3D printer and an A4 sheet of acetate,” he said.
“A project team was quickly set up to tackle the issue using our Shed printer however we soon realised that the volume needed to be increased quickly and therefore recruited over 20 individuals, some with 3D printers in their own homes.
“A small army of face shield preppers and other volunteers joined forces to co-ordinate the production and distribution of almost 2,700 face visors and we are delighted to have their work also recognised through the award.”