A Men’s Shed in the Black Isle is to open its door to the public for the first time this weekend.
The Black Isle Men’s Shed, based at Avoch Community Centre, came to fruition around 15 months ago after a local minister suggested it.
The shed, which helps to promote health and wellbeing, will provide a social space for men and women to gather and work on a number of DIY based projects.
Chairman of the Black Isle Men’s Shed, Stewart Robertson, said: “It began in May last year. Susan Cord, minister of Knockbain Parish Church in Munlochy suggested it would be a good thing to start up a men’s shed.
“We went through a whole list of different thinking and we formed a committed which turned into a board. We set up a bank account and a business plan and in January we became a charity and opened our doors in the Avoch Community Centre and build a shed within a shed.
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“Although loneliness is one of the ways it’s going to help, we have a lot of really interesting characters who are very clever with their hands. We are hoping to be able to get people along to tell their stories and to help us as well in the different ways.
“We have got such a fantastic team together so I’m absolutely delighted that everyone has generally gelled and is working together.”
The shed within a shed, which will officially launch on Saturday, was created by the men following a string of generous public donations from local residents and organisations, offering unwanted materials to help bring their ambitions to life.
Committee member Bob Johnston praised the local community for their outpour of support towards the project. He added: “It’s a fabulous little building. We built it for a minimum cost because at the time we didn’t have a lot of money so we depended on people actually giving us the equipment and materials we needed like wood, timbers and boards. We got a couple of really good donations which allowed us to create it and expand our original plans.
“It’s really heart-warming to see a lot of groups and people support the Black Isle Men’s Shed in so many ways. We had one big donation of £5,000 from a member of the public and this really set us on our way.”