Shedders Hazel Hunt and John Hardy (right) return restored Minster Church candlesticks to grateful Parochial Church Council member Mervyn Symes. - Credit: Axminster Community Shed.

A new community initiative in Axminster are celebrating their six-month anniversary.

The idea for the initiative was first hatched in conversations between friends (in a garden shed) in the autumn of 2021. By early 2022 they had found premises in the heart of Axminster, and by February the community shed came into being. Today it has nearly 40 members.

Members have found new ways to either develop new skills or learn new ones, the group has also provided invaluable input to a string of socially beneficial projects that are strengthening the community.

In a six-month report to members, funders and other stakeholders the management committee said thank you to all those who have made its rapid emergence possible.

New members can drop in to shed, in Chard Street, to enjoy its special brand of ‘chatting, connecting and creating’. It is open between 11am and 4pm Tuesdays to Thursdays.

Secretary Colin Hayward said: “Its been a bit of a whirlwind. We never dreamt it would come together so quickly and that it would be possible to achieve so much in such a short time. We really have tapped into a big social need and are also filling a gap in making beneficial community projects happen.”

It was thanks to the generosity and community mindedness of Shane Morgan from Morgan York that the ‘shedders’ were able to take over an empty shop unit next door to his own premises.

In a matter of a few weeks they transformed it into workshop with fresh paint on the walls, a series of fitted workbenches and functioning electrics. They then raised the funds  that were needed to pay the bills and to equip the workshop with state-of-the-art machinery.

Close working relationships have been established with other local groups. One of the most effective collaborations has been over Totally Locally Axminster’s street banners that are now brightening the town centre.

Work stations were created within the shed to enable volunteers to paint, and hands-on support has been provided in fixing the final banners in place.

To date, the group has worked on five community projects and has further dozen lined up for the coming months.

Those already delivered include restoring beautiful (but wax encrusted candlesticks) for the Minster Church, building bird boxes and a bug hotel for Axminster Town Council, restoring a seating area at Pippins Community Centre and repairing benches for an outdoor classroom at Axminster Community Primary Academy.

Meanwhile, at the request of the primary academy, the ‘shedders’ have provided lunchtime woodwork vocational experience for a small group of pupils on an experimental basis. 

The shed team sees mental health as a particularly big part of its mission, not least amongst men in retirement years.

It is for that reason that its offer to newcomers covers the range from popping in for a coffee to learning new skills and hobbies.

Currently, wood carving sessions are run on Wednesdays and wood turning on Tuesdays. A range of other skill sessions is planned including metal work, jewellery making, staining glass and a variety of other crafts.

Chairman Roy Oaten sees a big future for Axminster’s shed.

“We would like to attract a lot more members yet, so spreading the word is key,” he says.

“We also hope that in time we might be able to find bigger workshop space so that we can run a range of activities at any time. For now, though we can be very content with what has been achieved thanks to to the superb support that has come our way.” 

The team has said particular thank yous to its main funders: Axminster Care Service, Axminster Town Council, Devon Community Foundation, Devon County Council Localities Fund - Cllr Ian Hall, East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, The Gibbons Family Trust and Rotary Club Axminster.