Men's sheds – a place to potter or a lifesaving resource?

Men's Cree project is a lifeline to many in County Durham

12:20am Tuesday 6th May 2014 in News By Lizzie Anderson

Friendship and a listening ear are at the heart of a health and wellbeing scheme that brings together men of all backgrounds. Lizzie Anderson reports.

The garden shed has long been seen as a male retreat, a place to escape the pressures of everyday life. But what happens if you expand the concept, bringing men of all ages and backgrounds into the same shed? According to Malcolm Fallow, the chief executive of East Durham Trust, the benefits are immeasurable. In 2010, the trust launched Cree, a mens health and wellbeing project based on an Australian scheme called Mens Sheds. The idea is that if you provide a place for men to come together - be it shed or a community centre - friendships will be formed, confidence boosted and skills shared.

From eight pilot schemes, the project has grown to include 32 groups across County Durham. Cree is particularly successful in isolated communities, with high unemployment, poor public transport links and few amenities.

Ex-pit villages are a good example, as Malcolm explains: In the North-East a lot of men worked at the coal and steel works. These industries were surrounded by an infrastructure of working mens clubs and miners welfare halls, where men could socialise and discuss any problems they had.

Many collieries had their own football teams and brass bands too. When we lost the industry, we also lost this social network. Cree aims to fill this gap.

Each Cree offers activities, ranging from archery and paintballing; to arts and crafts, cookery and woodwork. Many men simply go for the activities or to make new friends in a similar vein to the Womens Institute or a sports club. However, for those who have experienced mental health problems, the project is a lifeline.

The trust, a community sector support organisation, introduced Cree as part of a Public Health initiative commissioned by Durham County Council aimed at preventing suicide. It followed a sharp rise in suspected suicides across the county, with the recession cited as a possible cause. Last December, a suicide audit presented to the councils adult health and wellbeing overview and scrutiny committee confirmed this. It revealed the number of suicides per 100,000 deaths was significantly higher in County Durham than in England as a whole. Male suicide rates also rose steadily in the county between 2006 and 2010. The latest figures are more encouraging, showing a sharp decline in male suicides from 2010.

John Carruthers, of Trimdon Village, credits the Trimdon Station Cree with saving his life. When John, 46, joined the Friday morning group at the community centre, it was the first time he had left the house in 19 years. At the time, he was on the verge of taking his own life after the Governments welfare reforms led him to be assessed as fit to work.

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Men's sheds - a place to potter or a lifesaving resource?