The Dusty Shed

The DustyShed, Ely, Cardiff

Trustee vacancies at The Dusty Shed

We are pleased to announce that we have new opportunities to join our board of trustees and support our work tackling social isolation and loneliness for older people. – read more.

The Dusty Shed’s new WednesdaySit-and-Chatter Group

We have a new Wednesday group, where we can just sit and chatter about how things are, about our lives, and feel better. – read more.

Welsh Government Minister visits The Dusty Shed

Our Dusty Shed had a visit yesterday by Lynne Neagle MS, the Deputy Minister for Mental Health & Wellbeing for Welsh Government, who have announced their national framework for Social Prescribing. – read more.

Bench repair for patients at Llandough Hospital

Dusty Shed repair bench for patients and staff - Llandough Hospital.

Read about our repair of a garden bench used by patients at Llandough Hospital. – read more.

MISSION STATEMENT

The Dusty Shed is part of a worldwide movement called ‘Men’s Sheds’, however we do not restrict membership only to men. It’s a place where older men and women can work on practical projects like woodworking or almost anything else (within reason) they’re interested in, or simply turn up for coffee and a chat.

Our main goal is to improve people’s health and well-being by reducing loneliness and isolation. We specifically focus on men and women aged 50 years or older and live in Ely, Caerau, and the surrounding areas of Cardiff.

LATEST NEWS

May 2023. Work on our sliding door was completed in April. All the work was done by our own shedders to a very high standard. Well done guys and gals!

This door will help to shield our breakout area at the front of our premises, giving us protection from wind, rain and traffic noise.
This project was funded by a grant from Comic Relief.

MEMBERSHIP

The mission of the Dusty Shed is to help lonely and socially isolated people, especially older men, through interaction with their peers in woodworking and craft activities.  In this regard, every member of the Dusty Shed is in effect also a client; we have no paid staff and none of us are trained to deal with people who have physical or mental disorders.  Hence, we have had to set the following principal condition for membership; members must be able to safely work on their own in a confined environment where dangerous hand operated and high speed electrically powered woodworking tools are in constant use.

The best way to assess whether you, or someone in your care, can meet this principal condition is to visit the Shed and talk to the Chair of our Members’ Committee.  Friday is the day we ask people considering joining our community to come along between 11:00am and 1:00pm.  Please call or email us if you would like to arrange a visit.

Before arranging a visit, please also read our full Admissions Policy and Procedure, which can be accessed from the following link:
Admissions Policy and Procedure

OPENING TIMES

The Dusty Shed will normally be open on Tuesdays and Fridays, from 10am to 2pm.

Tuesdays
We are normally open on Tuesdays for our existing members only.

Fridays
Prospective New Members.
If you, or someone you know, are interested in joining the Dusty Shed and would like to visit us for a chat, please phone us on 07592 240736 to arrange a visit, 

For more information, please write to us using our Contact Us page. One of the trustees will get in touch as soon as possible.

Recent Grants

In 2023 we received grants from the National Lottery Community Fund, to meet our operating costs, and another from the Cardiff Shared Prosperity Fund which helps to pay for a project coordination service and a monitoring and evaluation service. Recently, we received a grant from the Gallagher Community fund to meet the cost of replacing worn power tools.
Since 2019. we have received funding from the National Lottery Community Fund, from Viridor to buy good trade-quality woodworking machines, and from Comic Relief to convert our outdoor area into a community space for running craft projects and holding meetings.
As a charity that serves an area of Cardiff which ranks highly in the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation, we are very grateful to all our funders for their generous support.