In December 2025, the Dusty Shed ran a community workshop introducing primary school children to basic woodworking skills through making clocks. Supported by National Lottery funding, the Dusty Shed has continued to strengthen local partnerships, share skills within the community, and tackle loneliness and isolation by bringing older people together through teamwork and shared purpose.
Children from Pencaerau Primary School and Nant Caerau Primary School visited the Dusty Shed and each made a clock using kits prepared by the Shed’s lead volunteers. The sessions gave pupils the chance to practise practical skills safely, including using hand tools and being supported to use equipment such as the pillar drill. The children had a brilliant time. One pupil said, “I really enjoyed myself. It is so fun to learn how to make a clock and paint.” A teacher commented, “All the children and I were engaged and excited during both visits.”
We hope this workshop helped pupils build confidence and curiosity while developing a basic understanding of different materials, practising simple measuring and numeracy, and enjoying the satisfaction of making something with their own hands.
