We started our journey a little over two years ago. With encouragement from Volunteer Centre Borders and local community workers, a small group was formed and a committee elected to take forward the idea of establishing a Men’s Shed in the Peebles area.
A few of us went down to Gala and visited their Shed which has been established in the Langlee Centre for a while now. Greatly encouraged, we then set about looking for suitable premises and in the meantime set up home in the Drill Hall with a once weekly meeting.
Possibilities came and went, but we quickly realised that suitable premises where we could establish our own workshops were as rare as hen’s teeth in the Peebles area.
A proposal by Scottish Borders Council to gift us an unused temporary classroom unit took up a lot of our time, but eventually failed when it became clear that planning permission to mount this unit almost anywhere in Peebles would not be forthcoming. We were about to start a conversation with various funders for a major grant to consider buying or building suitable premises when the Ex Service Men’s Club in School Brae ceased trading.
We became aware of Peebles Community Trust’s intention to try and secure funding to buy these premises as a new Community Hub, and we were able fairly quickly to secure an agreement with them to occupy part of these premises in January 2019, whilst they made progress with their funding application and we have been there ever since.
We now occupy three rooms on the ground floor of this building. What was previously the indoor bowls room has now been totally refurbished and fitted with work benches and a new power and lighting supply.
A grant to buy wood and metal working tools to the value of nearly £11,000 was secured and these will be in place soon.
The old darts and pool room is now our storage facility and what was the downstairs bar has been totally stripped out and will be converted into a comfortable social, craft work and modelling space, in keeping with what our members tell us they want. Our membership continues to grow and we regularly see between 30 and 35 members on our Monday and Wednesday openings. Why not come and join us?
