'Men's Shed helps me get through darkest days'

Craig Brown, also known as Buster, said fixing bikes at the Men's Shed improves his mental health

Craig Brown remembers last Christmas vividly - and painfully.

He says he hit his lowest point when he told his wife, Tracy, that he wanted to end his life.

The 52-year-old from Gainsborough lives with PTSD, depression and anxiety. But today, he is surrounded by the hum of conversation and the clatter of tools at Gainsborough's Men's Shed, a place he credits along with his family, with helping him survive his darkest days.

"I come here four days a week," Craig says, smiling as he tightens the brakes on a donated bicycle. "Coming here has really helped me get through my lowest and down days."

The Gainsborough Men's Shed, in Lincolnshire, was founded in 2023 by John and Caroline Lydon. It is part of a global movement of nearly 1,800 sheds supporting about 100,000 people.

Inside, the atmosphere is warm and industrious. Members, both men and women, aged 18 to 84, gather to chat, craft, and create. There are woodwork benches, model-making stations, diamond art kits, and even guitar jam sessions.

But for many, they attend not for the activities, but for connection.

"People make friendships here," says John, 78, originally from Glasgow. "They'll meet up, they'll take each other to hospital appointments, they'll look after people."

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John Lydon set up the charity with his wife, Caroline, two years ago

Craig, known affectionately as "Buster," joined the shed last year after being signed off work due to mental health struggles.

He has been fixing bikes since he was 11, and now uses his skills to help others, repairing donated bikes to be given to those in need or sold to raise money for charity.

The shed has donated a bike to a boy from Lincoln whose own bike was stolen. Another was donated to a man who was walking six miles (9.65km) to and from work.

"When you return a bike back out to someone who's going to use it, you think 'that's my good deed for the day,'" he says.

Craig feels the shed members have become like an extended family. "I know I've got my dad who lives in Cornwall, but John has been like a father figure to me and I know I can turn to him."

Kurt Walton joined the Men's Shed after being housebound for two years

Kurt Walton, 56, from nearby Marton, joined just a month ago. After being medically retired and undergoing multiple surgeries to rebuild his ankle, he found himself isolated and struggling.

"I've gone from a reclusive wreck that had nothing. In 2024, I lost everything, literally everything," he says.

"I lost my job, my health, I lost my car, I lost my mobility, I lost my partner. There was nothing there, nothing at all."

He went to therapy but "got literally nothing from it" and was recommended the Men's Shed.

"Now, it's like I've got everything to look forward to and it's really good."

Michael Bush, 78, joined the shed after his wife died five years ago and then his son two years later.

"I was in a bad place, I was seeing a therapist and they would encourage me to get out."

He says since making friends at the shed "it's hard to describe what a difference it makes to you".

Michael now spends his time making models, a hobby that suits him well since arthritis in his knees makes gardening difficult.

Mr Brown spends at least four days a week at the Men's Shed

John Lydon hopes to expand the shed's appeal by introducing computers and lessons to help members stay connected with family and access online GP appointments.

"It's about helping people adapt," he says. "And making sure no one feels alone."

For Craig, the shed has been life-changing.

"I've made some really good friends here," he says. "It's really helped me get through my toughest days."

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