Couple turn shed into 'cafe' for mum with dementia

Michael and Dawn Wiggins named their shed The Cornered Rat

A couple who turned their garden shed into a cafe-bar for a mother living with dementia have been shortlisted in the Shed of the Year competition.

Michael and Dawn Wiggins converted the building at their home in Rotherham into a retreat called The Cornered Rat in 2020, when Mrs Wiggins' mum, Sue Cawthorne, was unable to visit her favourite coffee shop during lockdown.

Two years later, they set up an Instagram account for their tiki-themed den and judges in the contest spotted their photos.

Since Covid restrictions ended, the shed has become a well-used venue for birthday parties and other social gatherings.

The shed has a full sound system and 30 different kinds of rum

It originally had a coffee machine for Mrs Cawthorne and was named after her late husband Tony, who was called a "cornered rat" because he often managed to escape from scrapes.

The couple later installed a sound system after Mrs Cawthorne's death in 2023. On 4 August they will mark their fifth wedding anniversary with friends in the retreat.

Mr Wiggins said: “We have a few drinks, watch a show on TV. We have a full sound system and 30 different kinds of rum."

The inspiration for the design came from an outbuilding at their old house which was an abandoned tiki bar.

He added: “My wife said: ‘I’m not having a tacky bar in the garden’. But I went ahead anyway and she loved it.

“So when we moved to this house, I wanted to build another one.”

The tiki bar in the garden shed

Earlier this month the couple found out they had been shortlisted in the Pub and Entertainment category of the Shed of the Year contest.

Mr Wiggins said it was a shock to hear they had been selected.

“I didn’t expect to come this far,” he said.

“We love finding and collecting new items to put in it and planning new ideas for where we want the build to go.”

Twenty sheds made the final shortlist from 160 entries. The winner will be announced after a public vote that runs until 2 August.