Charlbury Community Workshop
Charlbury Community Workshop provides a venue where anyone and everyone can come to improve their well-being through reducing loneliness and finding an alternative to social isolation.
The Workshop is usually open on:
• Tuesday mornings from 9.00 to 12.30 for woodwork and things like that;
• Wednesday mornings from 10.00 to 12.00 for soft craft; and
• Thursday afternoons from 2.00 to 4.00 for more woodwork.
To find out more, just pop in – if you see the sign outside the door – we’re open!
Who we are:
Charlbury Community Workshop is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registered with The Charity Commission. Its registration number is 1202551.
The charity is run by a board of trustees, appointed by its members, who are responsible for its day-to-day management. For people who can afford it, there is a £25 annual membership fee that goes towards covering our major costs (such as rent and insurance). Workshop members are covered by our insurance while using our facilities.
Details of our constitution, and our policies on health and safety, and safeguarding, are available on request from our trustees, who are:
- David Court (chairman)
- William Robinson (secretary)
- Kevin Slevin (treasurer)
- Pat Court
- Colin Critch
- John Ogle
- Chris Potts
- Matthew Scott
- Michael Shayler
- Helen Vickery and
- Simon Walker
Who is the Workshop for?
The simple answer is – anyone who feels that they could benefit from being part of it. The Workshop is affiliated to the UK Men’s Sheds Association – but that doesn’t mean that it’s just for gents to get covered in sawdust. Far from it: in fact, as we have a thriving soft-craft section that offers a social environment for ladies too. Research has shown that the majority of people who attend a ‘shed’ such as ours regularly are less likely to be anxious or depressed. Loneliness and social isolation also fall markedly, with the camaraderie found there being a great support. And that’s what the Workshop is all about.
What we do:
The Workshop offers a place where people can participate, singly or in a group setting, while undertaking creative activities, learning new skills, passing on their own knowledge and experience to others, and supporting each other socially. In order to accommodate the different facilities that we offer, it is divided into two separate areas: one for woodworking and other similar activities, and the other for soft crafts. Both sections have most of the equipment that people are likely to need, either to do
their own projects or to help with the stream of repairs that come from all parts of the community. We have a whole
range of repair requests – from fixing garden benches and dining-room chairs to renovating toys and an antique set of
kitchen scales. Even a prom dress came in through the door, and went out again neatly repaired and ready for the big night
out! And we’ve been asked to do things for other local organisations; the Town Council, the Cotswold Voluntary Wardens, the Art Society and the primary school.
Forthcoming events
November – date to be confirmed. Make a rag-wreath with the Soft Craft section. All materials provided.
The health benefits of having social contact
For a long time, research has shown the negative impact of loneliness and isolation on a person’s health and well-being. Evidence also shows that loneliness and isolation can be as hazardous to our health as obesity and
excessive smoking. Surveys from mental health charities are finding that millions of people report feeling lonely on a daily basis. Men typically find it more difficult to build social connections than women, and unlike women of a similar age, older men have fewer networks of friends and rarely share personal concerns about health and personal worries.
“Sheds are about meeting like-minded people and having someone to share your worries with. They are about having fun, sharing skills and knowledge with like-minded people, and gaining a renewed sense of purpose and belonging. As a by-product of all of that, they reduce isolation and feelings of loneliness, and they allow people to deal with mental-health challenges more easily and to remain independent. They rebuild communities and in many cases, they can save peoples’ lives.”
When it comes to tackling repairs that people have brought in, we do so on a ‘best-efforts’ basis. If a job is outwith our members’ knowledge and expertise, we’ll try and suggest somewhere else that might be able to do it. If we need to buy materials for a specific repair, we pass on the cost as-is; otherwise, we just ask people for a donation to our funds to help us cover our running costs.
Contact us
You can contact Charlbury Community Workshop by email, post or – best of all – by just coming in to see us during our opening hours.
Our email:
Our postal address:
Charlbury Community Workshop
C/o Charlbury Community Centre
Enstone Road
Charlbury OX7 3PQ
And when you come to visit us, you will find us in the building between the Community Centre’s sports hall and the Surgery. If the ‘We’re open’ sign is out, come on in!
