Have you considered setting up a Men’s Shed in your hospice?

Having identified the benefits of Men’s Sheds the Marie Curie Men’s Shed research team is now offering free advice to the end of 2025 for hospices to start their own Men’s Shed. Interested?

Men’s Sheds are a low cost and self-sustaining intervention where men come together and use the space as it suits them, offering flexible, peer-led support – an additional form of support alongside usual services.

A Men’s Shed can be set up in hospices to provide a safe, supportive environment where a group of men can come together to talk and share their experiences of bereavement or life-limiting illness.

Want to set up a Men’s Shed service?

This toolkit introduces everything you need to create a welcoming, supportive group for men who are connected to your local hospice.

Read our report to find out more about the role of the Men’s Sheds in hospiceshealthopenresearch.org

Information about Men’s Sheds from the Marie Curie website.

Men’s Shed toolkit

What is a Men’s Shed?

A Men’s Shed represents a physical space where a group of men can meet, organise and participate in social activities and talk to others who are in a similar situation to themselves.

These groups act as an extension of the services we offer at our hospices – historically, hospices have struggled to reach men who cared, or are caring for, people with a life-limiting illness, or who are living with a life-limiting illness themselves and maybe find that they are alone for the first time in their lives.

The Men’s Shed is for any man experiencing any of the following:

living with a life-limiting illness
caring for someone living with a life-limiting illness
bereaved
anticipating bereavement
regular attendance at the Men’s Shed can help to promote the mental and physical wellbeing of men, as well as support them in finding and enjoying meaningful relationships and connections.

What are the benefits of a Men’s Shed?

Attending the Men’s Shed can help men to improve quality of life and sense of wellbeing by:

accessing a safe space to talk with others who have or are experiencing similar situations
reducing social isolation by promoting companionship and camaraderie
engaging in new interests and hobbies
accessing support and advice
members do not have to attend every week, they can come when it suits them.

“It’s something I can look forward to on a weekly basis and I know that I’m in a situation where we are all in the same boat, we all have some sort of health problem and it is important to me to be among people in a similar situation.”

What do I need?

A physical space

Every Men’s Shed group needs a dedicated space to meet (and it doesn’t necessarily need to be a shed!).

You need to make sure the size of the space can accommodate any equipment you need, meets accessibility requirements, and is close to facilities such as a toilet or a kitchen.

Make sure you get professional advice from builders if you’re planning to construct a shed. There will be many things to consider that could affect your costs including your funding and planning requirements, and the rules around the use of approved contractors.

Time

It takes time to set up, develop, and support a successful group. Before starting, make sure your hospice has enough resources, capacity, and time to manage the service.

Co-production

We’ve heard from members of the Men’s Shed that they get a sense of comfort from the group feeling associated with the hospice. With this in mind, it’s important that the Men’s Shed feels aligned with the other bereavement services your hospice provides.

Get potential Men’s Shed members involved early on, and keep them up to date with the progress of the Men’s Shed. Make sure that all members are aware of charity policies and procedures, such as health and safety or funding, that may impact the group.

Who is involved?

Teamwork is important to the success of a Men’s Shed. By having a group of committed supporters and participants, you can make sure that everyone’s needs are heard and met.

Leadership

You’ll need an enthusiastic and motivated staff member from your hospice to champion your Men’s Shed internally. They should understand the ethos of the shed, and support the group and volunteers to make sure it’s meeting its objectives.

Volunteers

Along with a staff member, you’ll need to find some volunteers to help with the organisation of the group and to provide support for attendees.

We’d suggest asking a volunteer who feels passionate about the Men’s Shed mission to be a leader, and a few support volunteers, depending on the size of your group.

Members

We found that it helps if new members are referred to the service. The members should have an experience with bereavement and terminal illness – either bereaved, caring for someone with a terminal illness, or they have a terminal illness themselves.

The members will help with the day-to-day function of the group, such as washing up, shopping for supplies, and cleaning, as well as organising events.

When will it take place?

When you’ve set up your shed, make sure to choose a regular day and time for the group to meet. It should be a no-pressure environment, with no expectations of how many times members can attend.

You should consider the availability of space, parking, and other services when choosing your date. Once decided, make sure to advertise it in the hospice or on social media.

What happens at the Men’s Shed?

An important part of the Men’s Shed is to provide members with social opportunities – giving them the space to connect with their peers, develop friendships, share experiences of bereavement or terminal illness, and learn from one another.

There are many ways to create these opportunities. You could organise practical activities at your chosen space or shed, for example: