When you arrive at Christ Church Higher Bebington, you already get a sense that this church is making great progress in the local area. The community centre, which is attached to the church is modern and welcoming, with people coming and going at regular intervals. As you make your way through the centre and step out into to the grounds at the back of the church, it's then that you really get a sense of the passion and commitment of this church. For, there stands a rather large shed, which is filled with tools, machinery and most significantly, people.
The shed is a Men in Sheds project, which was proposed by the vicar Mike Loach who had a desire to address the issues of social isolation, primarily among older men. Through contact with other support groups within the local community Mike identified a need and several potential users. An approach to the local council for funding was successful and members of the PCC rose to the challenge of making it happen.
The Men in Sheds project opened for business in January this year and is open 3 days per week for three hours on each occasion. There are currently about 20 members and on any given day there is usually about 6-7 people working in the shed. The project is financially self-sustaining, achieved through the production of bird tables, bird boxes and planters, which are sold locally.
Terry Cunningham, secretary of Beb Shed (their official Men in Sheds group name) said; "It has been really rewarding to see the shed and its members flourishing and it is obviously helping to fill a previously neglected support requirement."
If you are interested in finding out more about how the church established their Men in Sheds group, you can contact Terry Cunningham directly on 07834 274320 or 0151 9239123.