Projects

Beer Men's Shed is for each member to use to do the type of work that they enjoy. Members may make or repair items just for themselves. Sometimes they may carry out projects with the aim of generating donations to help fund the Shed's work. In other cases, organisations or individuals may commission work from Beer Men's Shed in return for an appropriate donation. This page shows just some of the projects that Beer Men's Shed has undertaken so far.

	Making a box for barn owls helps our local owl community. While bird boxes can be fairly small, owl boxes need to be deep so that the chicks can't jump out before they can fly. These large boxes are more difficult to mount in the trees, partly because of their weight. But they provide a safe, dry home for the next generation of barn owls to grow up in.
	We do more than repair old things - we make new things too, some of which may become heirlooms in their own right. This is a "Memory Box" for a new baby born in the village. Her relations will be able to store keepsakes of her childhood in the Memory Box, so that she has reminders of her early life. The box is made of solid mahogany with brass fittings and hand-carved lettering.


	As well as doing woodwork we can also take on other tasks - such as setting up a live-streaming web cam to help people around the world to see how lovely our area is. This one gives a view from the edge of Beer across Seaton and its bay. Click on the picture to see the live videostream and watch the waves breaking!

We may not be the BBC's "Repair Shop", but we can still make things look better. A lady asked if we could refresh a hand-made model of a freighter that her father had made some 80 years ago. The sails were starting to disintegrate and the rigging was rotting away. But with a lot of patience, we managed to return a keepsake that will continue to look smart for years to come - and continue to remind her of her father.

When you're part of a community, doing things for your community is part of your everyday life. Beer Men's Shed helps to reinforce that bond between its members and the community that they live in. During the COVID lockdowns Beer Primary School wanted to say "Thank you" to its staff by giving presents to each of them for continuing to support the children throughout. A nice box is important for a present, and a box that will last makes a difference. Beer Men's Shed made the boxes as its way of saying "Thank you" to the school's staff who made a difference.

Our biggest project to date has been making a replacement hexagonal bench in 2022 for Seaton Town Council. Several of our members worked on it for many months, producing a result that they could really be proud of. Made from sapele hardwood, it will withstand the tough weather in a seaside town for years to come. The project was funded by Seaton Town Council and East Devon District Council using a central government grant to help to reinforce communities after the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Our very first project in 2019 - making 50 dormouse boxes for East Devon District Council. To count how many dormice are in your area, you have to be able to find them first. By putting dormouse boxes in hedgerows for the dormice to move into, you can start to do a census periodically to see whether the population is growing or falling. Beer Men's Shed carries out lots of projects that help wildlife and the natural environment.

If you'd like to find out more about how you could join in Beer Men's Shed, please click below to send us an email:

supported by