What We Do

Meet & Connect

A place to belong

A friendly place to spend time with others, reduce isolation, and enjoy good company. Your wellbeing matters here.

Generally men rarely share personal concerns about health and personal worries, often becoming depressed and insular. We want to make a change — to give men a voice, and every opportunity to forge new relationships. Sheds are about meeting like-minded people and having someone to share your stories, skills, jokes, knowledge and worries with.

Our aim is to give people in the local area the chance to meet up, take part in creative, physical and purposeful activities of their own choosing, and to share their knowledge and skills with one another.

Open to Everyone

All ages, all backgrounds, all abilities — everyone is welcome at the Shed.

Free to Join

No barriers to entry. Come along, meet the members, and see if it's right for you.

Practical Projects

Get stuck in

Get stuck into creative, physical and purposeful activities — from woodworking and repairs to building projects you can be proud of. Our workshops are fully equipped and open to members at all skill levels, with safety training provided.

Woodworking Workshop

Lathes, bench saws, bench drills and many hand tools, plus a vast stock of seasoned timber — softwood, hardwood, and some exotic species. Safety training provided or work to order.

Metal Working

Metal-working lathes and shaper with safety training provided or machining to order. Substantial equipment for individual and community projects alike.

Renewable Energy

21 kW of Solar Panels, a Tesla battery, 3,000-litre thermal storage tank and Air Source Heat Pumps. A smart control system makes this one of the most energy-efficient community spaces in the area.

Kitchen, Café & Grounds

An excellent kitchen and café serving tea, coffee and “fancy pieces”. The estate also includes a Sensory Garden, Community Orchard, Polytunnel, Greenhouse, and 18 allotment plots.

Share Skills

Members from all walks of life share what they know. Whether you're an expert or a complete beginner, there's always something new to learn.

The Alford Shed welcomes everyone to come along and get involved. You may even bring special skills we don’t yet have — and we’d love to learn from you.

The Shed is managed collectively by its members — an elected Board of Trustees nominated at the Annual General Meeting. In day-to-day running there are no bosses, only Workshop Supervisors for safety. Every member has a voice.

Scottish Men's Sheds Member

Part of a national and worldwide network dedicated to improving well-being through the provision of recreational facilities and activities. Although Men's Sheds are aimed at combating social isolation in men, they are open to all members of the community.

Community Activities

Open to Alford and beyond

Open to everyone in Alford and the surrounding area. We support our community through shared projects, the Green Hub, and local initiatives.

We believe our Men's Shed is vital for our community in so many ways. We want our members to manage the facilities collectively, bringing about stronger feelings of fulfilment and achievement, and ensuring the long-term sustainability and future of the Shed.

Our ambition from day one was to create a community hub with something for everyone in the Alford district and beyond. In Spring 2023 we completed the transformation of a 1970s building into a very fine modern one.

Our Community Estate

▸ Sensory Garden
▸ Community Orchard
▸ Large Polytunnel with raised beds
▸ Greenhouse
▸ Allotments Area — 18 rented-out plots

Our Facilities

Spaces for Hire & Member Use

Several of our spaces are available to hire for community meetings, events and gatherings. Get in touch to check availability and discuss your requirements.

Available for Hire

Meeting Room

We can provide a laptop and data projector if required. Also we have installed hi-speed WiFi for Internet access in ALL areas of our building. We now have 70 Mbs Broadband for fast video streaming and downloading.

We plan in the next couple of months to procure and install an IT based Audi-Visual system and aim to include an audio loop and headphones for folk that need them. We are seeking grant-aided match-funding to enable this.

Enquire to Book

Also Available for Hire

Café / Kitchen

We can provide tea & coffee making and also cooking facilities, fridge, cleaning & dishwasher, vacuum cleaner etc. We cannot procure or prepare cooked food for visitors and guests, so you bring your own — do your own prep and clean-up afterwards.

Enquire to Book

Members Only

Workshops

We have exceptionally well-equipped workshops for wood and metal working. We have a large stock of softwoods and hardwoods which Members can use for their own projects or for public projects. We have very skilled members who can train and supervise SAFE use on these machines.

Scottish Government Climate Challenge Fund

Alford Green Hub

Alford Green Hub is a two-year project funded by the Scottish Government's Climate Challenge Fund that will help make the Men's Shed and associated food producing area contribute to Scottish greenhouse gas emissions targets.

CCF funding for Alford Green Hub will provide a much-needed accelerator for the development of former school buildings and land recently acquired on a Community Asset Transfer for the Alford community. It will enable the rapid development of the green space and creation of an energy-efficient building as a central meeting space and recreational work space for the whole AB33 community.

Working with other local NGOs and local groups, Alford and District Men's Shed will manage this multi-facetted project will promote local food production, food sharing and recycling, encourage the shift to green transport and offer support to help AB33 residents to access appropriate information on energy efficiency and home renewables.

The project will help steer behaviour change towards green transport, local food and recycling and increase understanding of climate change in the local community through a series of community events/workshops and surgeries and create a legacy of local food production and energy efficient buildings.