Castle Douglas Men’s Shed is tooling up for more members after moving to new premises in town.
The group, which meets every Wednesday afternoon, had been operating from the garage at Carlingwark House.
But now a much bigger space has been secured at the former Brown’s Garage in Carlingwark Street.
The new location is perfect for those coming by public transport – it’s just across from the bus stop.
Men’s Shed co-ordinator Jimmy Robertson issued a warm welcome to anyone thinking of going along.
He said: “We started off very quietly and now we have over 20 men in our membership.
“We get around a dozen coming every week on Wednesday afternoons.
“Our aim now is to open more often as time goes on.
“We have so many good men there now and so many talents.
“There’s 6,000 square feet of space so we could have an all night rave if we wanted.
“The work benches are all in and we are hoping to get production moving.
“Now that we are in the town the opportunity to expand is there – but it’s their shed and it’s up to them.”
The shed is attracting members from outside the town – a trend Jimmy, 81, hopes will continue.
He said: “We have one from Dundrennan and one from Kirkcudbright and others from surrounding areas.
“It’s such a big space and we have plenty of room. We are big into recycling and are making mud kitchens out of used pallets for local primary schools.
“All the wee bits are chopped up for kindling and given to the town charity shop. We also do flower planters built out of timber and bird nesting boxes.”
Cleaning out the premises was a major undertaking for the shed.
But now its ready to go with the rest and work areas spaces spic and span.
And Jimmy stressed no-one need worry about going along if they don’t have a trade or skill.
He said: “Number one was getting the mess room into good working order.
“The whole place was a mess and the only occupants were 20 pigeons.
“We only have three rules – one, you have got to get on with everybody.
“Two, bring your own mug and three, you are responsible for your own fingers.
“We are there for the good of everyone and you don’t need a skill – we cater for everybody.
“It gets folk out of the house to a place they can enjoy company and comradeship.
“Even those who are quite quiet are laughing away and enjoying the company at break times.”
Jimmy added: “We now have a wee shop window at the front of the place where we can show off our stuff.
“We have already sent up one of the planters to the charity shop.”
Anyone interested in going along to the club, which is supported by Castle Douglas Development Forum, can contact Jimmy on 07711 499 700, email glenlown@gmail.com or simply pop in to the shed.
