Creative Shed

at The Beeches Day Care Centre, Cashes Green

Spring 2024: Earning commissions! by Richard Lewis

The work of the Tuesday group volunteers has continued with the team being commissioned by the Cotswold Canals Trust to build a number of different types of bird and bat boxes.

This work has given the group an opportunity to learn a new range of skills working with marine plyboard; at £90 per sheet, it’s material with which we can ill afford to make many mistakes.

It has been a really good learning experience for the volunteers and myself as we have learnt how to work with more skill and detail.

We have created a new design for a Starling box along with our ‘Classic’ box design and this photo shows Anthony putting the finishing touches to a large Tawny Owl box.

As we move into the spring season, the team will be starting to propagate seeds for planting out into the garden as well as tomatoes and cucumber for the polytunnel.

Autumn 2023: Tooled up for success by Richard Lewis

The work with Tuesday Group volunteers at the Creative Shed has continued at pace with several of the group using new tools that have been provided through the Barnwood Trust funding this year.

The pieces of equipment include a new cordless drill (plus two batteries!) and a handheld mini circular saw.

The new kit has already been put to good use by volunteers with the cordless drill set used to make ‘new’ designs of small Blue Tit boxes that have been completely built of recycled timber while the mini circular saw has helped increase production and quality of our range of Hedgehog Refuge, Bat and Swift boxes and Sparrow terrace; in the picture you can see one of our volunteers cutting out a section for a Hedgehog Refuge.

Along with all the busy work building wildlife boxes and refuges, some of the team will be embarking on a journey to help build a wooden pole lathe with our good friend, specialist woodsman Adrian Leaman.

We hope that, with a little help, training and advice, the group may be able to produce wooden lathed products to sell in the eco shop.

Spring 2023: Welcome recognition for Creative Shed by Richard Lewis

To start with some good news, funding for the great work that the Tuesday group are producing at the Beeches has been secured from the Barnwood Trust for the coming year.

This funding will give the group funds for materials to produce the variety of wildlife boxes that are made on site, allow for the purchasing of a few new tools, and give the group the chance of a bi-monthly lunch time ploughman’s type meal (with crisps!).

It’s nice to start up our regular meals once again – this is something the group used to do before Covid which brought us all together as a group. So it was a great feeling for us to set out the table again for lunch in the polytunnel.

Our work of building wildlife boxes has expanded further with two new designs of Bat and Blue Tit boxes, planned and made by the volunteer group (see picture of a Blue Tit box under construction from recycled timber). The learning curve and journey that a volunteer takes in the planning and building of the wildlife boxes sold in SVP’s eco shop cannot easily be measured or calculated, but it gives one immense satisfaction and pride in the work that all the team produce.

As we now move into the spring and summer months, members of the group have already planted out potatoes and onion sets in the garden as well as sowing tomatoes, cucumber, broad and runner beans to be grown on, then planted out into either the garden or polytunnel.

Over the growing season, the group intends to use some of the produce grown to supplement food for their bi-monthly meal.

A shed-load of creativity by Richard Lewis - Winter 2022-23 update

The work of the Tuesday group of volunteers based at the Creative Workshop/Creative Shed continues, with the group still harvesting tomatoes, cucumber, sweetcorn, and runner beans from our polytunnel and outdoor garden area.

In this growing season, it has again been great for the group to be able to reap what we have all sown! We hope over this winter to grow chard, kale and beetroot and other winter-growing vegetables in the polytunnel.

Once again, the group are creating new types of bird boxes, hedgehog refuges and insect houses for SVP’s eco shop; built wherever possible from recycled timber, bamboo canes and other recycled materials.

These are all great value and available at the eco shop in time for Christmas!

Earlier activities

The Creative Workshop sessions, new for 2021, are held at The Beeches Day Care Centre at Cashes Green.

SVP is very fortunate to have the use of both indoor and outdoor workspace where volunteers can be creative.

The indoor workshop is a great setting for people to try their hand, learn new skills and gain confidence building different types of wildlife boxes and other item (some sold in our eco shop on Threadneedle Street, Stroud). We try wherever possible to use as much recycled timber in the making of products produced.

The outdoor area is made up of a small greenhouse for propagating plants from seed, a medium size polytunnel and series of raised beds where vegetables are grown. This opportunity to learn and grow produce gives the individual a chance to gain knowledge and become more connected with the food they grow and eat.

Several members of the group have recently been involved in the initial stages of cutting and chipping out a large wooden spiral sculpture made from Redwood that, when finished, will be installed in the labyrinth at the Sensory Garden in Stratford Park. This piece of timber has been provided by our good friend, woodsman Adrian Leaman, who’s been involved in several of our projects over recent years.

The carving of the spiral sculpture will take several sessions to complete, from the first stages of cutting and shaping to the final stages of hand sanding and finishing. This so far has been a great and enjoyable learning curve for all involved. We hope that when it’s finally installed at the Sensory Garden, people will enjoy viewing the sculpture as much as the group have enjoyed creating it.

We have also continued to grow vegetables both outdoors and indoors. This resulted in a great crop of five different types of potatoes last year planted in raised beds outside, together with a bumper crop of both tomatoes and cucumbers which were propagated in our greenhouse and then planted out in the polytunnel.

Produce is shared by volunteers and the day care centre clients and staff.