Shed welcomes women and gender-diverse

WHILE Men’s Shed groups have been providing blokes with a social outlet and a handy way to benefit their communities for decades, an emerging group is offering a similar space for women and gender-diverse people.

Members of Women’s Shed Ballarat officially opened their shed, at the Wendouree Neighbourhood Centre, to the community following the group’s founding more than two years ago.

President, Sophie Potter, was among those welcoming people into the space with an induction day on Sunday.

She said the team has worked since January to get the group’s administration in place and the site fit for purpose.

“There’s been a lot of work behind the scenes to get stuff ready so for people to poke their head in and see what we’ve got set up, get excited for workshops, it’s amazing,” she said.

“It’s massive for women in Ballarat to have a place to come to, to be able to use the shed and use our equipment, it’s a huge resource we haven’t had.

“The past two years have been about refining the idea, finding the premises, and getting equipment and funding, because Women’s Sheds can’t access the funding that Men’s Sheds can, so we’ve had to start from scratch.”

Located at 12 Violet Grove, the shed features a dedicated arts and craft space, and two main areas where higher-level tools will be used while also allowing for workshops and a multipurpose space for projects and car maintenance.

 

Attendees of the open day were invited to gain their red-level tool qualifications, enabling them to use things like screwdrivers, hammers, and chisels onsite.

Ms Potter estimated the group grew to about 50 members following inductions.

“People can start a project and take it home with them but a lot of stuff we’ll be doing is shed-level projects where we’ll get people coming together at different skill levels to make something for the community,” she said.

“There are some tools here that are off limits for the moment because we don’t have trainers to teach people about them yet so we’d love to get people in as well who can help with that.”

One of Women’s Shed Ballarat’s earliest projects will be to assist with the development and oversee the ongoing maintenance of the Wendouree Neighbourhood Centre’s community garden.

 

According to the Australian Women’s Shed Association, there are 13 active Women’s Sheds in Victoria.

Women’s Shed Ballarat’s shed is open Wednesdays from 12.30pm to 3.30pm and 5.30pm to 7.30pm, and Sundays 10am to 4pm.

Workshops will be held on Saturdays, and operating hours will increase if demand is there.