Benchmark

benchmark - a point of reference against which other things may be compared - a "gold standard". The best it can be

• The Men's Shed Movement seeks to provide the best. 
• Connection, conversation and creation – that’s what joining a Men’s Shed is all about. 
• Men’s Sheds encourage people to come together to make, repair and repurpose, supporting projects in their local communities. Improving wellbeing, reducing loneliness and combatting social isolation.

On Monday, I helped Bob to deliver the latest project that our Shed Men have been working on, And it was to an organisation which is totally in support of the Shed's aims. We went to Easton College near Norwich, to the HQ of Active Norfolk.

This group works to enable everybody, men, women and children, believes that movement improves lives - activity and sport promote health and well-being for individuals and communities.

Here's Sam Watts, Senior Partnerships Office, explaining about their football programme

 

Sam contacted Bob recently to ask for help. Like many such organisations, Active Norfolk is funded by the County Council, with help from Sport England and ActivePartnerships, and therefore runs on a very tight budget. Their HQ is really small - and usually the team eat their lunch 'al desko' as they say, because they have no staff area. But at the back of the building is an area of grass, adjacent to the College rugby pitch. Sam wondered if the Shed could help by building a picnic bench, so that people could sit outside to eat lunch, or even work outside in the sunshine - and generally improve their working day. 

The Shed got to work - eight seater benches usually cost in excess of £200, but the men worked to produce one for around a quarter of that price. Then it was dismantled and loaded into the Kodiaq and Bob and I delivered it to AN's HQ. The three of us carried the parts round to the grass, and Bob quickly assembled it.

And here's the official handover

I really hope Sam and his friends really enjoy sitting out here in the sunshine - their work, like that of The Shed, serves as a benchmark for "good work which benefits both the individual and the community"