Tadley Men’s Shed workshop officially opened by Basingstoke and Deane mayor David Leeks on January 19

The permanent home of Tadley Men’s Shed has been officially opened by the mayor of Basingstoke and Deane.

The community group, which is dedicated to providing a space for people to pursue and practise practical interests and skills, was set up in 2021 and has been raising funds to establish its own workshop ever since.

The group purchased a portable cabin and placed it on the grounds of St Mary’s Church last August, and after some months of work, the grand opening of the fully operational facility took place on Friday, January 19, at 2pm.

Tadley Men’s Shed chairman Paul Gross said: “It was very good. We had a good number of guests and visitors, and the mayor came along to officially open it for us which was great. We were very pleased with the afternoon.”

Several local dignitaries were in attendance, and mayor David Leeks cut the ribbon to mark the occasion.

The Tadley Men’s Shed workshop contains a lot of woodworking equipment, such as a woodworking lathe and band saw, as well as an engineer’s lathe for metalwork.

The group has been undertaking some community projects with horticultural group Green Health Tadley and at The Hurst School.

Those interested in joining Tadley Men’s Shed should visit its website at http://rb.gy/t5dx9l

The group does contain one female member and is open to all.