A new opportunity for friendship, community, and creativity is coming to Cruden Bay with the launch of the Cruden Bay Men’s Shed.

Men’s Sheds have grown in popularity across Scotland and beyond, offering spaces where people can meet, share skills, and work on practical projects in a friendly and welcoming environment. They provide a place not only to learn and create, but also to chat, support one another, and strengthen community ties.

The Cruden Bay Men’s Shed is in its early stages, and we are looking for locals (Both Men and Women) to shape what it will become. Whether you’re keen on woodwork, DIY, gardening, crafts, or simply looking for good company, your ideas and input will help set the direction of the Shed.

If you are interested in getting involved, either drop us an email including your name, mobile phone number, and email addresss, or fill in the same details in the Registration Form below, and we will get you added to the WhatsApp Group (if applicable), and keep you updated with developments and future meeting details.

Our email address is: mensshed@crudenbay.life

Fundraising Appeal

Why Support Us?

When established, the Cruden Bay Men’s Shed will be a active, hands-on resource that gives back to our village through community projects, workshops, and local support.
We are calling on our wonderful local businesses and residents to help us make this happen!

How You Can Help:

If you or your business can support us in covering these material costs, please act quickly: Either use the button below to Donate with Just Giving, or use the following details to make a donation directly to the Men’s Shed Bank Account.

• Account Name: Cruden Bay Men’s Shed

• Bank: The Co-operative Bank

• Account Number: 67499463

• Sort Code: 08-92-99

• Reference Instruction: (e.g., “Please use your surname as the reference”).

Thanks to those who have already sponsored this fundraising campaign

Cruden Bay Men’s Shed Calendar

CRUDEN BAY MEN’S SHED

CRUDEN BAY MEN’S SHED – Building Update – 11 October 2026

Men’s Shed Members
A group of members met at the shed this afternoon to review the remaining work needed to fully meet planning regulations. Completing these requirements is the final step before we can gain regular access and start using the facilities.

Funding & Materials
We have great news: thanks to generous donations, we now have sufficient funds to purchase the timber cladding for the storage container, along with other essential materials for this phase. Tasks have been assigned to place these orders, and we hope to finish this stage within the next two weeks. We will keep everyone updated on our progress.

Volunteering & Work Parties
Work parties will be organised shortly to tackle the outstanding jobs. Please keep an eye on the WhatsApp group for specific dates, details, and call-outs for volunteers if you are available to lend a hand.

Member Area Password Update
Meeting minutes and project documents continue to be uploaded to the members’ area of the website. To make access easier, the password has been updated [check recent emails or WhatsApp message to confirm new password] 

CRUDEN BAY MEN’S SHED

There was an excellent turnout for our committee meeting held in the Port Erroll Public Hall on Wednesday, 7th October. Although the primary objective was to formally approve volunteers for the principal office-bearer roles—which passed unanimously—a wide-ranging discussion followed regarding vital next steps for the Shed. Full minutes will be published shortly and made available on the members’ page.

Various tasks were allocated to ensure swift progress across several fronts, including a site visit for Shed members at 2:00 pm this Sunday, 11th October, at the Men’s Shed buildings behind the Old Congregational Church. This gathering will set short-term targets to help the site meet planning requirements so it can open for members’ use as soon as possible.

The next committee meeting was set for 7:15 on Wednesday 4th October in Port Erroll Public Hall.

CRUDEN BAY MEN’S SHED

Hi all, another fantastic progress update! 🎉
We are delighted to announce that a volunteer has now stepped forward for the role of Membership & Welfare Officer!

This means our committee is almost fully assembled. We now only have two positions left to fill:
💰 Treasurer (our essential requirement for legal compliance)
🛠️ Shed Manager

We are hoping to find volunteers for both posts ahead of our upcoming meeting:
📅 Next Committee / Community Meeting:
⏰ 7:15pm on Wednesday 7th October
📍 Port Erroll Public Hall

We would love to see as many of you there as possible! Getting a Treasurer in place is the final key to making the Shed fully operational and compliant, so if you’re interested or would like an informal chat before the meeting, please drop a reply below or send a private message.

Thank you again to everyone stepping up to get Cruden Bay Men’s Shed over the finish line!

CRUDEN BAY MEN’S SHED

Hi all, another really encouraging update! 🎉
We are delighted to confirm that volunteers have now stepped forward to fill the roles of:
✅ Chairperson
✅ Vice-Chairperson
✅ Health & Safety Officer
This means we are so close to our goal! To make Cruden Bay Men’s Shed compliant and allow us to officially proceed, we now only require a volunteer for the office of Treasurer.
Other operational roles—such as Shed Manager and Membership & Welfare Officer—can easily be filled at a later date once we are up and running.
Having a Treasurer in place is the final key to unlocking our progress and establishing the Shed as an active organisation within our community. If you (or someone you know) might be willing to take on the Treasurer post and help get us over the finish line without delay, please consider stepping forward!
📖 You can review what the Treasurer role involves here:
👉 https://crudenbay.life/mens-shed-committee-structure/
We are very nearly there—if you can help or would like an informal chat about the role, please drop a reply below or send a private message today.

CRUDEN BAY MEN’S SHED

Hi all, following on from yesterday’s message, we’ve made some fantastic progress! 🥳
We now have volunteers who have stepped forward to take on the roles of:
✅ Chairperson
✅ Secretary
✅ Health & Safety Officer
This gets us halfway to a full committee, which is a massive step in the right direction! However, to legally proceed and open our doors as planned, we still urgently need 2 volunteers for the remaining Core Executive positions:
💰 Treasurer & Charity Trustee
🤝 Vice-Chairperson
In addition to these two executive offices, we are also looking for a Shed Manager and a Membership & Welfare Officer. While we could technically proceed initially without these operational roles filled, having them in place would mean we can share the load and push forward without delay.
If you’ve been thinking about getting involved, now is the time! You can view the details of these roles on our website: 👉 https://crudenbay.life/mens-shed-committee-structure/
Please consider joining this brand-new committee to help get the Cruden Bay Men’s Shed to first base. Drop a reply below or send a private message if you can help or want to chat through what’s involved!https://chat.whatsapp.com/LJqfsYd2c5kH54xBZVWCkM

CRUDEN BAY MEN’S SHED

Hi all, I’ve only just taken into account the fact that there are only 21 members in this group, a significantly higher number had previously expressed interest. I’ll need to find a way of reaching out to them as well if we are to canvass as broadly as possible for the support we need. If you know of anyone who had been involved previously but is not presently listed in this group, please forward the following link to them and ask them if they would consider joining this group. https://chat.whatsapp.com/LJqfsYd2c5kH54xBZVWCkM

CRUDEN BAY MEN’S SHED

Hi everyone, following on from my previous message, I wanted to share an important update with you all.

Just to clarify my own position — I’m posting this on behalf of the group. I haven’t been involved in the day-to-day running or management of the Shed (my role to date has strictly been supporting PR and marketing). However, along with Peter Abenheimer, we’ve put this message together because we’ve reached a critical point where progress risks stalling completely unless we act now.

John Ross, who has been one of the main organisers to date and our Treasurer, has indicated his intention to step down and sever his ties with the Shed. We owe John a massive debt of gratitude for all the time, energy, and commitment he’s put into bringing the Cruden Bay Men’s Shed from an initial idea to where we are today! 👏

John has kindly offered to stay on temporarily as Treasurer until another willing person steps forward to take on the role and the associated Charity Trustee responsibilities. While this gives us a brief breathing space, finding his replacement is an urgent priority so we can complete a smooth handover and allow John to step back completely.

• To ensure the Shed can move forward, we need to finalize our 4 Core Executive Officers:
  Chairperson (we have an unconfirmed nominee, but need this confirmed)
  Secretary (we previously had someone intimate willingness, but need this reconfirmed)
  Treasurer / Charity Trustee (John holding the fort temporarily; urgently seeking a permanent replacement)
  Vice-Chairperson (vacant)

To help everyone see what’s involved, we’ve put together a webpage detailing these 4 core positions, along with 3 additional operational roles that would round out a full committee: 👉 https://crudenbay.life/mens-shed-committee-structure/

Please take a look at the link. If we want to keep the momentum going and ensure the hard work done so far isn’t lost, we really need folks to step up now. Whether you are open to taking on an executive role or helping behind the scenes, your support is vital.

If you’re willing to take on a role, reconfirm your previous interest, or want to discuss what’s involved, please reply below or drop me a private message as soon as possible so we can set up a short core team meeting.

What are everyone’s thoughts?

CRUDEN BAY MEN’S SHED

Hi all, I wanted to share a quick thought on how we keep our momentum going with the Men’s Shed, and I hope it’s received in the positive spirit it’s intended.

Over the past year, we’ve taken the Cruden Bay Men’s Shed from an idea to a very real possibility. We aren’t quite there yet, though, and recent events have shown just how essential it is to stay organised, keep the momentum alive, and coordinate our next steps.

To make that happen, we really need to form a proper committee of folks willing to help drive things forward. We already have a few people lined up for key roles, but having extra pairs of hands involved in running and developing the Shed would make all the difference. It’ll let us share the load, define clear responsibilities, and pick up the pace.

Since everyone in this group has already shown an interest, this is the best place to start: can we get a quick show of hands (or a reply below) from anyone willing to get involved on the committee or help behind the scenes?

Once we have a small core team together, an early meeting to map out our short- and medium-term goals would be the logical next step. What do you all think?

CRUDEN BAY MEN’S SHED

📣 Cruden Bay Men’s Shed – Next Meeting!

🗓 Saturday 17th May
🕖 7:00pm
📍 Old Congregational Church, Cruden Bay

Good chat, good company, and plans for what’s ahead.
Agenda to follow — all welcome! 👍

CRUDEN BAY MEN’S SHED

Things are very much on the move! The trench for the new electrical cable has been dug, many thanks to Andy Phipps, Geordie Anderson and CHAP Civils for their help with this. The electrician is booked for the end of this week (28th) to make the connection so after this weekend we’ll be able to get in and set up the inside and then we’re off! We’ll need to have a meeting to discuss practicalities such as access, but will keep everyone posted as to time/place.

CRUDEN BAY MEN’S SHED

Just a quick update on what’s been happening over the winter. Much time was spent sourcing funding for the installation of mains electricity to the Shed. Funds are now in place and the cable/associated fuse box etc have been bought. Quotes from electricians are underway so it shouldn’t be long before we can start to use the Shed. Generous donations of tools and racking have also been received. An update meeting was held a few weeks ago with those who could manage, but keep an eye out for details of next meeting when we can hopefully finalise an entry date.
Almost there!

We met this evening at Port Erroll Public Hall to discuss ongoing plans for setting up the Cruden Bay Men’s Shed. We’re pleased to report that we are well advanced in the process of gaining charitable status. This will allow us to open a bank account and formally launch the Men’s Shed.

In the meantime, there are several ways we can continue to move things forward. First, we are looking to confirm a committee. We still need volunteers for the roles of Chairperson and Treasurer. Lewis Gardiner has kindly volunteered to take on the role of Secretary, so we are now seeking two further volunteers for the remaining positions. If you are interested, please email crudenmensshed@yahoo.com.

We also discussed creating a skills register, where members can list their skills and experience. This will help us better understand what we can achieve collectively as a Men’s Shed.

Following on from this, Port Erroll Public Hall has asked whether our members would be willing to help with some general maintenance work. This would involve carrying out certain repairs that might otherwise incur costs the hall is currently unable to meet. By helping out, we can improve the condition of the hall while allowing it to retain vital funds for other ongoing expenses. This proposal was fully supported, and it was agreed that the Hall Committee Chairperson, Peter Abenheimer, will draw up a wish list of jobs to share with the group.

It was also proposed that the skills register and job lists be made available to members via a secure webpage on the CrudenBay.life website. Once this is set up and password-protected, we will share the details with you.

We also discussed the wood cladding of the two cabins at the rear of the Congregational Church, which will become the Men’s Shed workshop and storage space. Several members expressed interest in helping with this project. We agreed that the Men’s Shed WhatsApp group will be a good way to coordinate this and future activities, possibly using sub-groups to reduce unnecessary messages for the wider group.

Our next meeting will most likely be held on site at the Congregational Church / Men’s Shed location. We’ll confirm details nearer the time via our usual channels.