We recently had the joy of having the Upminster Baptist church Men's Shed to come and lead an evening with the 2nd Upminster Brownie's who range from seven to ten years old. We invited them in to help us with our skills for life badge which included a DIY section.
During this session they learned about different tools and what they were used for. The girls listened intently and were enthusiastic to ask questions. David and Rob made it very engaging and the girls obviously felt very comfortable with them
Afterwards they were shown how to safely use a hammer and completed a lovely keepsake pattern using wool and nails.
These were pre cut and sanded pieces of wood which had some nails already placed in. This must have required a huge amount of preparation and we are so grateful for this. The girls were delighted they were able to take their creations home.
The Brownie Guides thoroughly enjoyed the evening and it was such a great opportunity for them to be given, some of them had never held a hammer before and felt a great sense of accomplishment in their work.
David and Robert were brilliant to deal with, very friendly and were brilliant at communicating with the girls in a way that was appropriate to their understanding.
Our aims in Girlguiding are to give the girls a variety of different opportunities, skills for life and challenge them whilst having fun and making friends. This was an evening where they were able to do this, lots of smiles and happy proud girls.
Thankyou Men's Shed
Wanderers Haven Animal Sanctuary is a small non-destruct rescue founded in 1961 by Mrs Geraldine Wagstaff and has been at its current location in Upminster, Essex since 1976. Currently we are home to a variety of many animals including dogs, cats, various small animals including rabbits, guinea pigs and others, farm animals including sheep, goats, pigs, ducks, turkeys and chickens. We are also home to some reptiles including snakes, lizards and sulcata tortoises. We rely on our dedicated team and donations from the public to keep going. We hold various fundraising events throughout the year such as open days at the sanctuary, pub quizzes, boot sales, tabletop sales and online fundraising. Animals come into our care for various reasons. Some come direct from homes, some are strays and some are left abandoned at our gates for us to find. Other animals come to us via veterinary practices where they have been taken to be put to sleep due to behavioural problems that we then take on. Some of our animals are permanent residents which means sanctuary life is more suited to them and their needs. Our animals can be sponsored to help us with their general care and vets bills. We have a charity shop located in Romford Shopping Hall on the first floor where you'll find something for everyone, including your pets.
Wanderers Haven Animal Sanctuary sought the help of Men's Shed after hearing about them through one of our volunteers.
We have wanted a secure permanent outdoor enclosure for our farm birds since our stable block was extended over 18months ago. Due to the amount of foxes we have visiting we could no longer safely let our birds out onto the field.
We had put together a makeshift run with metal fencing and cable ties.
What Mens Shed have built is a solid timber frame with a polycarbonate roof and galvanised steel wire mesh and is predator proof. It has separate parts with fencing and a gate should we need to seperate off birds if need be. It adjoins our bird stable so the chickens and ducks and turkeys can come straight out from inside. A double door has also been built so we can access the run from outside.
It's exactly what we wanted and more and looks a sturdy professional and tidy job.
The guys from Mens Shed have been a pleasure to have at the Sanctuary. They're a friendly group and very talented in what they do. The whole concept of Mens Shed is a great idea and they are an asset to our community.
Whilst some of the guys were actively building at the sanctuary, others were making gates etc at the workshop HQ.
The project took around 4 weeks to complete which consisted of 2-3days of working (weather permitting).
Thank you Mens Shed, from all of us at Wanderers Haven Animal Sanctuary.
