A NUMBER of grants are now being made available to volunteer projects across the county from the Shed Grant Fund, which has already helped groups in Corsham and Westbury to set up their operation.

Groups in Wiltshire are being invited to apply for a share of the Sheds Grant Fund which will help support the set-up of community shed spaces. Already proving to be popular in Westbury and Melksham, the Corsham group at The Brunel Shed has received £1,000 for a dust extraction unit and power tools.

Dan Gmaj, member of Westbury Men's Shed, said: “The Royal Volunteer Service, in conjunction with Asda, produced a shared start-up campaign which helped us get off the ground. We received about six months in costs to get our work shop which was just under £1,000.

"It made running a commercial property possible. To start up these groups, we have to start with a commercial property and in due course you can then start applying for grants from things like area boards. We try to give something back to the community at all times so this helped us get there."

The £970 grant from the Sheds Grant Fund enabled the Westbury group to pay for rent, insurances as well as benches and tools while the Corsham shed received £1,000 for a dust extraction unit and power tools.

"We are still in the early stages but it is going well. We opened up on September 17 and that was exactly one year after we had our first meeting for Westbury Shed – it took a long time. I would absolutely suggest applying for a grant. It was very useful to us," added Mr Gmaj.

Grants of between £250 and £1,000 are now available from the Sheds Grant Fund. All applications for funding need to come from community-led groups and must be submitted by March 5.

Jo Phillips, Sheds Project Manager at Royal Voluntary Service said: "The creative, productive nature of Sheds provide an activity around which people chat, form bonds and networks, which may go to benefit them outside of the Shed itself.

"They play an important role in meeting the needs of older people, particularly older men, who often do not feel that traditional services targeted at older people are right for them.They provide the space, tools and learning to help people develop existing skills or learn new ones, in a supportive, friendly environment."

For more information about the Royal Voluntary Service and the Asda Foundation Sheds Grant Fund and to download the application form visit www.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk/sheds.