Scottish Men's Sheds offered additional cash which could stave off fear of cuts

The Scottish Men’s Shed Association has been offered a new funding deal by the Scottish Government, potentially staving off fears of a cut to its core budget.

Men’s Sheds are a place where men in communities come together to undertake activities such as gardening, crafts or woodworking and have led to improved mental health for some of those who take part.

The number of sheds has grown from five to more than 200 across Scotland in less than a decade, but the association is set to receive no funding from the Scottish Government in the coming year.

Liam McArthur, who organised and signed a letter to John Swinney, the Deputy First Minister and interim finance secretary, called on the planned funding cuts to be reversed.

Scotland's Deputy First Minister and temporary Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Economy, John Swinney MSP, sat next to First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon, as he delivers the Scottish Budget to the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.

He said during First Minister’s Questions: “Men’s Sheds and communities across Scotland provide a place for men to meet, to socialise, and to pursue hobbies, but increasingly it’s recognised they make a tangible difference in terms of tackling isolation, loneliness and mental ill health.

"It’s why Men’s Sheds commands strong cross-party support right across the chamber and why 40 MSPs recently wrote to the Deputy First Minister expressing concerns about proposed funding cuts.

"Will the First Minister guarantee that her Government will protect the core and development funding for the Scottish Men’s Shed Association to allow this invaluable public health movement to be maintained and expanded.”

Nicola Sturgeon said a funding offer had been made to the association, but provided no detail as to how much.

She told MSPs: “The Men’s Shed Movement does fantastic work and I would associate myself with the comments that Liam McArthur has made about the work that it does and the impact that it has.

"My understanding is that there has been discussions with the Government. An offer of financial support has been made for the next financial year and I will ask the minister concerned to write to the member with more detail and indeed to make that known to Parliament generally.”

Signatories calling for the reversal of the cuts included SNP rebel Kenneth Gibson and SNP MSP Paul McLennan, as well as Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat representatives.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "The Scottish Government is liaising with Scottish Men's Sheds Association (SMSA) with the aim of agreeing funding to help them move into the 2023/24 financial year and build on this through funding from non-statutory sources.

“We are continuing to work closely with SMSA to help them identify opportunities to secure other sources of sustainable funding. This includes through a range of Scottish Government funds which are available to third sector organisations who meet the criteria, along with other funding bodies and grantmakers.”

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