The Cambridge Menzshed officially opened the doors of its newly renovated Leamington Dairy Service Factory at the weekend, revealing a tidy and inviting space that the community can be proud of.
Mayor Susan O’Regan did the honours at the opening ceremony, cutting a chain with bolt cutters rather than the traditional ribbon, in front of a crowd of around 100 men and their whānau.
The charitable group was granted the lease to the Waipā District Council-owned building on Carlyle Street in May last year and started work almost immediately.
The building required nearly $108,000 in repairs to bring it back to a basic standard. Council provided $23,000 for roof repairs and new roller doors, a number of community groups and individuals donated supplies, and the Menzshed fundraised the rest.
O’Regan said the Menzshed team had worked incredibly hard to transform the old building into a welcoming community hub and a permanent base.
“Menzshed brings local men together to share skills, support each other, and work on meaningful projects for the community. This wonderful initiative helps to build wellbeing and mental health for older men in our community by giving them a sense of purpose,” she said.
“The progress made in such a short time is inspiring - transforming it into a space we can all be proud of, and with the Menzshed group’s ideas and energy, it’s clear the whole community will benefit from their work.”
Membership of the Cambridge Community Menzshed has almost doubled in the past 18 months, and secretary Myles Prebble said by revamping their own space, the group has been able to create areas tailored to specific needs and purposes.
“This project has been an unusual start for us, but it was the making of us a group. We got to see our strengths and skills and it has helped us form a strong bond.
“The Cambridge community has been amazing coming together and helping us out - from funding, donating paint supplies and repairing windows and fencing. They have really rallied behind us.”
