Our Latest and Greatest

Not so long ago, Dalkeith Men’s Shed was invited to do something completely new for us - our first ever public speaking engagement.

The kind folks at Glenkinchie Distillery got in touch to ask if we’d be willing to come along and say a few words about the Shed, the work we do, and men’s mental health more broadly. It was part of a staff wellbeing event, and they hoped it might spark a connection for some of their employees who could one day become “Shedders” themselves, wherever their local Shed might be.

We arrived at Glenkinchie where we were greeted warmly and treated to some top-tier caramel lattes which we enjoyed from the café, overlooking the beautiful grounds. It was a quiet moment to take it all in before heading downstairs to what we thought would be a chance to catch our breath and psych each other up. But as it turned out, everyone was already there waiting for us! About a dozen pairs of eyes turned towards us as we entered the conference room.

It seemed their team had just wrapped up a long and fairly dry meeting - and we’d been brought in to provide a bit of levity to round off the day. We caught the treadmill running and were happy to oblige.

We started by speaking about the Shed itself - how it came together, how the idea grew into a global movement, and how our own little Shed in Dalkeith is helping men connect, support each other, and feel like they belong. Ronnie then took the floor to speak about mental health. He held out a glass of water and shared a simple but powerful metaphor: the glass is light at first, easy to carry. But the longer you hold it out, the heavier it becomes. Eventually, it becomes too much. And that’s how our burdens can feel - especially for men, who are often told to keep holding on. The Shed, he said, is a place where you can finally put the glass down.

After the talk, we ran an activity with the Glenkinchie team - a Shed twist on the classic Marshmallow & Spaghetti Tower Challenge. Teams had to build a tall tower, but it also needed a flat surface strong enough to support a deck of cards. Some of the team had done this activity before - but not like this. What followed was fierce-yet-friendly competition, a lot of laughs, and even a bit of mischief, with some cheeky table-jiggling and light sabotage (though all in the name of fun).

The results? Every group managed to build a working tower - briefly. Regretfully one group's tower took a dive just before testing could commence. We joked it deserved bonus points as it was now a “flat-pack tower” ready for transport and assembly at a moment’s notice.

What struck us most, looking back at the photos later, was how much they resembled corporate stock images - smiling faces, fully enamoured with the group activity. But the joy captured in those shots wasn’t posed or polished. It was real. It was sincere. And it meant a lot to see our challenge taken in such good spirits.

At the end of the day, we took a moment to pause beside the beautiful statue of Johnnie Walker and his faithful dog, which stands proudly at the entrance to the distillery. It felt like the right place to stop and take it all in.

We’re pleased to say that Glenkinchie have invited Dalkeith Men’s Shed back for a tour of the distillery when they reopen later this year - and that’s an offer we’ll absolutely be taking them up on. We’re already looking forward to the day.

We might even pack some spaghetti and marshmallows. Just in case...