The value of sheds: Your views

Supervisor John Marlin (r) believes sheds are sanctuaries for men

Australian men are increasingly seeking refuge in workshops and sheds as a way to stave off depression and anxiety.

The Men's Shed movement has taken over more than 200 disused warehouses and other buildings across the country and transformed them into havens for mostly older men to socialise.

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Here is a selection of your e-mails:

I love my garden shed! It's home to my lawnmower, my snow-blower, some garden tools and visiting buddies. Even in the winter (I have a good heater) we go out there, have a beer, tea (whatever) and relax while sorting the world's problems out. I formally invite the world's leaders to come and join us.
Aaron Kfir, St John's, Newfoundland, Canada.

Everyone knows that the Australian male requires access to a fully-equipped shed to allow escape from the wife and kids.
Graham, Canberra, Australia

One of my best friends recently killed himself. His girlfriend had broken up with him and he fell into a deep depression. I was living in the same flat as him and i never knew even though we talked and laughed everyday. I wish he could have been able to talk about what he was going through. Something like this could have really helped. I wish for its continued success.
Ronan O'Meara, Limerick, Ireland

I think this is a great idea and it seems to be working. Just one thing though - I'm a woman and I love playing with wood and hammers and nails and power tools. I also like to work with metal - welding and plasma cutting. I would hate to think that a great project like this was reproducing and reinforcing gender stereotypes.
Sefira, Rochester USA

Wow,the Aussie shed. It is almost national icon. My husband of 39 years is using his shed as a refuge from me. Actually we have two of them.One holds the usual junk. The other one is out of limits for me. Only him and his mates are allowed in. The shed has got electricity connected and there is a fridge in it. I am pretty sure that if he was given the choice to get rid of the house or the shed, he would demolish the house.Yes, it is that serious.
Alina Pavluk, Newcastle / Australia

Sheds come in all shapes, sizes and derivations, mine is a boat, but the essential thing is that, as one ages, it is important to determine what your "shed" is because we all need an escape route after a life of work. The Australian sheds are a great comfort to many and hopefully will be replicated elsewhere, especially in large cities.
Ian, Perth WA

I'm 74 and have found refuge in my own woodshop. Wish I could find a place like yours to share with other "old coots" my experience and stories. It's great medicine and I recommend it together with a dog.
C Robert Umana, Dallas, USA

Fantastic idea, so often men's needs are just completely ignored by society. Men don't often articulate their needs through self-reliant pride, or feel stupid for wanting to do hobbies they consider interesting but that on the face of it are not that productive. Women on the other hand seem to be able to articulate problems at the drop of a hat and always assume what they want is correct. They receive understanding and aid from society without much need to demand or required justification. So good on you lads and the people who made this happen in Oz.
Dave, Hong Kong

I think this is such a good idea and needed in the UK too for older men. Many alone after divorce as well as death or ill health. There are not enough places for them to go unlike older women who are overflowing with groups.
Emily, Bristol

I'm currently working in a remote mine northern Canada. I will soon be retiring and can foresee that I will miss the company of men in a working situation. This shed movement looks like a really good thing.
M Meakes, Kelowna BC, Canada

What a wonderful idea, deceptively simple, but obviously helpful. I hope other communities/countries adopt the same model. Depression itself is still poorly understood outside the medical profession, & I imagine an even harder diagnosis to respond to for many men. So the recuperative power of sheds is surely cause for celebration.
Geraldine Moyle, Santa Monica, CA, USA

It is a very good concept. There are so much of depressed males in the world and many in my country. I would like to start one here if you could help. Thanks.
Harold Senadhira, Colombo Sri Lanka

I think the men's sheds is a great idea!!! I wish there had been something like this in the States when my dad was still alive. He may have been able to overcome his depression and been happier and healthier in his retirement.
Sandra E Christie, St Petersburg, Fl USA

I can relate to the men in this article. I have been disabled for five years along with a decline in health. Being shut inside my home from the world brings a lot of loneliness that just adds to everything else I am going through. I wish they had something like that shed movement out here.
Liam, San Francisco, USA

Did you know that former US President Jimmy Carter is also a wood-worker? In fact he also uses wood-working to de-stress - he admitted in an interview that after losing the 1980 re-election bid he went off to his own "shed" and made an entire dining table and chair set.
Amit Ganguli, Palo Alto, CA

Shed therapy is a bloody terrific idea, and this was a really interesting story, thanks very much. For some reason, men's mental health has never really been taken seriously - and especially not by men themselves. The shed movement could be the missing link that gets blokes involved in supporting each other.

I've got a garage I like to do woodwork in - usually I potter around by myself, but it would be fun to get together with other guys to carry out small projects. Although I have to say, I really enjoy the solitude too.
Paul McManaway, Auckland, New Zealand

This sounds wonderful! When we built the extension onto our house, I made sure to include a woodshop (with dust collection and ventilation) and a music room (with soundproofing) in the downstairs part. Since my redundancy, the to have kept me sane and cheery, and I've been giving woodcarving and instrumental lessons to others. I think that there should be more places for men to either gather or seclude, as they see fit, that don't involve heavy drinking to break down interpersonal barriers. Lets get everyone into a shed, and get them learning skills and about themselves!
Thomas, Columbia, USA

Great ideal, wish folks here in USA do it. instead of putting these men in the death camps of senior citizens rest homes.
Louis Neiger, Newberry,SC,USA