The Bovey Community Workshop.

Having survived the near Saharan spring, I sit here on a dull and overcast afternoon hoping that the promised rain actually appears! The wife has been on a bit of a planting spree and I’m looking forward to not carrying the watering can around the garden for a while!

As we at the shed are becoming the ‘go to’ solution for quite a few ‘regulars’ it is comforting to know that we will, with a fair wind, be able to continue our adventure for the foreseeable future. We have completed our first 18 months unscathed. We have taken the workshop from a damp tip to a relatively comfortable workshop and office.

And the amazing thing about it is that, apart from a couple of loaned items, everything in there has been donated. From the carpets in the office to the loft insulation above the ceiling, everything that is in there has been donated or bought through the donations that you, the people of Bovey Tracey and the surrounding area, have very kindly given for whatever it is that we did for you (if any thing!).

 However, by far the biggest single reason that we have had such a fantastic 18 months is the fact that the owners of the building, Hall & Woodhouse Brewery, allowed us to lease the property rent free for those 18 months. It would be remiss of me not to say Thank You to Peter Kitching who was

our main contact and undoubtedly put a lot of effort in at his end to get to an acceptable result. So, 18 months rent free. Nice. But now, as of today, 1st June 2026, we start paying rent. That can only mean that we need to be as lucky again in the future, as we have been to date. My next ambition is to extend the lease from the one year leases that we are/have been on, to a situation that is more permanent. To achieve that, we will probably need to up our game on the fund raising side.

Whilst we have been able to raise some income through Membership Subscriptions and last years Co-op funding round, along with a couple of sizeable other donations, most of our funds have come through the 150 or so projects that we have done for you. Thank You.

If you are interested in joining us for tea and biscuits, (‘cos that’s what we do best!) and happen to have a skill or ability that needs an outlet or you have a project that has been waiting for an opportunity then now is the time. Come and see us in the workshop behind The Dolphin Hotel, Bovey Tracey.

Tuesday, Friday or Saturday, 9am - 5pm (ish!)

Contact Simon on 07974 753341

Email us at [email protected]

Cheers.

Simon Carter

Trustee

The Bovey Community Workshop

Charity No. 1209503

P.s. If you just happen to own a business and need a charity to support… Hello! :-)