10 Apr 2025 Community

A Craft of Comfort: How the Denby Dale Men’s Shed Has Helped The Kirkwood

The Kirkwood are privileged to care for people during some of life’s most profound and tender moments. When words are hard to find and comfort is needed most, something simple made with care, by hand can make all the difference. Our partnership with the Denby Dale Men’s Shed has become a powerful example of how community, craft, and compassion can come together in truly meaningful ways.

The Denby Dale Men’s Shed began with a clear mission: to tackle social isolation among retired men. “It was originally set up by a retired university lecturer based on preventing social isolation in retired gentlemen,” explained Ian Bartholomew, one of the Shed’s dedicated session leaders. What started with just five or six members has now grown into a welcoming community of around 60, made up of former RAF engineers, teachers, and even a retired vicar.

Today, the Shed is based in a converted coal store within a former mill once a dark, unused space, now transformed into a vibrant workshop. “This entire complex was renovated by them,” Ian shared. “What now stands as a vibrant and welcoming community space was once just a dark, unused coal store. Every corner of the building has been transformed by the hands of the members themselves, a true testament to what can be achieved through shared vision and hard work.”

The Shed is entirely volunteer-run, with a structured team of session leaders and a management group that ensures everything runs smoothly from safety protocols to maintaining the tools. But beyond the technical work and craftsmanship, what sets the Shed apart is its heart.

That spirit is best seen in one of the projects that has deeply touched everyone with The Kirkwood: the Comfort Cross.

Created by members of the Shed for those facing illness, bereavement, or emotional pain, each Comfort Cross is hand-carved, smooth to the touch, and given freely as a gift of peace and presence. For many of our patients and their families, it becomes a cherished companion through incredibly difficult times.

As Jonathan Sharp, The Kirkwood’s Spiritual Care Coordinator, Chaplain and Counsellor, explains: “The Comfort Cross has been designed, crafted and carefully carved to be smooth and comfortable to hold. Indeed, simply to hold the Comfort Cross can be a prayer in itself, especially when no words come to mind, but sometimes the deepest, most meaningful prayer is the silent, inarticulate speech of the heart.”

“Begin by holding the Comfort Cross comfortably in the palm of your hand: ‘She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast, are called blessed. And because, ‘to every action there is an equal and opposite re-action’, when you ‘hold on’ to the cross, that is a reminder that you are being held in the hearts of those who love you, and in the heart of God.”

“It is those last words that are the most meaningful and evoke the deepest spiritual/emotional response from those to whom we give a Comfort Cross: the reassurance, deeply felt, that I am held in the hearts, minds and love of others, especially my nearest and dearest and (for those of faith) the heart of God is unspeakably powerful.”

“Folk keep their crosses in their hands, their pyjama pockets, under or on their pillows, in their handbags, and many, many times will take them with them on their final journey.”

“The Comfort Cross ‘does what it says on the tin’, brings comfort, calm and peace.”

For those who receive one, the cross offers a sense of peace and presence that transcends words, a spiritual touchstone to hold onto in the hardest moments.

And for the members of the Shed, making something so meaningful brings purpose and pride. “It’s amazing that we can have a positive influence, to contribute to something like yourselves and the great work you do is a fantastic uplift for everybody,” Ian told us. “It’s a win, win situation everybody enjoys being able to help someone else and it gives people that immense feeling of wellbeing.”

The Men’s Shed movement may have started in Australia, but the Denby Dale Shed has made it their own. “We run ours a bit differently, we're not influenced by external factors because if you start getting external funding, they come with sets of rules,” Ian said. By staying independent, the Shed remains focused on the needs of its members and the local community, supporting without competing with local tradespeople, and always making space for new faces even if some need to be assessed for safety and support first.

“It’s become a bit of a community down here, men have a safe space to say what they want. It’s a good crack,” Ian said. “The banter’s good, the support is real, and the friendships are genuine. There’s less and less spaces where men get to be men, I suppose.”

The Kirkwood couldn’t be more grateful for what the Denby Dale Men’s Shed has brought to our organisation. The Comfort Cross has become more than just a wooden token, it is a quiet companion in dark moments, a reminder of love and belonging, and a symbol of how human connection can be carved from wood, but reach straight to the heart.

To the members of the Denby Dale Men’s Shed thank you. For your hands, your time, and your hearts. Find out more about the Men's Shed Denby Dale HERE.