GGR  are celebrating 20 years of innovation this year and to mark the occasion we are making 20 donations to 20 different worthy charities that are local to our three depots in Oldham, Thame and Glasgow.

The charities chosen are ones that are close to the hearts of GGR employees and those charities that may not have a national profile so struggle to raise funds. It is with these charities that we can make a real difference to local communities.

GGR kicked off the birthday celebrations this week by making the first donation to the fantastic ‘Men in Sheds’ project in Tameside.

Men in Sheds is a project operated by Age UK Tameside and Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council. It is for mature men in the borough of Tameside who might be socially isolated due to, amongst many other factors, loneliness, dementia/Alzheimers or having been widowed.  The project’s overarching purpose is to welcome and support “Shedders” with workspace and facilities to pursue hobbies, practical interests, share skills, learn new skills, help with community-based projects and develop new aims and ideas. The project is funded entirely through donations.

Bernadette Ashcroft, Age UK Tameside Chief Executive Officer said:

Like most charities, we rely on the generosity of individuals and businesses to be able to provide valuable services to older people in Tameside. We very much appreciate the donation from GGR Group for our Men in Sheds project as having support from the local business community is so vital to our work.

The ‘Shedders’ get involved in various activities, including: woodworking, furniture renovation, computer skills, photography, beekeeping and gardening. Last autumn the ‘Shedders’ harvested their first crop of honey from their bees with great success; by all accounts it was delicious!

Michael Barlow, Men in Sheds Team Leader added:

On behalf of all of the Shedders, many thanks for supporting our work. This donation will go a long way to helping even more gentlemen to avoid becoming socially isolated by encouraging them to get involved, develop new skills and meet new people.

Everyone is welcome to call into the ‘Shed’ based in Loxley House, Dukinfield. The ‘Shed’ is open Monday-Thursday from 9am to 3pm. Activities are free for men aged 55+ and are always friendly, informative and fun.

To find out more about Men in Sheds visit www.ageuk.org.uk/tameside/our-services/men-in-sheds