The Handwritten Letter Appreciation Society's writing shed

The excellent Handwritten Letter Appreciation Society - 'We pledge to keep handwritten letters alive by encouraging people to carry on writing them' - run by Dinah is taking a shedworking turn this summer when it appears at the Purbeck Valley Folk Festival in August. It's one of Plankbridge's finest which has appeared at Chelsea Flower Show (silver medal) and spent time at various National Trust properties, as well as Kate Humble's garden. Dinah says that she hopes its 'wow factor' will "entice people over to have a go at writing a letter to a friend or loved one."

Can't wait to share this beautiful space for writing letters @PurbeckFolk care of #thewritershut @Plankbridge... #handwrittenletterrevival 😊📝✉️📮🎻🎸🌻 pic.twitter.com/j52hM7EJtC

— Handwritten Letter (@letterappsoc) May 13, 2018

The hut will also play host to folk singer Hannah Scott who will perform her song letter (see video below) on its steps.

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The Handwritten Letter Appreciation Society: Letter to My Shed

A really lovely letter by Dinah Johnson, founder of The Handwritten Letter Appreciation Society, to her writing shed, extolling its myriad attractions, uses, and comforts in these lockdown times. Here's how it starts:

I’m not sure about writing to inanimate objects but well, I felt you deserved a special mention in all this mayhem, madness and sadness because you really have been like a lovely friend throughout.

Mainly thank you for saving my sanity by being a little refuge away from it all. You have properly felt like a safe harbour away from pings and news and all that malarkey. I do feel a bit bad that I’ve rather commandeered you for my Society. I know I have a whole corner of the living room too but you are by far much more appealing (don’t tell the living room that!). I can’t remember when we bought you. It might’ve been BC (Before Children, not Before Coronavirus) but without a doubt I absolutely love you!

You can - and should! - read the rest of it here.
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Writing Shed postcard fundraiser for Ukraine

Dinah Johnson who runs the marvellous Handwritten Letter Appreciation Society from her writing shed garden office has organised a postcard fundraiser for the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Appeal.

It's a simple idea. You donate £5 and Dinah sends you - wherever you live in the world - a lovely postcard of her Letter Writing Shed written by her, the founder. All proceeds (after postage) go to the appeal to help the people of Ukraine. You can pay at her site by PayPal by clicking here or if you live in the UK you can also send a cheque made payable to “The Handwritten Letter Appreciation Society” to PO Box 9347, Swanage, Dorset, BH19 9BG.

"Thank you so much for considering sponsoring a postcard," says Dinah. "Writing postcards is one thing I know I can do."

We've done it here at Shedworking HQ and we hope you will consider doing so too. 

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The Handwritten Letter Appreciation Society's garden office in the Idler magazine

My latest garden office shed column in the new Idler magazine features an interview with Dinah Johnson (no relation) who runs The Handwritten Letter Appreciation Society which now brings together nearly 1,500 members from 36 countries from her B&Q summerhouse. Here's a snippet:

“It faces north and is painted a ‘medium oak colour and has recently been re-roofed and clad because it was starting to rot quite badly. We’d discussed replacing it and maybe getting a slightly bigger one to store the growing collection of letters, but it would’ve been like selling a friend,” she says.

 

“The door-hinge still needs mending and the gutters putting up but hopefully if not completely airtight it’s much improved. I love the front with the two doors and the eight little windows and the angle of the roof. I love the position of my writing desk tucked just round the corner by the windows so I can watch the garden goings on, like a blackbird washing in the birdbath and the gradual changing of the seasons, when I look up from my bureau. I’m not too keen on the fusty shed smell it leaves on me but that has a charm all of its own and will certainly bring back memories of me “up the shed” in years to come for the kids. I love all the postal paraphernalia I’ve managed to cram into it including an ever growing postbox shrine.”

You can read the rest in the issue with the cover below, available from all over the place including Waterstones, but best enjoyed via a subscription.

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Writing shed postcard Ukraine fundraiser

Large congratulations to Dinah from the Handwritten Letter Appreciation Society who has successfully completed her postcard fundraiser for the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Appeal (we each sent her a fiver, she sent us a nice postcard of her writing shed - mine is pictured above - and she donated the proceeds to the appeal).

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Hallowe'en carved pumpkin writing shed

Dinah Johnson, founder of The Handwritten Letter Appreciation Society, has pulled out all the shedworking stops this year in terms of pumpkin carving. Read more about her fine work on Shedworking here.

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