The Hide-Away UK Tour: songs from a hide

Look out this summer for a unique shedlike tour of UK bird hides by singer (and freelance organic gardener and environmental artist) Kate Doubleday in aid of the RSPB. The Hide-Away UK Tour also features Trevor Lines (bass/ukelele) and Dan Wilkins (guitar/kora) and will be playing to titchy audiences of between 15 and 50 inside the hides, blending their acoustic music with the sounds of nature surrounding them.

As part of the tour they will also be doing a session at this year's Shed of the Year, Songs from the Shed. Here are the tour dates

* 13 July, 7.30pm LAUNCH EVENT RSPB Ynys – Hir Reserve Ynys hir Hide, Eglysfach, Machynlleth, Powys
* 15 July, 7.00pm RSPB Loch Garten Abernethy, Nearest town: Aviemore, Highlands
* 16 July, 7.00pm RSPB Vane Farm Reserve, Gillman Hide, Kinross. Perth & Kinross
* 17 July,7.30pm RSPB Lochwinnoch Reserve The Tall Tower, Largs Road, Lochwinnoch
* 19 July, 7.00pm RSPB Ribble Discovery Centre Nearest town-Lytham, Lancashire
* 20 July, 7.00pm RSPB Frampton Marsh Boston, Lincolnshire
* 21 July, 7.00pm RSPB Titchwell Marsh, Hunstanton, Norfolk
* 22 July, 7.00pm RSPB Minsmere, Saxmundham, Suffolk
* 25 July, 7.00pm RSPB Thatcham Nature Discovery Centre Thatcham, Berkshire
* 27 July, 7.00pm RSPB Rye Meads, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire
* 28 July, 7.00pm RSPB Rainham Marshes, Purfleet, Essex
* 4 August, 7.00pm RSPB Dee Estuary - Inner Marsh Farm off Pudlington Lane, Nr Burton Cheshire
* 6 August, 11.00 RSPB Conwy, Conwy North Wales
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Garden Office of the Year 2011: Mary's Meals

A very worthy runner-up in this year's Shed of the Year and clear winner in the Garden Office category, Mary’s Meals in Dalmally, Scotland is probably also the worthiest shedworking atmosphere we've featured. It was set up to establish school feeding projects in communities around the world where poverty and hunger prevent children from gaining an education: currently, Mary’s Meals provides daily meals in school for over 500,000 children in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe.

And it is all run from 'Calum’s shed', a Nissen hut-style building borrowed by the charity's founder Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow from his father to store blankets and medicines to be delivered where needed in Bosnia. It has two main rooms, one which is Magnus's office and the other which is used for meetings: one reason why the shed is still in use is that it enables the charity to keep its overheads low and thus spend more on helping children in need.

Mary's Meals - The Difference A Meal Makes from Mary's Meals on Vimeo.
Photos courtesy readersheds.co.uk where you can find a lot more.
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Shed of the Year 2011: Songs From The Shed

Large congratulations to Jon Earl whose Songs From The Shed is a very worthy winner of this year's Shed of the Year. We've featured Jon's shedworking music studio where bands - including US roots maestros Pokey Lafarge, above - play acoustic sessions which are then uploaded onto YouTube (as well as the official site) several times on Shedworking in the past: now more than 1,000 musicians have had their songs videoed inside what was originally a First World War billet hut including Steve Harley and a gospel choir and there's a waiting list of 100 bands eager to be part of his music revolution. More details over at Shedblog.

And to celebrate, Songs From The Shed (based in Clevedon, Somerset) is performing a song a day for National Shed Week.
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BOX OFFICE from Roomworks

'A quality garden office at an affordable price' is the slogan for Roomworks' new venture BOX OFFICE, a more standardised, though still very attractive, garden office (pictured above) in addition to their bespoke service. It's built using SIPs and has double glazed units with high security locks. Other features include:
* 100% recyclable, coated steel outer skin designed for zero maintenance
* Two top hung opening windows either side of the access door
* Rain water run off with water butt
* Fully insulated floor on galvanised steel frame with adjustable feet

Inside it is clad with high grade oak veneer panels which contrast with the brushed steel light switches and sockets and the grey varnished French oak laminate flooring.

And as an extra encouragement, there's a free iPad for the first 20 orders.

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Benjamin Britten: shedworker

The list of composers who wrote in their sheds is a sizeable one and includes Mahler, Grieg, Mozart and Haydn. Among their number is Benjamin Britten whose composing shed at his home in Horham, Suffolk, is a Grade II listed building. It is made of brick with a pantile roof and one window (with attractive rural views) and was built in the 1970s: inside, he wrote Death in Venice, Phaedra and his Third String Quartet. Interestingly, the listing is based on historic rather than architectural importance.
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The Shedlings

We featured shedworker Pete Crawford's garden office shedquarters four years ago and he has been in touch to let us know about one of his latest projects, The Shedlings Android apps for young children that help them learn (about numbers and sheds) as they play. Well worth a look.

'Footprint' Garden Office: underground shedworking

An intriguing theoretical design for a garden office from Nick Fisher who says it is designed to "question an ever expanding commuter culture and raise awareness of the environmental impact of urbanisation, offering a practical and sustainable means of working from home". It's the nearest we've seen to underground shedworking as it is partly submerged and uses a cardboard composite as its main component.

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