When Robert Barber discovered that Holy Trinity Church in Denby Dale was going on the market he knew it could make the perfect new base for his community workshop.

As the chairman of a small charity with limited funds, he assumed he wouldn’t make the ideal buyer for the Church of England but he contacted the Diocese anyway to explain his case and, to his surprise, they loved the idea.

“They said they’d prefer the building to go to community use rather than be sold to a private buyer and we won the bid with a much reduced offer,” he says.

Robert set up Denby Dale and District Men’s Shed Association, a charitable incorporated organisation, in 2017 to prevent social isolation and loneliness among men and it has grown to 58 members. Most are retired but some work part time, from home or have health issued that prevent them from working at all.

Denby Dale and District Men’s Shed Association has launched a crowdfunding bid to raise £15,000 to finish the repairs needed to make their new home at Holy Trinity Church watertight.

The workshop, which is currently based in a rented basement of the former 19th century engine shed in Nortonthorpe Mill in Scissett, focuses on woodworking, metalworking and making and repairing. Members, who pay a small monthly fee to cover operating costs, can choose to work on their own projects, or on projects that benefit the community.

It became so successful that in 2023, The Women’s Shed, known as She Shed, was launched, which has grown to a membership of 22.

The charity also has a Share Shed – a library of donated tools and other items, including a carpet cleaner, available for the wider community to borrow.

Robert always knew that the rented basement couldn’t be the charity’s permanent home so the Church of England accepting his offer for Holy Trinity was a huge milestone.

"Membership has grown from 20 plus to almost 80 in less than two years and the Nortonthorpe Mill has been a good and happy first home. However, it is a damp basement, with no natural light, ventilation or external space, and with no capacity to grow. We pay a commercial rent, therefore there is no guarantee of a secure future,” he says.

"Acquiring the Holy Trinity Church saves it as an asset for the wider community and for all the makers and creatives living in and around Denby Dale.”

However, the purchase has also presented a new set of problems.

The most pressing challenge is to make the building weatherproof and watertight.

"Denby Dale Parish Council gave us a grant of £50,000 to buy the church and begin the repair work that was needed to make it waterproof,” says Robert. “We also put in £10,000 from our own reserves”

Although it the sale is still going through, the Church of England gave the charity permission to start the repairs and the tower now has a new pitched slate roof

However, there are two more flat roofs to replace before any other work can start. The charity has launched a crowd funding bid to raise the £15,000 that it needs to complete this work.

Robert says: "As with the tower roof, this work will be done by local companies and therefore will feed into the local economy."

Meanwhile, it is bidding for £400,000 of Heritage Lottery funding to complete the inside space. It has also put a bid into the Architectural Heritage und for £20,000 to help with the development work.

Repurposing the the church as a community workshop is a huge undertaking.

The new space, which will be renamed Trinity Workshops, will include a materials based workshop, providing a permanent home for the Men’s Shed, She Shed and other related groups.

The charity plans to add a mezzanine floor into the building to double the workshop space.

It will also include a social area, small craft shop and cafe plus a community garden.

"It’s a big job but we realise we’re no longer just a Men’s Shed,” says Robert. “We’ve got a Men’s Shed, a She Shed and a Share Shed. Trinity Workshops will be a home for those three things and in order to meet the needs of the people we’re serving we need a social space.

"As people get older and are no longer fit enough to use the workshop, they’ve currently got nowhere safe to just sit and socialise and I think that’s an important missing element so that’s what we’re trying to do in the church.”

He adds: “If you’re into sport then there are lots of clubs you can join but if you’re a maker and creative there aren’t as many opportunties so that’s why we’re so popular.

"It’s not just a local thing, we get people coming from all over the place - north of Wakefield, up towards Leeds and Holmfirth.”

To help with Trinity Workshops’ crowd funding bid, visit gofund.me/b0e2f8bb

Charity set up to combat social isolation launches £15,000 crowdfunding bid to repair leaky new home at former church