For years they were the butt of jokes and better known as places where gardeners pottered and where men stashed their tools and disappeared to tinker and “get away from the missus”.

How times have changed and for the better. A shed, posh or otherwise, is now one of the most coveted items on a homeowner’s list of “must haves”.

It’s why the Cuprinol Shed of the Year competition, run in conjunction with readersheds.co.uk, the go-to website for sheddies and would-be sheddies, is a highlight of the year.

The category winners of the 2024 contest have just been announced and include two from Yorkshire, who have done us proud.

Wayne Dawber, an artist and school art technician from Crewe, has been crowned champion in this year’s Cuprinol Shed of the Year competition. His shed ‘Wrinkly, Rusty and Retro’ claimed top spot, after being voted winner of the ‘Unexpected/Unique’ category by the general public, and selected as the winner by a judging panel.

The overall winner was Wayne Dawber, creator of the wonderful “Wrinkly, Rusty and Retro” shed, which won the “unexpected and unique” category in the public vote and was crowned overall winner of the competition for the creative use of second-hand materials and a head-turning use of colour and artistry.

Wayne used corrugated metal from a torn-down stable roof and windows from a recently demolished chapel. Most striking, however, is the colourful hand-painted vintage signs he has decorated the shed’s interior and exterior with, using paint to perfect a style he likes to call “industrial, ghost town chic”.

Many of the paintings are from or inspired by 1950s magazine adverts, with the walls also embellished with old product labels and matchbox graphics.

These paintings and the weathered effect Wayne gave to the metal,brought texture and a sense of age to the shed, which celebrates mid-century design.

The pub shed created by Joe Swift who won Young Sheddie of the Year

Wayne says: “The plan for the shed has always been for it to be a little hideaway for my wife and me. We love spending time in nature and watching the world go by from our garden and this shed gave us the perfect space to do that.

Marianne Shillingford, Creative Director and Colour Expert at Cuprinol, adds: “Wayne’s shed pays homage to everything I love about this competition, from creative use of second-hand materials to use of colour and artistry.”

The Yorkshire winners are Joe Swift from Bradford, who has been crowned Young Sheddie of the Year for his superbly hand-crafted “The Handsome Devils Club”, a pub shed, which is enjoyed by friends and family.

“I’m not a joiner, I’m a stone mason but I am a perfectionist and that’s why it looks like it does and it’s been worthwhile,” says Joe.

Budget Shed by Tom Dewhirst and partner Lyndsey from Halifax

Thrifty Tom Dewhirst has designed and built no fewer than five on the family allotment plot near Halifax, all of which have various uses. His Kitchen Cabin shed is a triumph and won Budget Shed of the Year and cost just £249 to construct and fit out.

Visit the Reader Sheds website at www.readersheds.co.uk for more shedtastic inspiration.

Doing it for Yorkshire: the Shed of the Year winners from God's Own County