The Red Shed WGC – (S)heds Up!

Sheds Up, Pathways Underway, and a New Community Taking Shape

There’s a real sense of momentum at The Red Shed – Welwyn Garden City. Over the past few weeks, our new garden at Watchlytes Primary School has taken a huge step forward, with both our brand‑new activity shed and our pre‑loved storage shed now in place.

Our New Activity Shed

Thanks to generous funding from Morrisons Foundation, our new activity shed is now standing proudly on site. This will be the heart of our dementia‑friendly workshop programme — a warm, welcoming space for gentle gardening, creative nature‑based activities, and the all‑important tea‑and‑chat moments that help people feel grounded and connected.

A Shed with a Story

Alongside it sits our recycled, pre‑loved shed — the original activity shed from our Stevenage garden. It has been carefully moved, restored and repurposed to provide storage and an all important tea and coffee making space. It’s a lovely symbol of continuity: the roots of Stevenage helping Welwyn Garden City grow.

Accessible Pathways for Everyone

Groundwork is now underway, with accessible pathways being laid throughout the garden. We’re using gravel‑pave grids, which offer excellent stability and flexibility — perfect for a wooded environment and ideal for anyone who needs a little extra support getting around. Accessibility is central to everything we do, and these pathways will ensure the garden is easy, safe and comfortable for all.

Opening Autumn Half Term

We’re delighted to share that we anticipate opening during Autumn half term 2026, when we’ll run our first dementia‑friendly workshop at the new site.

This first workshop will welcome four couples — each place for a person living with dementia and their carer. Carers are equally in need of the calm, connection and respite our sessions provide, and our workshops are designed with both people firmly in mind.

In early 2027, we plan to open a second workshop, with a view to running four workshops within our first year.

If you’d like to find out more or express interest in attending, please contact us directly:

derek@theredshedgarden.org.uk

tara@theredshedgarden.org.uk

kayleigh@theredshedgarden.org.uk

Volunteers Needed – And Valued

As we grow, we’ll also be recruiting new volunteers to help run sessions, support attendees, and maintain the garden. Volunteering at The Red Shed is meaningful, social and deeply rewarding — our volunteers make a huge difference to the wellbeing of our attendees, and often tell us how much they benefit too.

If you’re interested in volunteering, please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you – no previous gardening experience required!

Thank You to Our Funders and Community

This project has been made possible thanks to the generosity and belief of our supporters:

• Morrisons Foundation
• Hertfordshire Community Foundation
• High Sheriff Award
• A generous personal donation
• The ongoing support of the WelHat Dementia Friends Community Partnership
• The RO Group staff who volunteered for the day to break the ground
• And of course, Watchlytes Primary School, whose partnership and hospitality have enabled us to build this new garden on their site

Funding is absolutely critical to running our free service, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who has helped us reach this point.