The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association is facing financial pressures. 

A North East MSP has warned of the looming uncertainty which continues to face a community charity based in Banchory. 

The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association - which represents 127 groups and over 3,000 individual members across the country - launched a petition to the Scottish Government to continue funding this year.

Funding agreed with ministers ended in April for the association, after a sum of £75,000 was agreed between the Scottish Government and the charity last year.

Amid an ongoing campaign to protect the charity’s future, questions about future funding were raised at Holyrood by Tory MSP for North East Scotland, Douglas Lumsden. 

He raised future funding pressures, pressing ministers for details of where funding would come from between next year and the end of this parliament in 2026.

Tom Arthur, Minister for Public Finance and Migration, said the money will “help them build a sustainable business model and develop a future fundraising strategy for 2024/25 onwards, that can attract a wider range of funders independent of Scottish Government support”.

Mr Lumsden said he has still been left “fearing the worst” for the charity. 

He told Grampian Online: “It’s an absolute open goal for the SNP government to fund this. The social benefit of Men’s Sheds far, far outweighs the costs.

“It saves money to be spent elsewhere in things like social care and the NHS, council spending and the like.

“Isolation is a big threat for some people who might find it hard to socialise as they get older. There’s a lot of skills getting passed along which otherwise may be lost.

“So I’m fearing the worst for both the charity and the people it helps directly, as well as the essential services it supports.”