A MEN’S Shed in Berri is one step closer to becoming a reality after the Berri Church of Christ received planning approval for the shed late last month.
Plans for the shed will now be drawn up by an engineer before going to the Berri Barmera Council for development approval.
Pastor Clinton Wardle, of the Berri Church of Christ, said it had been a two-year-long process to get to this point.
“It’s exciting, especially after a couple of years working towards it,” he said.
“It’s a big relief to know we have planning approval, and there’s excitement because within hopefully a month we can almost start getting the soil turned over.
“It’s great to know that we’re getting closer.”
Pastor Wardle said although this was a “good step” towards getting the Men’s Shed going, the church still required several months and further donations from the community to make the shed operational.
“We had a benefactor give us some money, we got a grant thanks to Tony Pasin, and we’ve had some other money from the church and donations from other people, but we certainly need a lot more to finish it off,” he said.
“We have enough to get the shed up, but we need people to see that this is a good thing for the community… and we need to have a lot more funds come in for the shed to be completed.”
Pastor Wardle said ‘buy-in’ from the Berri community was necessary for the Men’s Shed to get off the ground.
“We need people from the community to come onto a committee to run the shed,” he said.
“It’s on our property but it’s not a church thing.
“It’s a Men’s Shed for all the men of the community.”
To donate or get involved with the Berri Men’s Shed, contact the Berri Church of Christ on 0419 783 779.