Shed of the year 2024, Sponsored by 
In 2010 I accidentally set up my own space agency. It started as a way of telling stories about science to children and just sort of spiralled from there. I'm a writer and a theatre maker and The Space Shed was originally my actual garden shed where I make up and write all my stories. But after Tim Peake became the patron of the space agency and took Jon with him to space (well, a *version* of me) I wanted to tell the story of How I Hacked My Way Into Space to more people. So we built a fully mobile 'replica' version of the Space Shed that, using hydraulics, opens up to reveal a mini stage with a fully programmable LED lighting rig, a big screen and a SIIIIICK sound system. Last summer we toured the Space Shed to 10 music, arts, science festivals telling my story and hosting conversations with scientists where children can ask them anything they want to know about the universe. For summer 2019 we've upgraded the Space Shed so it can also host DJ's and we can host space discos as well!
I'll be honest and say that I've been a fan of Readers Sheds since you started and entered the first shed I built back in 2005. Maybe 2006. But then I saw the other entries and realised that, much as I loved my shed, there were some truly amazing sheds out there. It's been my ambition to have a shed worthy of entry ever since. I'm hoping this is the one!
It was designed in collaboration with my long term design partner Rhys Jarman and built by the excellent stage set builders Q Division in Leeds. They welded together the trailer and steel frame onto which the shed cladding and its hydraulics were mounted. All the cabling and electrics were built into the walls before the cladding went on and everything was painted.
