Shed of the year 2024, Sponsored by 
Our shed is special because it allows us to make happy memories with lots of family and friends. People who may go years without seeing each other are able to catch up in our shed. We have get togethers for any old reason be it the six nations rugby, a birthday or baby shower, Bank Holidays, Christmas or to travel back to the 80s for a Ska Night! With a dedicated 'Veteran's Corner' the older generation put the world to right's, whilst other's have a good chin wag at the bar or relax on the reclining sofa's. We bring people together, see them having fun, laughing and most of all leaving with smiles on their faces and this is what makes our shed special.
The idea of building a shed was to originally have a summer house in the garden. With no prior experience in building a shed, we decided it could be a summer project for 2015. Starting from scratch it took a week to build the main structure and a second week (evenings only) to do the fiddly bits ad pieces. Building a bar from scraps of wood and sourcing internal decoration took a bit more time but it has been an enjoyable journey. We are currently looking to have a wood burner installed to enable us the ability to use the shed all year round. We have photographed every stage of the build and have put together a portfolio which 'tells the story' of the build. Adjoining the shed is a brick structure which we have tied into the shed and use a cellar to house the barrels of beer which have now have delivered from a brewery! The entire build has also been a talking point for many people and we have even restored an old bar table which was acquired from a friend who had salvaged it from an old local pub many years ago. We got family and friends to decide on a name for the shed and after much deliberation we decided to go with 'The State Lodge'. The reason we went with 'The State Lodge' is that the word 'State' is made up of letters from our names (Stephen and Kate) and primarily because whoever turns up for a shin dig is guaranteed to leave in a state!!
