When the Cancer Society approached Alan Kissell from MenzShed for a contribution to Relay for Life next month, an idea to build a playhouse was put forward.
“I visited the Shed and was amazed at the professional set-up,” says Michelle Hunt from the Cancer Society. “I had seen a playhouse they had built before and asked Alan if they could build one for the event.”
The MenzShed in Lower Queen Street is a place that brings men together in one community space to share their skills, have a laugh, and work on practical tasks individually (personal projects) or as a group (for the shed or community). They often work on projects for the community – ramps and handrails for the elderly, vermin traps for DOC and equipment for the local kindy.
“We approached Murray Leaning from Mitre 10 for the materials who said ‘yes’ straight away,” says Alan Kissell, shed coordinator. “Then we thought it would be more interesting if we built the playhouse on site during the Relay for Life event. Some of the guys will be there all night, others will take turns.”
The playhouse has been framed up and will be taken to the A & P Showgrounds next month. The members from the MenzShed will start on Saturday afternoon at 4pm and work in teams through the night until 8am Sunday morning to complete the build. The playhouse will be sold by a silent auction at the end of the event.
The Relay for Life will be at Richmond A & P Showgrounds on the 21st and 22nd of March from 4pm to 8am. Raising money for the Cancer Society, teams camp out and take turns walking or running around the track in a festival-like atmosphere, with music and entertainment and a Sunday morning breakfast to finish. See the Relay for Life website for details.