She Shed choose Hear4U this year

She Shed founder Cheryl Scott and Krissy Macintosh from Hear4U. Proceeds from this year’s She Shed tour will go to the men’s mental health charity.Picture by Rebecca Grunwell

Men’s mental health charity Hear4U will be the beneficiary of this year’s She Shed Tour Gisborne, an annual arts and garden tour featuring women artists and their spaces from Wainui, Okitu and Makorori.

All proceeds from ticket sales will go to the charity which exists to prevent suicide and promote men’s’ mental health. It is fitting that the co-founder Krissy Macintosh has been one of the She Shed artists in the past.

“We’re ecstatic to be the recipient of this support —  The She Shed is where I started my artistic and healing journey,” Krissy says.

“Unfortunately I can’t be in it this year though, because Hear4U has become a full-time job for me.”

She Shed founder Cheryl Scott said they chose Hear4U because it fitted with their kaupapa.

“The She Shed is all about sharing

. . . our art,  our spaces, our community.  And one of the ways we share is by using the ticket sales and stallholder fees to support a local charity,” she said.

“Hear4U tailors support for the men who walk through its doors,  men who’ve heard about what they do — men who work hard to support others and can burn out, men who’ve lost jobs, homes, farms, hope.”

Since the cyclones, the need for support has become greater in volume and complexity with Hear4U seeing an average of 20 men a week.

Hear4U acts as a facilitator for men who have got to that place where they’re saying ‘I’m struggling, I need a hand’.

Their pathway supports men with counselling, therapy and any of the wellbeing programmes they can participate in, including physical wellbeing and challenges.

“When our committee met to decide on our charity for this year, it was clear that we wanted to help with people’s recovery from the awful weather events and  damage and that’s exactly what Hear4U does.’ says Cheryl.

“We’re particularly happy that a group of highly visible women in our community wants to throw its support behind our men.

“We know how hard they work and what a difference they are making in people’s lives.”

The She Shed Tour is in its ninth year and has raised money for a number of local charities in the past including Tairāwhiti Adventure Trust, Cystic Fibrosis, Mutts and Moggies, The Gisborne East Coast Cancer Society and more.                               .

Krissy says decisions have already been made about how they will spend the donation with half going towards the much needed larger HQ and half going directly into the services and programmes they support.