Britain’s lockdown lockups! Yoga studio, tiki bar and nurse’s craft den are among 2021 Shed of the Year entries after serving as ideal sanctuaries to sit out the pandemic
- The 2021 Cuprinol Shed of the Year is celebrating the unusual garden creations made during lockdown
- Among the entries are a garden yoga studio, a bar, an arts and crafts shed and a den with a hidden whisky bar
- Entries are open until April 12 for seven categories, including a specific lockdown creation
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A yoga studio, a tiki bar and an NHS worker’s haven are among the sheds entered in the 2021 Cuprinol Shed of the Year competition.
Entries close on April 12, but a number of sheds have already risen to the top of the pecking order.
With the coronavirus pandemic keeping people at home for a year, the nation’s sheds have become increasingly important.
Mike Vermiglio and wife Sue’s shed in Merseyside, with framed Everton football shirts and a working bar, is one of the entries in this year’s competition
Geraint Nicholas, from Essex built a yoga cabin for his wife in the garden, which he entered in the 2021 Cuprinol Shed of the Year competition
Diane Goring, from Newport, who has been working tirelessly as an NHS Nurse Consultant throughout the pandemic, uses the space to unwind and enjoy her favourite pastime of arts and crafts
Nowhere is this more evident than in a yoga cabin, built by Geraint Nicholas, from Essex, for his wife.
The yoga shed also acts as a cinema and party room, with a lighting setup to match.
Other sheds are built for quiet.
Adam Bell from South Yorkshire does woodwork in his cabin, which also features a whiskey cabinet.
Meanwhile, Diane Goring, from Newport, uses her shed to pursue arts and crafts, which she does when she is not working as an NHS nurse consultant.
Robert Adam Bell from South Yorkshire is a keen woodworker and crafted a shed using cheap offcuts from a local hardware shop
Geraint Nicholas is pictured with his son on top of the yoga cabin he built in his Essex garden for his wife
Michael Vermiglio from Merseyside says he used his shed as a themed bar to keep his family entertained throughout lockdown
Mr Nicholas said of lockdown: ‘I decided it was the perfect time to create some positivity in such a negative time’
A tiki bar in the West Midlands and a Peaky Blinders-themed shed on Merseyside demonstrate the breadth of sheds that have so far been entered.
Competition founder Andrew Wilcox said: ‘The past 12 months have been amongst the most challenging ever for many of us, and it’s been fascinating to see how that has spurred sheddies on to ever more creative heights.
‘With just a matter of weeks now until the deadline, we’d urge anyone thinking of entering to get their skates on.’
Diane Goring said: ‘Away with the Fairies is a special place to be calm and unwind from my job as a Nurse Consultant during this pandemic’
Mr Nicholas said his yoga shed doubles as a lockdown cinema room, offering full spectrum smart lighting and disco mode, opening it up for future parties
Ms Goring said of her shed: ‘It allows me to sit and do the art and crafts I enjoy on my days off in my favourite place, my garden’
Marianne Shillingford, creative director at Cuprinol, said: ‘Our garden sheds are more than just a place to put our tools, they are a wonderful creative outlet for an individual’s unique artistic vision.
‘Sheds have now become an extension of the home and one of the most important rooms in the house.’
The competition comprises seven categories, including a lockdown category introduced in 2020.