Shed of the year 2013 Enter now plus read all about Cuprinol’s Shed’onomics

Shed of the year winner 2012 - Wood Henge Can your shed be next?
Shed of the year winner 2012 - Wood Henge Can your shed be next?

A massive shed welcome to our Shed of the year sponsors Cuprinol who after the success of the last few years have decided to get involved with my little shed based competition and have given us £1000 as a prize to the winning shed! 🙂

They have also come up with a report reveals the extent of Britain’s love affair with the weird and wonderful worlds of the garden shed… – of course we had an idea you lot did anyway 🙂

It’s a staple of any quintessentially British garden, that place where you keep the old lawnmower, stacks of old papers, and the bike you haven’t ridden on for 10 years. However, a new report released today reveals the true extent of Britain’s love affair with the humble garden shed – so much so, that the average shed owner in the UK will spend a year of their life in their shed.

That’s according to the Shed’onomics report, which found that two thirds of the UK are proud owners of a garden shed and that 48% of those owners said they’d be lost without it.

The findings also show some of the more unusual uses of our garden shed. It found that 6% of those who owned a shed said they wished to be buried there, whilst 6% of men admitted to actually ‘getting frisky’ in their shed to spice up their love life. Perhaps more surprisingly, 12% of people actually admitted to spending time in their shed over spending time with their family.

The report has been released to coincide with annual The Shed of the Year competition, which has been celebrating the best of British sheds for the last seven years. From working pubs and even diners, to a Dr Who Tardis and Pirate abode, it’s clear the sheds of Britain are an inspiration for so many of us.

So if your shed is already a little unusual and deserves celebrating, then why not enter? You could even win £1,000 courtesy of Cuprinol.

  • 65% of Brits own a shed
  • 22% of men spend time in their shed to avoid an argument with their partner or family
  • 6% of men admit to getting frisky in their shed to spice up their love life
  • 6% would like to be buried in their shed
  • 12% prefer to spend time in their shed rather than with their family
  • 25% say their shed makes them more relaxed
  • 7% have a special name for their shed
  • What are the most unusual objects that people store in their sheds?

    Cuprinol’s research has identified some of the most weird and wonderful objects people store in their shed. The top ten include:

  • A wedding dress
  • Ashes from a family member’s cremation
  • A Sinclair C5
  • Christmas presents
  • A church organ blower
  • Stuffed animals
  • A chicken coop
  • Porn
  • Model aircrafts
  • A tile from Genghis Khan’s palace
  • Other strange items that Cuprinol found also include a swimming pool, sex toys and one sheddie even admitted to keeping a cardboard cut-out of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in their shed!

    How do I enter

    The Shed of the Year competition sponsored by Cuprinol is an online competition in search of the best sheds from across the nation! It is open to anyone with a shed.

    You can enter through www.readersheds.co.uk and the competition closes on 3rd May 2013 with winners announced during Shed Week (1-7th July 2013).

    Sheds no longer have to just be about storing garden tools or old furniture, with a bit of imagination they can be a great additional space to your home.

    Some entries are extensions of the home and are used as summerhouses where people can relax and enjoy their gardens. Others have been turned into private pubs, studios or offices but what makes the best sheds really stand out is the creative or innovative way in which the sheds have been transformed.

    Even with just a lick of Cuprinol’s paint range of garden shades, the humble wooden shed can be instantly and easily turned into an inviting and cosy room that you will be proud of.

    What does the winning sheddie receive?

    The winner will receive £1,000 courtesy of Cuprinol and the chance to be a judge in next year’s competition.

    Who are the judges?

  • Uncle Wilco (Head Judge and founder of Shed of the Year)
  • Sarah Beeny, TV Presenter
  • Alex Johnson from Shedworking.co.uk
  • John Plumbridge, Shed of the year 2012 Winner
  • The research for Cuprinol was carried out online by Fly Research in January 2013 amongst a panel resulting in 1,002 British shed owning adults. All research conducted adheres to the MRS Codes of Conduct (2010) in the UK and ICC/ESOMAR World Research Guidelines. Opinion Matters is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office and is fully compliant with the Data Protection Act (1998).

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    By Andrew Wilcox

    I love sheds Founder & judge of Shed of the year - Wilco writes mainly about sheds. About the blog Enter your shed into #shedoftheyear