By James Johnson

Last updated at 16:30, Friday, 13 July 2012

The garden shed has long been thought of as the place where men seek solace from the rest of their family.

From left, Ross Szuba, Wilson Donald, Dave Hawkin, from Great North Air Ambulance, Peter Noble and Keith Fairs

On one street, it has even become a meeting point for neighbours.

Yet far from being satisfied with gathering at a simple shed, they’ve decided to make it something more – creating their own gentlemen’s club.

And it is a world away from any thoughts people might have of a seedy, snobby 19th-century smoke-filled club.

Ross Szuba, Wilson Donald, Peter Noble and Keith Fairs live at Standingstone, Wigton, and meet every Friday in a garden shed to chat, drink and argue about any subject they might choose.

Ross said: “I’ve lived here for more than 20 years and we’re in and out of each other’s houses.

“We go in the shed, drink, and argue about everything from music to politics.”

The men have even put their friendship to good use and last month

They invited nearby residents as well as friends from around the area, got local band Red Spider to play and encouraged wild and whacky clothes. Ross, Wilson, and Peter turned up as Alex from A Clockwork Orange, Keith Lemon, and Ozzy Osbourne respectively, while Keith preferred a simple pink wig for the occasion.

Mr Szuba said: “We all like to drink and we all like barbecues so we decided we were going to have a hog roast.

“We had a band who were on for a couple of hours and played favourites from the 1970s and 1980s. I think everyone enjoyed the fancy dress which was fantastic.”

The event raised £1,500 and has inspired the gentlemen to hold similar events in future.

“We know each other pretty well and once we decided it was for charity there wasn’t any second thoughts about who it would be for,” Mr Szuba added.

“It’s a very popular charity around here but we didn’t expect to raise as much as we did.”

First published at 14:06, Friday, 13 July 2012
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk