Nominees vie for Shed of the Year award win

A man who built his own pub from scratch in his garden shed says he would be "over the moon" to win in the Shed of the Year competition, as he and others across the South East have been nominated for the award.

Steve Amos, 42, from Chatham, made a full bar complete with draught beer, bar seating and wall ornaments in his shed as a post-lockdown project which has taken over his garden.

The shed is one of many across Kent, Sussex and Surrey which are up for the award this year, which is the 20th anniversary of the competition.

Amos said: "I've always wanted one, and I wanted that proper pub feel."

He added: "We hold Christmas in the shed every other year, it easily fits 10 people around the tables.

"Even if I get a category win I would be over the moon with it."

Shed of the Year nominees can enter in a number of categories, including entertainment sheds such as Amos' pub, eco-haven sheds on allotments, or DIY and woodwork sheds in a back garden.

Nick Fry, from Brighton, rebuilt his old shed three years ago after it began to fall apart, using the opportunity to turn it from a functional space into one where he can sit, drink tea, and take a break from working on his allotment.

He said: "It was a fun project to do it, it took over a year to repair.

"It's a great to get the recognition for it and to inspire others. You can really do a lot with not a lot of space."

In the workshop category, Andrej Miskolci from Sutton said his DIY shed was a space for him to be able to create items such as bowls, plates and small bits of furniture.

Inspired by his father who was a woodworker, he said he hoped he would be able to turn the site into a full-time opportunity "one day".

He said: "I just want to keep working on it. I think the space is great and everything that I need is in there."

In Canterbury, Stacy Player, 51, said she built her allotment shed from scratch, with parts of the building such as windows donated by other allotment holders.

"My son absolutely loves the shed and he sits in there with his books," she said.

Player added it would be "absolutely lovely" to win, but said it was "such fun" making the shed.

In total, 38 sheds have been nominated across 11 categories, as well as fighting for the overall Shed of the Year crown.

Public voting has opened on the Shed of the Year website, and is open until 14 July.

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