Shed Passions … could yours win you £1000 ?

Could your shed win you £1000 ? The National Shed of the Year competition has kicked off in style with sponsors Cuprinol offering £1000 in cash and a shed load of Cuprinol products to the lucky winner.

Last years winner, Reg Miller from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, beat off  competition from 1,250 shed-lovers to win the coveted title of  “Shed of the Year 2010″.  Reg’s structure, the pirate-themed ‘The Lady Sarah out of Worthing,’ (pictured below)  was judged best shed in the competition sponsored by Cuprinol Sprayable. It comes complete with a Koi Carp pond and of course, parrot.

“I’ve spent years working on my shed and to win Shed of the Year 2010 is a real thrill – it’s the ultimate accolade for shed owners!” Miller said.

“It’s still a work in progress, as I’m constantly adding to my collection of pirate memorabilia and props and the shed is slowly but surely taking over the whole garden.” Reg planned to spend his £1,000 prize money on repairing the decking in his garden. The shed is now featured on You Tube and at the time of writing, has had over 17,000 views!

The search for the 2011 successor is now underway, and to enter your wooden friend, simply visit www.readersheds.co.uk and follow the links.

For a full range of sheds to get started on, click here

How Reg described his winning shed :

My shed is a purpose built pirate’s cabin built to look like the poop deck of a pirate ship moored at a Caribbean dock, complete with fully stocked koi carp pond and aviary – for those long hungry voyages!

The inside of the shed is equipped with a full range of piratannical ephemera, including skulls, crossed bones (courtesy of a friendly butcher) and a dead man’s chest. Outside the shed there is plenty of space for pirate roistering and carousing amongst the tropical plants and under the palm thatched lean-to.

The front of the shed opens completely to make the most of the evening sun and provides a suitable location for card playing, rum drinking and bad behaviour of every kind. The large number of empty rum bottles doubling as candle sticks provides evidence of this.

Additional Info: The pirate cabin is entirely constructed from recycled and reclaimed materials, including the front, which consists of panelled doors rescued from skips over a period of months. This has been my own project apart from a family shed-raising in the early stages and some help with the pond digging. Stall holders in local boot sales now save pirate ephemera for me, knowing it will go to a good home.

The dimensions are 16′ wide x 8′ deep and 10′ 6″ apex.