Shed of the Year 2010 winners

Pirate shed wins top national prize

A sheddie from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, has won Shed of the Year 2010 after beating off competition from 1,250 shed-lovers. Reg Miller's pirate-themed shed, 'The Lady Sarah out of Worthing' named after his partner, was judged best shed in the competition sponsored by Cuprinol Sprayable and comes complete with a Koi Carp pond and even a parrot!

The judging panel, including Sarah Beeny and 'Head Sheddie' and creator of readersheds.co.uk Uncle Wilco and a whole host of other shed-loving luminaries, commented: "Reg shows that a perfect shed sums up the personality of the individual that created and uses it. The pirate atmosphere is superbly evoked throughout and underlines that when it comes to creativity, sheddies have it in spades."

A delighted Reg said: "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! 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. It's become a real talking point in the area and since I put entered it in the competition, I've had loads of really positive comments from sheddies around the globe - it really seems to have caught everyone's imagination! Funnily enough, I'll be spending my winnings repairing my decking at the top of the garden! It has recently collapsed and I really want to spruce it up again so that I can use it for the summer and yes, I will be using Cuprinol products!"

Reg has won the £1,000 top prize and a range of shed-care products courtesy of Cuprinol Sprayable, sponsors of Shed of The Year 2010. 12 runners up each receive a shed care kit. The search for Shed of the Year 2010 began in August 2009, with the public voting for 13 category winners that were shortlisted for the final. The runners up were Dominic Jones from Liverpool for his Garden Office and Tim Massey from Cheshire for his Eco Shed.

Organised by the internationally famous readersheds.co.uk and sponsored by Cuprinol Sprayable, National Shed Week runs from 5th July and is the national celebration of one of the cornerstones of British culture. During Shed Week a charity auction will take place on ebay to raise money for Bletchley Park and sheddies around the country will be celebrating in their sheds.

Unique category and overall winner

Winner: Reg Miller, Southend-on-Sea, Essex

"I had a load of old muskets and swords in storage and wanted somewhere to display them as my partner didn't really want them in the house. When I saw the first Pirates of the Caribbean film, I was immediately inspired and decided to build my 'pirate' shed from scratch. I've done it all myself using recycled pieces of wood and I've found all the fixtures and fittings at car boot sales and junk markets. I've even got a Koi Carp pond and several palm trees. The 'pirate' shed is slowly taking over the garden and it's a real labour of love and very popular with family and friends."
Pub category

Winner: Garry, Ayrshire

"A true "pubshed" this is a standard 10 x 8 ft garden shed that I've turned into my new local, it has MDF reinforced walls, floor and door, fully lined/soundproofed with rockwool insulation, the bar is 5.5ft long, got Sky tv, fridge, few bar stools, snug table, wall mounted heater, carpeted, sound system, genuine ex-pub fittings, brass footrest, last orders bell, optics, mirrors, taps and wireless linked to house alarm. Serving chilled cans, bottles and spirits just now till I get round to sorting out a keg system."
Workshop category

Winner: Artemis Russell, South East London

"I absolutely love my shed. I have a jewellery business and am really passionate about sewing and weaving, so when I moved into my one-bedroom flat, I needed somewhere to keep my sewing machine and weaving loom and came up with the idea of getting a shed. My mum bought it for me as a birthday present, my brothers helped put it together and I decorated it and fitted it out so I could make it completely personal. It's a really relaxing space and allows to me to enjoy being creative without cluttering up my flat."
Wooden category

Winner: Penny Stephens', Oxfordshire

"I built the shed last summer when I got an allotment. It's really practical - I use it to store equipment and as somewhere for me and my two children to have a break from creating our fruit and vegetable patches. The children absolutely love the shed and came up with the ice cream parlour theme, so we decorated the shed in pretty pastel colours to give it a bit of personality. I uploaded a picture onto www.readersheds.co.uk when I'd finished Frankenshed and completely forgot about it until I was contacted to say I had been shortlisted for Shed of the Year. It's great that the voters loved Frankenshed as much as we do and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the final."
Studio category

Winner: Nicola Brown, Shrewsbury

"I bought my shed second-hand about five years ago. As a design student I'd found my work was starting to take over the house so I started to think of ways I could find somewhere affordable and practical to work and came up with the idea of building a shed in the garden. My boyfriend did the electrical work and I insulated it and decorated it myself to make it really comfortable. I now run my graphic design business from my shed and absolutely love it - I even named by business 'In the Shed' in its honour! It's practical and convenient and I can't wait to find out if I've won the competition."
Tardis category

Winner: Tim Bowden, Stockport

"I created the Tardis while my wife was away one weekend last summer. It used to be a scruffy old cupboard-style shed but I had some blue paint and a few spare pallets from work so I decided that I'd smarten it up. I didn't have any power tools, so I just put it together using a hand saw and some basic tools and the blue paint inspired me to decorate it to look like the tardis from Dr Who. My wife was quite surprised when she came home but she's grown to like it over time and it's much better than the old shed we did have. I'm really looking forward to finding out if it's won the competition."
Normal shed category

Winner: Dave Jones, Cardiff

"I am so excited about being shortlisted after encouraging all my friends to vote, it has finally paid off! Mini Jeff is more than just a shed it is a space where my girlfriend and I can relax as well as invite friends and family round for parties. We bought our house last year and saw great potential to renovate the shed we had to give us more space to relax and enjoy the garden."
Eco shed category

Winner: Tim Massey, Knutsford, Cheshire

"I have begged and borrowed for many of the items to make my Eco shed so that it is as environmentally friendly as possible. I love nothing more than to sit in there with a glass of wine after a hard day's work!"
Garden office category

Winner: Dominic Jones, Liverpool

"It is a big deal to win. The decision to build One Grand Designs came about after being fed up of not having enough space to work on the dining room table when I work from home. Not only does it give me extra space but I also call it my inventing shed. I consider myself quite an enthusiastic entrepreneur and often work on my electric motor bike on the days I am not working. Hopefully others will be inspired by my shed and see that they can easily create an extra living space."
Hut category

Winner: Sarah Parr, Swanage, Dorset

"To win this category has been brilliant news! We use the shed come rain or shine to have picnics, parties, celebrate birthdays and simply to relax. We even decorate and put a tree in there at Christmas! I am so pleased that people have voted for our shed that both my family and I love to spend time in."
Other category

Winner: Jamie Ashworth, Lancashire

"This is very exciting news, we use the shed every day and it is great to be recognised in this category. There are three areas to the shed a bar, workshop and seating area where we love to have parties. People often comment on the unusual name of the shed (Uisge Betha) which is in fact named after our favourite pub but also means water of life."
Cabin category

Winner: Stephen Griffin

Themed Naval Museum, porthole, skylight, ship's wheel and ships bygone pass and memory lane, power lights outside lights, fitted carpets, tea making facilities, comfortable chairs and study facilities. Writing space, slated roof, security light and many more amazing features including the Tarantula.
Summerhouse category

Winner: Marie, Bromley, Kent

"My little shed were I can get away from the humdrum and TV in the house, plus the kids when they are driving me batty! Hubby put it together for me and I painted it inside and out, it's somewhere I can sew, listen too music and drink tea, a very calming haven!"