The winner of the 2024 Shed of the Year Awards, sponsored by Cuprinol, has been announced, with Wayne Dawber from Cheshire East taking the top prize. His retro shed, adorned with mural paintings inspired by 1950s adverts, won the unique category and was named overall winner.
Dawber originally built the shed for his wife as a reading retreat and storage space for gardening tools, but he admitted he got 'a little carried away' with the vintage artwork. The project cost just £450 and took two weeks to construct, followed by four weeks of painting. Dawber told The Times, 'Except for an egg and spoon race at primary school, this is the first time I have ever won anything.'
Other category winners included Zoe Bleach from Kent, who built a pub-style shed for football parties during the 2023 Fifa Women's World Cup, and Keith Bryan from Staffordshire, whose colourful summer bar features Caribbean music and tropical decor. Iain Jamieson from Cheltenham won the Workshop or Studio category for his sustainable shed with solar panels and cork cladding, built for his retired parents.
Neema Young from Cambridgeshire took the 'Simple but Effective' category with a shed originally built as a children's play area, now equipped with electricity, a sofa bed, office space, and a fire. Andrew Wilcox, chief judge, noted that the competition, which started as a bit of fun, highlights British eccentricity, saying, 'We all need our escapes.'
