A Birmingham man's shed, which became a lifeline during his cancer treatment, is in the running to be named the best in Britain. Robert Sharpe, 67, transformed his shed in Cotteridge into a miniature Second World War museum during his recovery from maxillofacial cancer, housing his extensive militaria collection.
A Lifeline During Treatment
Robert began collecting militaria as a child, storing his artefacts in the loft. After his cancer diagnosis and treatment in 2023, he decided to give his collection a proper home. He said: "My shed has very much been my lifeline, supporting me during my recovery from maxillofacial cancer in 2023. Collecting militaria has been a hobby of mine since childhood and during my darkest days during surgery, chemo and radiotherapy I clung on to my interest."
The Collection
The shed houses items from British, American, and German forces, including a Wellington Bomber HE218 wing spar discovered by the lake at Compton Verney, medical equipment, cameras used by soldiers, journalists, and aerial gun crews, and personal items that belonged to servicemen.
Sharing Stories
Robert now invites local groups to visit his garden and takes artefacts into schools to share their stories. He said: "My shed offers me the opportunity to restore and repair items, while also researching their history and, where possible, uncovering the stories behind them. Sharing these stories with visitors has become one of the most enjoyable parts of the experience."
Competition Details
The shed is a finalist in the Tiger's Shed of the Year competition, now in its 20th year. The public can vote on the Readersheds website until June 14. The winner will receive a £1,000 cash prize and additional products. The overall winner will be crowned in July.
Head judge Andrew Wilcox, who founded the competition, said: "We're incredibly proud to be celebrating the competition's 20th year. Over the past two decades, we've seen thousands of brilliant sheds entered, and the creativity and passion people put into their spaces never stops amazing me. This year's entries are already fantastic, with people transforming sheds into everything from entertaining spaces to workshops, and unique hideaways. It's brilliant to see the competition continuing to inspire so much imagination across the country."
