An avid upcycler has taken the crown for her gorgeous shed after transforming it from a drab wooden hut into an eco-friendly allotment paradise – using materials from Facebook Marketplace.
Kelly Haworth, a baker from Bury, saw her budget-friendly and waste-saving oasis, called The Potting Shed, named Cuprinol’s Shed of the Year 2022.
complete with a kitchenette and bathroom.
The mother of four, 41, transformed her basic allotment plot into a beautiful hideaway to grow fresh plants and ingredients for cooking and baking, with homemade lavender lemon cake and iron rich foraging favorite nettle tea being regular treats at the Haworth household.
Kelly Haworth, 41 from Bury is crowned Cuprinol Shed of the Year’s 2022 winner with her budget-friendly oasis shed
The beautifully designed shed is painted with soft pink and black for contrast and cost around £200 to upcyle from a basic shed
The lush interior of The Potting Shed as Kelly has called it comes with a kitchenette and bathroom and is full of herbs and plants – the walls feature paintings and country-style decor to create a homely, comforting atmosphere
Kelly and her Husband Derrick managed to source alot of the materials from Facebook Marketplace to build their allotment oasis shed, which one the 16th Cuprinol Shed of The Year in the budget category
Kelly, along with her husband Derrick, designed and built the beautiful allotment retreat inspired by their love of repurposing unwanted items.
The transformation was made using old doors and pallets of wood along with other recycled materials found on Facebook Marketplace and from around their home.
The 2x3m budget-friendly shed took only five weeks to complete and was a bargain at around £200.
Featuring a small kitchenette, a potting area, a tool store and even an off-grid bathroom, The Potting Shed has been decorated with soft pastel shades.
Kelly pictured with husband Derrick who worked as a team to build The Potting Shed in just five weeks, they stand proudly outside holding their award
A view of the shed as you open the light pink door – met with a burst of colour in the form of plants all in eco-friendly biodegradable containers
Kelly prepares freshly grown veg in her tiny pink kitchenette she said the shed is ‘just so peaceful’
Kelly hopes her work will inspire others to create their own eco-friendly sheds and now hopes to start a blog after her success
Kelly said: ‘I’m over the moon to have won this year’s Cuprinol Shed of the Year.
‘It’s been a real labour of love and I haven’t stopped dancing since I found out the wonderful news. I was inspired by my dad’s shed and after waiting years for a plot, I couldn’t wait to build my own.
‘It’s just so peaceful, I can stay in the shed for hours on end, in fact, I often lose track of time while I’m down at the allotment.
‘It was fun being able to share the journey with people on Instagram – it even encouraged others to start collecting doors for their own ventures too!’
The Potting Shed topped the Budget category in a public vote before being awarded the overall title by a panel of judges.
The shed even has it’s own toilet! With a wine dispenser as a ‘tap’ and a bowl as a ‘sink’ the creativity knows no bounds .The toilet is wooden and there’s even a little hand towel and mirror on the wall.
Kelly won both Shed of the year and was also the winner in the budget category, something judges said was ‘fitting due to the cost of living crisis’ they said: ‘It just made sense to have someone budget savvy as the winner this year.’
As the worthy winner, Kelly will receive £1,000, a personalised Cuprinol Shed of the Year plaque and £100 of Cuprinol products.
Head judge and founder of the competition, Andrew Wilcox, was impressed at the calibre of entrants this year, saying: ‘We’ve seen some first-of-their-kind designs, making it nearly impossible to choose just one overall winner.
‘Every year, people’s creativity really levels up.
‘This year, Kelly’s Potting Shed really impressed us with the use of second-hand materials.
‘It just feels right with the current cost of living crisis to crown someone so cost-savvy as the winner.’
Kelly comments: ‘I always enjoyed upcycling and reinventing items, which is even more important now that prices are on the rise again.
‘I hope those that see my shed can look at it and say “I can do that” – so much so that I’m actually going to start my own Potting Shed blog.’
Marianne Shillingford, Creative Director at Cuprinol, added: ‘We love seeing all the entrants making the most of the outdoors and that’s exactly what Kelly has done. ‘She’s managed to create a special place for herself, without it costing the earth – which is so crucial at the minute.
‘We’re thrilled that Cuprinol paint could play a part in Kelly’s creation, her use of Sweet Pea pink next to Ducksback Black is simple yet effective – such a deserving winner.’