A Worcestershire hardware independent is expecting a high turnout for an event it is running this month especially for women.
Broad Street DIY in Bromsgrove is inviting them to come to the shop on Thursday, May 28 for an evening that will be both fun and instructive, with plenty of practical DIY advice on offer. The aim is to make women feel more comfortable about having a go at DIY - and about going into a hardware shop in the first place.

The biggest draw of the free event is likely to be celebrity builder Huntley Thawe, who will be sharing his expertise with the guests.

Director Lisa Childs told diyweek.net that this would be the first event of its kind to be run by Broad Street DIY. "Yes - we have a PR lady who's just come on board and it was one of her ideas," she said. "It's quite big in the United States."

She said the shop was finding that more and more women were doing their own DIY now. "And a lot of ladies come in, but we have had some women coming in who tend to get quite uncomfortable because they think it's a male environment," she added.

The family-run shop has printed some leaflets to promote the evening, at which demonstrations will be a big feature.

Said Ms Childs: "My family and some of our customers are putting on the demonstrations, like fixings in plasterboard, how to put shelves up, how to use a caulking gun, how to drill holes.

"Huntley Thawe is coming in to do a little talk as well and give hints and tips." Mr Thawe just happens to be one of the shop's customers, and he has agreed to put in an appearance free of charge.

"We've got a crime prevention officer coming in as well, talking about how to secure your home," Ms Childs went on. "And someone from the fire brigade to talk about smoke alarms."

Guests on the evening will be offered sandwiches courtesy of the cafe over the road, and local companies have donated raffle prizes. The first 30 guests will also leave with goody bags containing products such as Gorilla Glue and Harris brushes, and discount vouchers.

Ms Childs said the shop had only just started promoting the evening but: "We've got quite a lot of interest in it - we've got 20 from Facebook coming along. But there's a maximum of 50 for the first one because we don't want to bite off more than we can chew."