
By Ronan Scott
THE Ballynahinch Men’s Shed has the potential to change your life.
That is the message from one of its members, Karl Stafford, who is currently on a mission to invite new people to join the group.
Karl said he has seen first-hand how the group can positively benefit the lives of the local community.
“We had one guy that came to us who had not been out of the house for four years.
For the first few weeks he was quiet, he would not engage.
“Then after the first month we saw the change.
“Now he is the life and soul. All it took was for him to come in.
“We have found that guys are coming in who have retired but have lost their way. They are looking for something meaningful.”
The first Men’s Shed can be traced to Australia in the late 1970s.
But it has significantly grown in popularity in the UK and Ireland in the last ten years.
The Men’s Shed in Ballynahinch was started in 2018 by Francis Casement in an old St Vincent de Paul storage shed that was rundown and on church grounds at the top car park beside the graveyard at St Patrick’s Church, (Church Street, Ballynahinch).
The building was renovated and refurbished by a small group of members, re-roofed and re-wired, with new floors, a kitchen and toilet provided.
It runs a variety of events for people, such as woodworking and gardening, with a view to teaching new skills but more importantly providing a healthy space for people.
Karl said the benefits of the men’s shed have become obvious.
“We get a lot of referrals from the health service.
“There was a man who came in who had completely lost the art of conversation.
“If you sit five guys around a table and you ask them about their feelings they may not say anything. But if you sit them round a problem, then it can be more natural.
“Put them around something broken and they will start talking.
“It seems to be very beneficial.”
Karl said that he personally experienced the benefit of the Men’s Shed.
“Three years ago I would not be able to talk to you. I was working in the health service as a highly qualified engineer.
“One day, in the middle of the day I had a proper breakdown. I walked away and spent a year in the house with no contact.
“I got to the point where I couldn’t physically function. The Men’s Shed was my way back.
“It is such a beneficial thing,that is why the health service is grabbing on to it.
“We get references from them all the time. Now people are aware of what we do.”
Karl added that Ballynahinch’s Men’s Shed is keen to get the word out about themselves.
They promote their group on social media, but Karl said that the sort of people they want to attract don’t always know about them.
Karl said that a lot of the time those people who come to the Men’s Shed have been advised to come by their sons and daughters to the meetings.
“We are on the socials but people still say that they have not heard about us.
“There was a guy who said he was forced to come in. I don’t think that people like to be forced to come in. Then after two weeks he was asking what he could do.
“There is no pressure in any way, shape or form.
“People are free to do what they want to do.”
The Men’s Shed in Ballynahinch has over 20 members.
They have three buildings; two sheds and a polytunnel.
Their second shed is a new addition, gifted to them by a member, and that has given them the opportunity to appeal for more members.
“We were quite limited in the numbers we could take on.
“This (the new shed) has allowed us to do some expansions and our membership is growing. But we have not been promoting.”
But now they are promoting their group as they want to get more people involved.
Karl says learning new skills is a great thing for people to do to help their mental health.
His specialty is wood turning.
“The good thing about wood turning is that if you have something spinning at 2000 rpm then it is difficult to think about anything else.
“When I am working on the lathe I have to concentrate.
“The moment you don’t concentrate it is dangerous.
“I found that it is beneficial for people who have stuff on their mind.
“It is therapeutic.”
Karl was keen to point out that while it is called a Men’s Shed, women are welcome to come along too.
And it’s a varied group of people who come along; there are farmers, teachers and joiners, aged from their 50s to mid-80s.
They meet on two days each week, Monday nights (7pm to 9pm) and Wednesdays (10am to 3pm).
They would like to have more meeting days but funding is an issue.
The wider collective of Men’s Sheds are appealing to Stormont to ask for more support.
Karl said: “We need to fund ourselves, we have had very little funding in the last few years.”
If you are interested in attending a Men’s Shed event you can contact Karl on hinchshed@gmail.com.
Those who come along can work on collective projects or their own projects. Members pay £10 per month. There is also food provided.