Members of Caherdavin and District Men’s Shed in Limerick recently celebrated its second birthday, and with a new workshop in the pipeline, the shed is going from strength to strength.
The shed was set up by current secretary John Kennedy and local man Tony Courtney. The pair decided to call a meeting in the local community centre to see if there would be much interest.
“There never seemed to be any events that men were interested in. That’s how we came up with the idea of the shed. We then started meeting weekly, just for a cup of tea and a chat,” explains John.
The group meet in the community centre every Tuesday morning from 10am to 12pm.
“In the last few weeks we have managed to acquire a new small shed thanks to the Michael Ring fund. The hope would be to use this shed as our workshop.”
“We are very proactive and want to get involved in as many different things as possible, it’s a real social thing,” remarks John. “For example, we go on many trips and have visited places such as St Mary’s Cathedral, the Army Museum, the Guinness Storehouse and Spike Island. We also are very health conscious and have had speakers in from the RSA and Irish Heart Foundation.”
Currently the men are focusing on getting their new workshop up and running. “We are putting in a patio and getting power sockets installed before we move in. Hopefully we will be moved in in the next few weeks.”
In respect to mental health, John feels that there is definitely a more positive outlook around in the group, and the men have something that they look forward to every week.
The Caherdavin Men’s Shed has a total of 15 members, ranging from 50- to 80-years-old, all with similar interests. Anyone wishing to join the shed is asked to contact John Kennedy on 086-0670325 for more information.