Cloughmills Men’s Shed, Co Antrim, was set up two years ago, by members of the Cloughmills Community Action Team. The group’s main activities are woodturning and growing fruit and vegetables. Shed member Jim Whitten says this accentuates the “social and therapeutic value of being outdoors”.

The men’s shed is closely linked with community, with several members also on the board of Cloughmills Community Action Team. The shed also provides the local hanging baskets and flowerbeds for the village of Cloughmills.

Jim believes the men’s shed is instrumental in bringing the local people of the community together to “overcome social isolation in rural areas”.

The Cloughmills Community Action Team has secured funding from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, from whom it has also taken the 50-year lease of the mill in which it is located. It is with these grants that the men’s shed members hope to expand their allotment and add a range of activities to their group. It will also be used to refurbish the old mill so there will be extra amenities.

The group has gone on several outings, including visits to other men’s sheds. In May, they travelled to the Folk and Transport Museum to see Tim Peake’s Space Capsule, which Jim says “rekindled their dreams from 50 years ago when they wanted to be spacemen!”

Cloughmills Men’s Shed is unique in that it also has half a dozen female members out of the 25 in total, and Jim reiterates that everyone is welcome. Most of the members are 50-plus and come from an array of backgrounds, with some men retired accountants, teachers, lorry drivers and tradesmen.

The men’s shed also has monthly meetings with the local pharmacy, where they receive talks on maintaining their health and well-being.

Anyone interested in joining the Cloughmills Men’s Shed can contact Jim Whitten on 0044 7916503367 or call down to the shed on Old Mill, Main Street, Cloughmills, Co Antrim. The shed is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 3pm.

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