Ireland as we know it has changed due to the coronavirus outbreak, and for the men’s sheds, it means adapting to that change and staying safe. As the majority of men’s shed members fall within the “at-risk” group of being seriously affected by the coronavirus, most sheds have stopped meeting in a bid to help stop the spread of the virus.

But one of the reasons men’s sheds are set up is to provide connection with isolated men, and that means sheds must find new ways to connect while also following the advice from the Health Service Executive (HSE).

The Irish Men’s Sheds Association (IMSA) is recommending a number of ways in which sheds can continue to connect with one another and keep safe. For one, sheds can set up WhatsApp groups or check in with one another by phone. Another way is a buddy system, which is where one shed member is responsible for checking in with another. This system will help to ensure that members, particularly those that are living alone, are not isolated during this difficult period.

Shedders at the Kilbeggan Men's Shed recently closed up due to COVID-19.

Sheds have already begun to adopt these strategies of connection, with one such shed being Trim Men’s Shed. Secretary Vic Nugent says he has been getting cabin fever himself but has a strategy in place to keep in touch with members. “We photocopied the membership list with contact information and sent it to all the members in the shed. So if anyone was getting down or depressed or so on, they’d have someone that they could contact.”

Vic also manages the shed’s Facebook page, and has been using it the last few days to share old memories to try and help uplift spirits. “We’re using old photographs we have, uploading them and trying to keep interest up that way,” says Vic and adds that he is also encouraging the public to send in stories to the shed so they can share them on the Facebook page.

TP O’Gorman of Kilbeggan Men’s Shed says the shed have just started the process of finding new ways to connect with members.

“We’re putting things in place at the moment to try and see how we will handle the shed during the outbreak.” TP says that the buddy system is one strategy that the shed will be using. “The buddy system is definitely something we’ll be bringing on board. We’re also going to be doing the ‘social call’. We’ve done a bit of this already, it’s just where we ring one another and that sort of thing.” With tough times on the horizon, sheds are doing what they always do, connecting with one another however possible.

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