Portaferry Men’s Shed in Co Down prides itself on inclusiveness for everyone in the community. Shed member John Conlon gives us the details of their shed and the activities they get up to.

The shed opened its doors for the first time in March 2018, after the kind donation of an old school house by the Portaferry Presbyterian Church. Six months of preparation took place beforehand by John and 12 founding members to get the school house ready for its new purpose.

The men realised there was a need for a group to entice people away from pubs and bookies, a testament to their ongoing success, a year on the shed has over 30 active members.

John told Irish Country Living: “We carry out a broad range of activities from woodworking to litter picking around the local community. We build garden furniture mainly, but for one of our projects we restored an old boat.”

The group has future plans to establish their own garden beside the shed, providing fresh fruit and veg for its members and the local community. They also hope to plant varieties of apple and pear trees which were historically grown in the area.

“A high percentage of members are tradesmen and we also have a few school teachers and principals,” says John. The men are mainly retired or approaching the end of working life with an average age of about 60 years. The youngest member is 30 and the eldest is 70.

John believes: “The shed has had a universally positive impact with men coming out of their shells with a clear boost in mood.” He also believes the shed instills a great sense of self-worth and value in the men. The shed has built up a great stock of woodworking tools and also has a small library where men can pick up a book for some quiet reading. They also have a darts board, pool table and a large dining table which they built themselves.

Anyone wishing to join is asked to contact John Conlon on 0044 7593150123 for more information. Opening hours are Monday to Friday 10am-2pm and 7pm-9pm.