The Plough Men’s Shed located in the heart of Belfast is a representation of modern co-operative times in the Northern Ireland. The shed, which was set up two and a half years ago, prides itself on bringing communities together and making positive contributions to their local society.

John Lavery, a founding member of the Plough Men’s Shed told the Irish Country Living: “Along with a few local lads, we read about other Men’s Sheds and thought it would be a great idea to establish one of our own.”

The group of men set about establishing a shed for themselves with the help of other groups and the Grosvenor Community Centre which donated a polytunnel to them.

The group are currently busy planting potatoes in their polytunnel and helping out in local cross community clean ups. These efforts are a display of better times and inclusiveness in the area, the men take great pride in giving an extra hand to their community. The group has big plans for the future, says John. “We hope to build our own port-a-cabin in order to carry out even more activities along with our gardening. We are currently looking for any spare wood from local tradesmen to use in the build.”

The group predominantly composed of over 50s currently has 14 members, made up mainly of retired tradesmen. “The shed has been fantastic for getting lads out and active again,” explains John. “The members are spending less time going to the pub and they have more to look forward to.” The group have a trip away planned for this week taking on the famine walk in Co Mayo. “The trip will be a great way of getting out and getting active, but I’m not too sure how many of us will actually be able to finish the walk,” says John in jest.

The polytunnel is open nearly everyday from 10am-2pm with members able to come in and tend to the vegetables. The polytunnel is located on Grosvenor Road, Belfast, UK. Anyone wishing to join the shed is asked to contact John Lavery on 0044 7547881080 for more information.