'Let's find them a home!'
Nenagh Men's Shed has outgrown its current base and is looking for a new home - maybe someone in the town can help?
Established around 10 years ago now, the Men's Shed is about facilitating community participation for local men. It's about getting out of the house for a few hours each day to have a chat with other men, share and learn new skills, and provide mutual support and encouragement.
Originally located at Áras Folláin and then at the former Richardson Academy of Music on Silver St, Nenagh Men's Shed is now based in a room at Loreto House, Kenyon St. Its membership has increased to nearly 20 men from all walks of life, who like to meet up and have a chat over a cup of tea or coffee, and a project to work with.
Chairman Ted Knight welcomed the use of the room but said it is too small to cater for this growing group and all their equipment and tools. He and his fellow members in Nenagh have visited Men's Sheds around the country - some have been built from scratch but more of them are based in old buildings that the members have restored.
Looking at all the empty buildings around Nenagh, Ted believes there must be some space somewhere that someone can offer for a permanent Men's Shed in the town. Even a small plot of land for a shed to be built on would be most welcome.
The present Nenagh Men's Shed activities are many and varied, from art to horticulture to woodwork; window box and bird box creations are a specialty. Members are encouraged to come up with suggestions for a project and everyone helps to make it happen - a bronze sword is one of the group's more ambitious proposals.
While donations of things to work with are welcome, the lads have pretty much all the equipment they need; what they really need is what the new chairman described as an “anchor”, a base for them to work in. Ted is determined to find such a place and hopeful that someone in Nenagh will get in touch to support this worthy cause.
Anyone who can help is kindly asked to contact Ted at 087 2142363. You can also contact him if you would like to find out more about Nenagh Men's Shed activities, or if you have something that you would like the lads to make or repair.
Nenagh Men's Shed is affiliated to the Irish Men's Sheds Association, a registered national charity, which has made great strides in tackling social isolation in a simple yet highly productive way. Local pharmacist Denis Finnerty called on the community to support the Shed in light of the outlet it provides to middle aged and older men especially.
"Many of our elderly population, the male population in particular, experience loneliness and depression resulting in a much reduced ability to actively participate in community activities. Depression and loneliness in old age are significant predictors of a decline in what I call functional health," Mr Finnerty said. "Loneliness does lead to serious health consequences."
The Nenagh pharmacist said our elderly population is in "dire need of meaningful engagement with their social peers". He pointed out that Pope Francis recently addressed this topic, pleading for 'a future that is not indifferent to the needs of the aged to be cared for and listened to'.
"The Men’s Shed Organisation is a group that can help to fill that gap in people's lives," Mr Finnerty said. "Whether it is cooking, sculpting, singing, making or breaking, it offers our elderly men a precious opportunity to enrich their lives and the lives of those around them... Let’s find them a home!"