County Derry Men's Shed hoping to attract more members

Since opening its doors back in September, Dungiven Men's Shed has seen more than 20 men join the group however the committee are hopeful it will continue to grow in the New Year.

The Men's Shed, which provides a welcoming and safe space for men of all ages to meet up, currently opens every Wednesday.

However, committee member Raymond Brady says they hope to open their premises, located at Upper Main Street, known locally as 'The Grove', more often.

Explaining how the idea for the men's shed came about, Raymond said: “When Tony (McCaul) and myself got together and starting chatting, we realised that a lot of young men in the area were ending up in the graveyard.

“Pubs seemed to be the only outlet where men could go to meet up with others. We thought that by having a men's shed you can do things there that are normally associated with the pub but without the alcohol.”

After much discussion, Raymond and Tony arranged to hold a public meeting in a bid to gauge interest locally.

Unfortunately the meeting, which was planned for early 2020, had to be cancelled due to Covid-19.

“We were ready to go, we had a public meeting organised and then Covid hit and we had to cancel it,” explained the Dungiven man.

The men were not going to be put off however and, with the help of the local council, they were able to arrange a virtual meeting to form a committee.

The Men's Shed opened in September and now boasts 24 members, however Raymond hopes those numbers will increase in 2022.

Urging new members to come forward, he said: “We would welcome men over the age of 18 from all corners of society to come along and join us.

“It's a safe environment for men to come and relax.

“We have a small library and people can come in and read or interact with other members. It's also a place where men can pass on their skills to other men.

“It's a great place for men who are maybe living on their own. They don't have to be sitting looking at their four walls every day – they can come along here and meet people and it will take them out of the house.”

Raymond says so far the feedback they have received from members has been 'very positive'.

“Members have come up to me and have said they enjoy the group so much and that it really has made a difference to their lives. They say that they love coming out to us on a Wednesday and having a bit of fun without any pressure.

“It's really nice to get feedback like that and shows that the Men's Shed is long overdue in the town,” he said.

The 'shed' recently acquired a pool table, a dart board and a table tenis table.

They also hope to purchase some tools after members expressed an interest in carpentry work.

They hope that this will be made possible thanks to donations from local people.

Dungiven man and owner of Focus Gym, Conor Lynch, took on a 40 minute ice bath challenge at the weekend to raise money for the men's shed. Donations for this are still being accepted up until this weekend.

Meanwhile, Dungiven singer and songwriter Joe Kelly has penned and recorded a new song called 'The Men's Shed'. All money raised from this song will go towards the Dungiven group.

Mr Kelly said he was inspired to write the song after hearing about the work the group does in the local community.

“The difference that the men's shed has made to men in the local area is unbelievable,” said Joe.

“I just felt like I had to highlight the work they do and thought what better way to do that than through music.

“The men's shed has such a positive impact on the mental health of so many men and that's exactly what was needed in the town.”

Raymond added: “We want to say a big thank you to Joe or writing and recording the song. All proceeds from the song will go towards the men's shed. We'd also like to thank Conor Lynch of Focus Gym. We really appreciate their support.”