19 Men’s Shed groups from across Mayo are coming together to show their appreciation of frontline workers in the county on Saturday, May 2, Mayo Day.
Members of all 19 groups will walk within 2km of their homes to celebrate the work being done by frontline workers in Mayo hospitals, surgeries and more, at 10am on Saturday morning.
Seamus Swift, County Delegate and Chairman and PRO of Kiltimagh Men’s Shed, believes now more than ever the groups are needed; "With the pandemic turning everyone's lives throughout the world upside down, men’s sheds were never needed more than now.
"We will be here when COVID-19 is controlled and we will be ready to help not just men in all our communities, but everyone, young and not so young in our communities.
"We as shedders feel so inadequate at this moment not to be able to help more, but we accept that many of us are precluded from actively helping out in the community."
Mr Swift outlined what the Men’s Shed members will be doing on Mayo Day; "We would dearly love to walk in the shadow of all our frontline heroes, but we can't. We can however, and we will , walk collectively as men’s sheds, mindful of all HSE guidelines, within the 2km of where we live at 10am on Mayo Day, to show our appreciation of the trojan work our heroes do day in, day out, on all our behalf.”
Plans are also being put in place for Men’s Sheds across the county to re-open once the current restrictions are lifted. Mr Swift outlined that they will then undertake special projects in aid of frontline workers;
"Finally we are putting a plan in place for when we can re-open, to use our workshop's all over Mayo to create and make some fantastic one-off pieces from all sheds to be used as a fundraiser for the county’s frontline heroes, to be used on any project that they wish.
"Many of our members are cocooning and can feel a bit cut off from the world now. We hope that this shows nobody is being forgotten about and the Men’s Sheds are still here, working away in the background.
"To all our frontline workers, thank you for your courage, your commitment, and your care giving in these extremely difficult times.”
A ‘men’s shed’ is a community-based project, where men come together to learn, share skills and make long-lasting friendships together.
Ireland has become one of the leading nations for men’s sheds in recent years, having the most sheds per capita. Currently, there are over 450 sheds in Ireland, with at least 10,000 men visiting a shed every week.
There are 19 Men’s Sheds in Mayo: Kilcommon, Islandeady, Ballina, Claremorris, Crossmolina, Ballyhaunis, Swinford, Ballinrobe, Castlebar, Glen Neiphin, Charlestown & District, Round Tower, Mulranny, Kiltimagh, Erris, Westport, Newport and Louisburgh.
More information on each, including how to join, can be found on www.menssheds.ie
