THE LATEST MEN’S SHED IS LAUNCHED
ALMOST TWO years of hard work and perseverance came to fruition for the group behind the Kilrane-Rosslare Harbour Men’s Shed when they held their official opening of their shed.
More than 60 people attended the event which included a barbecue and general fun day for those in attendance.
Approximately 18 months ago, the idea of having a local Men’s Shed in the area was floated and three men, chairman Tony McCormack, secretary Jim Rawson, and treasurer Alex Turner, took the initiative to drive forward with the plan, coming up with project ideas and, in their own words, ‘annoying’ local councillor Ger Carthy for assistance!
Jim Rawson explained that the shed had been up and running for about a year-and-a-half but with no premises to operate from they felt they could not appeal to as large a base as they would like.
‘In fairness to Ger Carthy, he has been extremely supportive of this project, including engaging with the County Council over the shed that we are now in, and we were delighted that he was able to perform the official opening for us.’
Mr Rawson pointed out that they were the 13th shed in the county and he felt that such facilities were hugely important when it came to mental health. He said the shed had approximately 20 members now, with almost double that having stopped by at regular intervals for a chat and cup of tea.
One of their current projects, he said, was making fairy boxes, thanking Topline DIY and Traynor’s of Wexford for their sponsorship in that regard. The plan, he added, was to install 20 such boxes in the Memorial Garden in Rosslare Harbour. Boxes that were sold during the recent KRH Tops weekend raised €650 which was donated to four local charities – the RNLI, KRH Tops, KRH Environment Group, and St Aidan’s Cemetery Committee.
‘The shed is somewhere that men can go to meet others and have a chat. Any man, from age 18 up is very welcome, the kettle is always on. It’s in an area where there are a lot of older, single men who might not have a place to go during the day. If we could do the same for the teenagers in the area we would.’
He added that the Shed was making its own contribution to the village renewal programme as well, and pointed out that the aim of the Shed was to give back to the community. The shed is open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. from Monday to Friday.