Men’s shed reaches milestone anniversary

THE Linton and District Men’s Shed reached a milestone anniversary earlier this month, notching up its tenth birthday.

Members marked the occasion with a luncheon and general get-together at the Obeirne Lane shed, attended by about 20 people including partners.

And now, with the first decade behind it, the shed is broadening its offerings to include more social and similar support, along with community work.

Secretary Daryll Lees said the current membership stood at 21, with two virtually distinct groups involved – those who sit and talk and others who get busy in the workshop.

“Some of the guys come in, have a quick coffee and go, and others never leave until they leave,” he said.

Mr Lees said that apart from the usual men’s shed activities that take place in the workshop, simply socialising with others for an informal cup of coffee and a chat has become popular.

He said the shed had recently been involving itself more in advocating for men’s mental health.

“Which is really good for some of the guys – they don’t make, they don’t build, some of the guys have never struck a nail, but they come in here religiously for hours on end and chat,” he said.

“A lot of men are really struggling these days. It’s hard for a man to know where he fits in modern society because everything’s changed.”

The shed has guest speakers on the issue of mental health and similar fields, with sessions held about every two months.

Events have included first aid, walking group information and suicide prevention – including a film screening on that topic.

Mr Lees said the group is always on the lookout for new members, but they are difficult to attract because of what he described as a version of small town syndrome.

“It’s hard to get people to join things in a small town,” he said, explaining that many residents belonged to more than one group – making membership of any single organisation somewhat problematic with a district population of about 600.

“We’ve got craft groups, we’ve got painting groups; we’ve got all sorts of groups going on,” Mr Lees said.

But for anyone who is interested, the shed is open each Monday and Wednesday from 11am until 4pm.

They can contact Mr Lees on 0447 390 556, or can simply walk in during opening hours.