BUDDY BENCH IRELAND

To the uninitiated, the concept of a men’s shed conjures images of older, retired men beavering away in workshops. In fact, shedders are drawn from a wide range of age groups and backgrounds, and their interests and activities are almost limitless.

Nonetheless, the majority of shedders do belong to the 50+ age category and their experience, wisdom and life skills are of major benefit to communities throughout Ireland.

Since 2015, shedders have been reaching across the age divide in partnership with Buddy Bench Ireland, an award-winning social enterprise. Buddy Bench Ireland aims to promote improved mental health and emotional resilience among school-age children.

The buddy bench concept is deceptively simple. A brightly painted bench is placed in a schoolyard, and children are encouraged to sit on it whenever they feel lonely or unhappy. Their classmates understand that any child sitting on the buddy bench needs company and friendship.

Buddy benches are some of the most popular projects for men’s sheds in Ireland and the men taking part enjoy both the craftsmanship involved in making the benches and the connections they forge with schools in their area.

Buddy Bench Ireland co-founder Sam Synnott is keen to stress that the benches themselves are merely visual tools for a much broader programme. Like the men’s sheds movement, the Buddy Bench programme is an island-wide initiative and has just reached its 170th school.

Carlow Men’s Shed is an especially prolific producer of buddy benches and Sam insists that “we couldn’t do without the men’s sheds”. She sees obvious parallels between the men’s sheds movement and the buddy bench programme, particularly in their shared focus on co-operative learning and emotional support.

“There’s very little difference between first class in primary school and a men’s shed,” she says. “One of the shedders in Carlow put it best – whether you’re five or 85, you still need a friend.”

Empowerment is another common thread that connects sheds and the Buddy Bench programme.

“We find that, under the programme, older children take responsibility for younger children and look out for them,” Sam says. “Children are naturally empathetic, compassionate and loving.”

Sam’s ultimate goal is to gain the same degree of official recognition that men’s sheds have earned in recent years. She hopes to see the Buddy Bench programme incorporated into the school curriculum on both sides of the border sometime in the near future.

For further information on the Buddy Bench Ireland programme, visit www.buddybench.ie.

AVOCA MEN’S SHED, CO WICKLOW

Noel Fallon is a busy man. The Avoca Men’s Shed stalwart pours all his boundless energy into the running of the shed. When we speak to him from his home in the beautiful Co Wicklow village, he’s taking a rare moment’s respite, before heading back out to attend to the shed.

The rest is well-earned. Noel and 10 of his fellow shedders are hard at work reviving the traditional local craft of basket-weaving.

“The idea came from one of the members, Jimmy Fleming. He makes wreaths locally every Christmas. We got on to the Kildare and Wicklow ETB and arranged a six-week course.”

Noel credits the basket-weaving course with reinvigorating the shed.

“It’s given great enthusiasm to everyone. Things were quiet over the winter, but now the buzz is back.”

“We’d have a few lads, including myself, who’d suffer from joint problems and arthritis, and working with the fingers is very good for them”.

And with that, Noel was back off to the shed to build tables from reclaimed wood for members who find it difficult to work on their feet.