Established in 2012, Gort Men’s Shed located in Co Galway was initiated by the local Family Resource Centre. While secretary Timothy Crowley was present in that first meeting, a few years passed before he became actively involved.

“The shed was set up six years ago, a group got together under the influence of the Family Resource Centre and that was how things got started.

“I was at the very first meeting for the shed, which gained a huge attendance, but I didn’t become involved in the shed until a few years later,” explains Timothy.

When Timothy joined the shed the dynamics of the committee were shifting, which presented an opportunity for him to take up a role. “When I started getting active in the shed as a regular member, the committee was changing due to a combination of circumstance. Some people left the town and a new committee was formed. That was when I became secretary.”

Members of Gort Men’s Shed range between their mid-30s and late 70s, and they love nothing more than indulging in the array of activities that are on offer, two of which are highly regarded.

“The two main activities would be woodworking and computers, which is where my own interest lies. We would divide between the two. We have done various wood-work projects for the local community, mostly recently in the Youth Club, and we have done work with the Family Resource Centre.

“We actively support the Food Cloud, which sees supermarkets supply food that is going out of date and distribute it to people in need. We were asked if we could help out and if they could use our premises for their fridges. One of our members is involved with the distribution of food as well.”

Gort Men’s Shed is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday 10am-2pm, and Thursday evening 7-9pm. Timothy stresses that new members are always welcome to join and should call in or contact him on 087 281 8506.