€21,000 to help 20 Men’s and Women’s sheds in Mayo

THE Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring, has today confirmed that 20 Men’s and Women’s Sheds in Mayo have been allocated a total of €21,826 from his department in order to support the important community work done by these groups.

This is the first time that the government has allocated funding to Women’s Sheds.

The full list of recipients (Women's Sheds shaded in green) is as follows:

Minister Ring said: “I first introduced funding for Men’s Sheds in 2018 in recognition of the great support that they provide to men in communities in Mayo and across Ireland. Since its establishment less than ten years ago, the impact of the Men’s Sheds movement has been phenomenal.

“I have decided to extend this funding to Women’s Sheds. Having witnessed the exceptionally positive impact of Men’s Sheds in recent years, I’ve no doubt that the emergence of Women’s Sheds can only be a good thing for community life in Ireland.

“I’m delighted that four Women’s Shed Groups in Mayo have availed of the funding on offer and I hope to see this number grow in coming years.

“Men’s and Women’s Sheds are making an invaluable contribution to community life in our county. They provide great support to their many members and have helped tackle the problem of social isolation. In many cases these groups have also become vital cogs in a variety of community initiatives such as the Tidy Towns competition and local community events.”

This capital funding will enabled individual Men’s and Women’s Sheds to purchase equipment or to carry out minor works to improve their premises through the provision of small grants.

Minister Ring continued: “A relatively small amount of money can go a long way and investment in groups like Men’s & Women’s sheds will be put to excellent use in local communities throughout the country.”