What is a Community Shed?
A Shed is a place where people can meet other people, have a chat, a cup of tea & get involved in a wide range of activities that reflect the skills and interests of the members. Most people associate Sheds with men but there is a growing interest from women in the value and benefits of being involved in a Shed.
Shed vs group
What differentiates a Shed from a group? In actuality, nothing; however, because a ‘Shed’ is more traditionally associated with men it has also been associated with activities such as manual skills or craftwork. Each Shed determines its own agenda and set of activities which generally reflect the interests of its members.
The ethos of the Shed movement is that all men have something to offer, be it a set of skills, experiences, interests, conversation, or just company for others. To date some of the activities that members have partaken in are woodwork, art, music and exercise, but really, anything goes.
Women’s Sheds
Following the success of the Men’s Shed movement internationally it is now time to expand the model by supporting the newly emerging phenomenon of Women’s Sheds. Since mid-2019 the number of Women’s Sheds in Ireland has begun to grow and this was recognised at national level where Men’s Shed funding under the Community Enhancement Programme was made available to Women’s Sheds for the first time. (There are just over twenty Women’s Sheds in Ireland at the moment – 2021).
The key elements of any successful shed are:
A committed number of individuals who will take on the responsibility of organising and maintaining the running of the Shed (Chair, Treasurer and Secretary)
Access to a premises that they can call their own
Sustainable annual funding to cover overheads (rent, insurance, heating, wifi, tools/equipment to enable activities, etc).
Establishing a set of rules/constitution together to ensure an agreed culture of fairness and/or conflict resolution procedures
Where do I start?
Sligo Leader can help you set up a shed in your area. The process starts with an Information evening where all members of the community who have an interest are invited to attend to ask questions and hear from our development officers on the process involved. We can also invite members of existing Sheds to come along to provide a historical picture of the development of their Sheds, and the pitfalls or successes that may be encountered.
Following on from the decision to proceed with setting up your Shed, we can provide a range of ongoing supports, such as development training on the correct establishment of group structures, identification of activities that members wish to undertake, and assistance with funding applications, (e.g. HSE Lottery fund, Community Enhancement Fund, ETB for tutor hours, etc.).
SICAP small grants for community groups
Grants are now available for community groups/Sheds to help get you started. Under SICAP programme guidelines we are restricted to certain criteria to ensure that the most disadvantaged in our communities are assisted. We can help in determining your group/Shed’s eligibility where funds allow.
If you are interested or would like more information please contact our development officers:
Jonathan May 086 418 6259 jmay@sligoleader.com
Eamonn Haran 087 654 4400 eharan@sligoleader.com
For a list of all the Men’s Sheds in Co. Sligo click here
For a list of Women’s Sheds in Ireland click here
For a full list of eligible target groups, or more information on SICAP supports, click here
Grant Application Form
Grant Information Form
Closing Date: 20th August 2021
