Old farm machinery brought back to life in men’s sheds
Minister of State Sean Sherlock revealed this when he replied to Senator John Kelly, who sought funding for the rural men’s shed projects and clubs growing in numbers and popularity.
Senator Kelly said amazing work is being done in local communities by bringing elderly people together in men’s sheds. The initiative is in line with the Government policy on ageing, dealing with rural isolation and protecting people who might suffer from depression.
Mr Sherlock said the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government has funded men’s shed projects under both the rural development fund and the Leader element of the 2007 to 2013 rural development programme.
“Some wonderful projects have grown from these initiatives such as the restoration of old farm machinery to the production of some fantastic wooden pieces. They have helped men in several communities to come together to work on initiatives which they might not have done otherwise,” he said.
Mr Sherlock said €250m will be provided under the forthcoming Leader element of the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 to support the sustainable development of rural communities across the country. This funding will be delivered using a community-led local development approach based on local development strategies. These strategies will be designed and implemented by local action groups.
All decisions relating to funding for specific projects, including those relating to men’s sheds will be a matter for the local action group and will be made based on the needs and priorities that the group have identified in their local development strategy.
“This type of decision-making is at the heart of sustainable development in rural communities. We are all firm believers in leaving decisions in the hands of the people who know their communities best,” he said.
Senator Kelly said the projects are very worthy and a little amount of funding will go a long way.
