THE chair of the Men’s Shed group in Clydebank has reflected on a positive year for its members - despite the challenges posed by Covid-19.

The group gives men in the town the chance to meet, share their skills and ideas, and enjoy the experience of working and learning together.

The group, based in the grounds of Dalmuir Community Centre, was formed in 2014, but was unable to re-open until June this year due to Covid-19 rules.

Mick Wilson, the chair of the group, reflected on some of the year’s highlights.

He told the Post: “The open day in August and the input of the politicians we had there on the day was excellent.

“We had a motion lodged in the Scottish Parliament to highlight how vital the work of Men’s Shed is for mental health. It was great to see that got cross-party support.

“Since the open day, we’ve probably had around 20 new members.

“A lot of them joined to improve their mental health. They hated being stuck in the house and had nothing to do.

“We made a point of phoning every single person on our membership list to make sure that they were okay and still wanting to be associated with the shed.”

The group managed to secure a lease to use a second premises beside the current shed.

Mick added: “Getting the second shed space was very beneficial to us. It took a long time but eventually, we were given permission to use half of the shed next door, as well as the main one.

“We’ve upgraded the workshop to make it more Covid-safe and we have individual workbenches for everyone there.

“We’ve had people put through first aid training and we’ve ordered a defibrillator - which we hope we will never need to use but it’s important to have one.

“We’re building a training room on the back of the new shed which will be used for things like first aid training or presentations.

“We’re planning another open day early in the New Year to try and get people to come back.”

One of the aims of the Men’s Shed movement is to encourage people to talk and engage with others, in the hopes it will improve mental health.

Mick said: “If you’ve got somewhere to go that isn’t the pub or the bookies, it’s a great day out.”

To find out more about Men’s Sheds, and how you can get involved, go to menssheds.org.uk.