Chelsey St. Pierre – The Suburban LJI Reporter

Danny Williams, founder of the Lac Brome Men’s Shed — a group of men who gather to do Shed work and community work — moved to the Pointe-Claire area where he intends to kickstart a West Island branch of Men’s Shed.

“There is a phenomenal interest in the Men’s Shed and the West Island seems to be a good fit for this kind of organization,” Williams told The Suburban

Despite its name, the Shed, originally created to boost mental and physical health and create a sense of community support, is also open to women and to youth for certain activities. “We work a lot in community events and school events, which is where the kids tend to join in with their families,” Williams explained.

Participants develop skills learned from their host and from each other while they collaborate on projects agreed on by the group.

The activities are not limited to shed work. The members volunteer for community projects, participate in social games like pool or foosball, attend boating, fishing trips, cooking classes, golfing and more.

The initiative was launched by Williams when he came upon a global trend that began in Australia in the late ‘90s for men to share their shed time socializing with others in the community to help alleviate feelings of loneliness.

“Whatever creeps up in the community where people need help is where we get involved. For example, we had a family with no water at home for months, so we repaired their pipes. We’ve helped seniors with moving. We do all kinds of things.”

Williams hopes to extend his program to help community organizations, contribute to school programs and raise funds for local organizations in need, such as food banks.

The Pointe-Claire branch is currently looking for a suitable space in the Pointe-Claire area to conduct its activities. “I am looking into a few suggestions. It’s just a matter of time,” Williams explained. n