First Laois Women's Shed announced for Portlaoise

Portlaoise women are getting in on the fun of shed life, with the formation of Laois' first Women's Shed.

A public meeting to formally establish a Women’s Shed in Portlaoise will be held on Thursday, March 7 in the Parish Centre in Portlaoise at 7pm.

The meeting is being organised by three local women who have long felt the need for such a facility for the women of Portlaoise and surrounding areas. 

As with Men's Sheds, the aim is to provide a place for women with time on their hands to gather, make friends and share and learn skills they are interested in, all to support good mental health. 

Life Coach Anne Marie Allen, Cllr Thomasina Connell and retired newspaper editor Barbara Sheridan are the founders.

Their mission statement is simple: to provide a safe and welcoming place for women aged 18 and above to come together, connect, and support each other.

"We will offer a range of activities for everyone to enjoy, aimed at improving health and well-being through friendship and skill-sharing," Barbara told the Leinster Express / Laois Live. 

Run by volunteers, Women's Sheds are a non-profit charity focused on reducing isolation and fostering a community of kindness and support. 

Whether women are looking to learn new skills or simply make new friends, they are always welcome.

Anne Marie Allen who runs AMA Coaching is one of the three.

“I wanted to get involved in the establishment of the Women's Shed Portlaoise initiative with Thomasina and Barbara to unite local women through friendship, support and skill enhancement.”

“In my work as a county councillor in the Portlaoise area I frequently meet women who experience loneliness and isolation.  A Women’s Shed in our area would go a long way in tackling that social isolation for so many women in our community and provide a space where women can come together to socialise and make new friendships in a comfortable and safe environment,” said Cllr Connell.

“I’m keen to make the Women’s Shed inclusive and have something for women of all ages and from all walks of life, be it health programmes, arts and craft, knitting, a book club or just to join in for a cuppa,”  she added.

Barbara Sheridan, who retired last year, was surprised to find that Portlaoise, where she has lived for the past 18 years,  did not have a Women’s Shed.

“When I retired I went looking for groups and organisations to join and get involved in and having discovered there was no Women’s Shed in the town I decided to get involved with Anne Marie and Thomasina to set one up. 

“I believe there is a real need for one in the town and am confident that there are a lot of women out there of all ages and backgrounds who can contribute to and benefit from such an organisation.”

It is envisaged that the shed will meet once a week initially but its programme of activities and frequency of meetings will be driven by the membership. 

It’s early days but they have already registered the shed as a voluntary body and obtained their tax clearance certificate. They have also been successful in securing the community room in the new library in Portlaoise as a temporary home for the shed and have set up a Facebook page in the name of Portlaoise Women’s Shed. They have also applied for community funding to help get the shed up and running.

With that background work completed the next and most important step is to get the word out to the women in the area to welcome them on board at the open meeting in Portlaoise Parish Centre on Thursday 7 March at 7pm. 

Any woman who would like further details can email [email protected].