Men's health in alternative spaces: exploring men's sheds in Ireland

Men often struggle to find or gain access to meaningful health services. Despite, or because of this trend, men are increasingly seeking out alternative sources of support for their wellbeing. Global health conversations and policies are calling for a greater awareness of men's heath issues, uptake of gender-sensitive strategies and integration of community and voluntary sectors. Men's Sheds, which are community and volunteer-run spaces for men, are increasing in popularity for men across Ireland. This study aimed to investigate men's experiences as members of Men's Sheds and the relationship between their involvement in the Shed and their wellbeing. Qualitative methods including: semi-structured interviews, focus groups and observations were used with men (n = 27) from five different Sheds across Ireland. Findings suggest that key features of Shed participation (i.e. using and developing new skills, feeling a sense of belonging, supporting and being supported by peers, and contributing to community) contribute to men's overall wellbeing as well as men's buy-in or support for Men's Sheds. Despite support for Men's Sheds, negotiating membership, funding and boundaries of peer support remain persistent challenges that threaten the sustainability of Shed space and membership. Future work that examines opportunities for meaningful collaboration between Sheds and surrounding community services could help provide more pathways for men to access support without compromising the integrity and intentionality of Sheds as peer-run spaces.