After what has been a most challenging 18 months, the Déise Women’s Shed are back with a bang.
The ladies are currently meeting in the Fusion Centre for tea, coffee and camaraderie.
While some members are not ready just yet to take the leap back into activities, the wheels remain in motion to make the coming twelve months the brightest of the bunch so far at the Shed.
We caught up with the committee of Yvonne Sheehan, Mary Kelly, Eileen Dwyer-Proctor, Eleanor Sandford, Kathleen Wallace and Mairéad Duggan to talk the here and now, Pride of Place, and plans to find a permanent home.
On an otherwise quiet Tuesday morning in the foothills of Quans, the laughter emanating from the Fusion Centre could be heard all around.
'Great to be back'
Yvonne Sheehan told WLR that it’s fantastic to be back meeting one another again.
“It’s great to be back. We’re back in the Fusion Centre, which is brilliant. It’s bright, it’s large and it’s airy. We’re all very comfortable here. We have a good group back - we’re delighted to have between 25-30 members back. Everyone is delighted to be back meeting up again.”
Yvonne admits that an anxiousness remains among some of the elder members of the group to return to pre-Covid levels of activity, and the comfort of the group remains paramount above all.
“There’s a few that haven’t come back and it’ll probably be after the 22nd of October that they will return - but there would be a nervousness there still.”
Lockdown would have been the aptest of excuses to lay idle for the ladies, but they simply would not allow it. Despite being apart, the Shed moved digital in a bid to remain together.
Deise Women's Shed commitee members Mary Kelly, Yvonne Sheehan, Eileen Dwyer-Proctor and Kathleen Wallace with a Christmas window they decorated in Grattan Square during lockdown.
PRO, Mary Kelly says that Zoom and WhatsApp proved vital in keeping everybody connected as best they could.
“That was a big juncture for us as we closed down. We wanted to keep the group together as much as we could. All of us had to learn to use Zoom and use WhatsApp. We had 79 members in our WhatsApp group. Some came in, some came out. It was fantastic that day could connect during the lockdown as such. We put affirmations up every day, there was chat with one another, and a lot of funny things went on there as well!”.
For some, they felt even more at home on digital platforms - as it allowed them more of a chance to come out of their shell.
“It’s amazing how you think you know somebody. On WhatsApp, they felt more comfortable. We got to know some people much better, and some of them are right characters altogether. That’s just WhatsApp - we also have our Facebook page as well. We also used our local papers to connect. We did a lot during lockdown. As a committee, we were very busy. We were conscious of the need to keep the group together, the anxiety of Covid was very high among some.”
Activities
Among the many activities and ventures undertaken amid the pandemic were knitting blankets of hope for cancer patients, providing toys to sick children, and painting by numbers.
Eileen Dwyer-Proctor was one of those who participated in painting by numbers, and she had many a funny story to tell.
“We got the painting by numbers. Gail brought them up and I felt like a drug dealer one day! We met in the car park in Dunnes Stores and she was taking them out of her boot, I was putting them back into my boot… so, we distributed to the members. We used to meet in the Square or down in the Lookout, to collect the painting by numbers. It was a lovely achievement.”
What was highlighted particularly by Covid-19 was the need for people to have connectivity and a social outlet. Many rural people were isolated and without the connection that we need. The committee recognised that not everybody was the most tech-savvy, and did what they could to accommodate and check in with everybody.
“Some people aren’t very tech-concerned or not great where phones are concerned - so we have the Shed phone as well”, said Mary.
“There were some members who we couldn’t connect with on WhatsApp or Facebook, so we connected with them every week through the shed phone to make sure that they were ok. That worked very well. We actually have new members as well. We were contacted during the lockdown by people asking if they could join. The group has six new members in the last two weeks and more members to join as well. It’s all been very positive.”
Right now, it’s all about easing back into the swing of things. Eleanor Sandford says there’s plenty in the pipeline in terms of plans to come.
“All through the lockdown, they continued with their blankets. They’ve continued with that in the mornings when they arrive in - but most people have just got together at the start and got chatting. You couldn’t hear yourself with the chatting going on and the cups of tea. We have things coming up like chair yoga and other activities that we’re hoping to start in the next few weeks.”
Pride of Place & Finding A Home
A wonderful opportunity will present itself for the Déise Women’s Shed soon, as they go to represent Waterford in the Pride of Place Awards. The hair and make-up appointments are already booked, and Yvonne Sheehan says it’s a brilliant thing for the group.
“It’s brilliant. It’s kind of a huge occasion for us. Representing our county at national level, and all the women in the Déise Women’s Shed as well. Hopefully, we will have pride of place when we do get it.”
The adjudicating will take place on October 8th in the Civic Offices in Dungarvan. The committee and Kevin Moynihan will make presentations to the two adjudicators on site.
Sitting in the Fusion Centre, a lovely facility no doubt, the committee did admit that despite that - it would be amazing to have a place that they could call their own.
Fundraising efforts are currently underway to help build a home for the Shed, after they were gifted a site right beside the Dungarvan Men’s Shed. However, it will cost a significant amount of money for the project to come to fruition.
Mairéad Duggan says having a place would take a lot of stress away, but it would also open windows of opportunity to others.
“It would be lovely. There’s so many of us here and we’re a big group. We have to bring stuff in every day, bring it home and have storage for it. Then, if we do get our shed - which we will - we’re going to be able to leave other community groups come into it so they can use it. There are several other groups that I know of that meet in a room or somebody’s house for instance, and we can help them. The Men’s Shed have all gotten grants with the last six months or so, but we can’t get any of that because we’re not recognised yet. That has made us stronger to just go ahead and do this. We’ve got fantastic support from several people, but we need the support from government for all the different umbrellas to be recognised.”
Mary Kelly explained what has been undertaken to date in terms of raising funds.
Yvonne Sheehan and Mary Kelly on site with builders where it is hoped the Deise Women's Shed will be built.
“To be recognised is a huge thing. We have a GoFundMe page on our Facebook as well. We are incredibly grateful to all the people who have contributed so far. However, corporate funding really is the way to go for us. It’s ok to have the site there, but what we have to put on it is going to cost the money. You’re talking anywhere in the region of €100,000 up. We have an engineer on board at the moment, and he’s €8,000. €8,000 which we don’t have. It’s very overwhelming when you think of it like that. With support, we have a great committee on board and we’re taking baby steps at the moment. We need the help of our organisations in our county so that we can have a permanent home for women and that we importantly would be recognised as a group.”
Friendship
The question was put to the committee - “What would you say to anyone who was wanting to join a Women’s Shed?”.
The answer was simple. It’s the friends that you make, said Kathleen Wallace.
“It’s the friends you make. A lot of these women are from the country, now they meet and they meet outside the Shed. They go for lunch, go for breakfast in the morning. They go for their walks. They’re no longer isolated. A lot of them would have been on their own, especially during Covid.”
Members at the Fusion Centre in Dungarvan on Tuesday morning last.
The point was emphasised that it’s imperative for people to socialise, and to have connectivity - as at present it’s easy to feel both isolated and peripheral.
Recently, a member told the group of what coming to the Shed means to her. It was something that makes every ounce of effort worthwhile.
“One of the members said that before the Women’s Shed came, she would actually just stay in bed in the mornings”, said Mairéad.
“She’d have nothing to get up for. She thanked us for being ‘such a lovely bunch of women’, saying it gets her up in the morning - so that alone is a lot.”
Community
Yvonne believes such statements prove that there is a need in the local communities for groups like the Déise Women’s Shed.
“I think it’s proved that there has been a need in the community for this. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have got the numbers that we have. As Mairéad and the rest of the committee were saying - when we do get our shed, it won’t be just the Déise Women’s Shed. It will be under our umbrella. It’ll be a women’s hub for other communities in the town that want to avail of it. We are women supporting women in our community. That’s what it’s about.”
You can be any age to join the Shed at present - with the current group mainly between mid-50s to mid-80s. There are other groups in the town that want to create a younger group under the Women’s Shed umbrella. They will be coined ‘The Shedettes’ when all comes to plan.
Looking around the centre on Tuesday morning, there was people taking part in arts and crafts, and all sorts. These are things that they would have never previously devoted time to or considered.
Eleanor Sandford believes the group provides something for everyone.
“Some people have only learned to crochet since they joined the Shed. They’re making fabulous blankets now. Some people don’t like knitting. They have their tea, their coffee and their chat, and we have yoga coming up soon. There’s lots of other events. It’s not all knitting and crocheting. We’re much bigger than blankets. People find their own feet when they get here.”
In a nutshell, the Déise Women’s Shed can only be described as a wonderfully welcoming, accommodating and warm group.
The laughter, spirit and happiness among the ladies is evident for all to see. While the group will represent Waterford in Pride of Place, Waterford should be proud to have groups like these in our communities.
