Member's statement: Men's Sheds
Member's statement by Mr Paul Frew on .
- MLA
- Mr Paul Frew
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 21 October 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Men's Sheds
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5197199
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Men's Sheds are community initiatives that positively impact on the health and well-being of their members, their families and the wider community in which they reside. Men's Sheds promote social connectivity among their members and give attention to physical and mental health. They are spaces in which to learn and share skills, and they provide environments to combat social isolation and loneliness. They are vital for the men who use them. Men's Sheds are set up and run by volunteer members who support each other shoulder to shoulder and direct health information and personal development opportunities to the people who need them most. They provide significant social value and, by supporting one another, help to ease the burden and strain on the health service and other care systems and providers. Some of the most successful Men's Sheds in the country are in the North Antrim constituency and include Harryville, Ballycastle, Cloughmills, Portglenone, Martinstown, Cullybackey and Ballymoney. They are all supported by Groundwork NI, which, whilst it is based in north Belfast, supports Men's Sheds across the country. Men's Sheds not only offer traditional, skills-based activities, such as woodwork, and now technically advanced processes, such as laser cutting, as demonstrated by Harryville Men's Shed, but the Men's Sheds in North Antrim have active community engagement programmes that reach directly into the community. They include promoting healthy living, organising health fairs, horticultural sessions and food-growing initiatives through the gardening projects and polytunnels. They have established links with organisations and charities to bring further help and awareness on issues such as first aid courses and mental and emotional well-being sessions. The Men's Sheds, supported by Groundwork NI, provide platforms to collaborate on activities that engage with nature, sports, festivals, heritage, arts and culture and, importantly, fun. It is also important to recognise that Men's Sheds have become vehicles for change in our society, promoting inclusivity and cross-community action that is often overlooked by us all. Men's Sheds in North Antrim survive on the generosity of their members, community donations, small funding opportunities and charities to help them out. Groundwork NI, supported by the Public Health Agency, will continue to support the Men's Sheds in North Antrim, helping to build and grow the Men's Shed ethos and model to help others. Groundwork NI offers developmental training, funding and internal support to over 100 Men's Sheds in Northern Ireland.
394 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.03 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.03 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.25 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.55 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.24 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.12 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.05 |
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 0.03 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:31 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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