Lonely and isolated older men across Greater Manchester are being given the chance to socialise with like-minded people and gain new skills through a community project being launched next month.
The Men in Sheds Greenfield scheme is being run by Saddleworth and Lees Councils and Age UK Oldham, and is aimed at men 55 and over who are one of the one million older men who live alone in the UK.
The project hopes to help with issues that commonly affect older men such as redundancy, bereavement and disability, and give them a chance for them to get help and support in a social setting.
Chair of the Saddleworth and Lees District Partnership, Councillor Barbara Beeley, said: “It is common sense to use the existing skills of many of the local residents to help tackle isolation.
“This project will provide some positive and therapeutic activities in a friendly setting which benefits the whole community not just those who attend, and I hope that the project will be a great success.”
The workshop-based sessions will get participants learning new skills and improving existing ones.
A drop-in session will take place at the Satellite Centre, Wellington Road in Greenfield on July 25 from 10.30am until 3pm.
For more information about Men in Sheds or to book a place, call Age UK Oldham Project Co-ordinator Dave Freear on 0161 682 4747.
Picture courtesy of Beatrice Murch (blmurch) via Flickr, with thanks
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