Green TD Steven Matthews has called on Wicklow County Council, local community groups and business owners in Wicklow Town to join his search for a new premises for Wicklow Towns Mens Shed. The group, which has operated from the Pidgeon House Club building in Wicklow Town for many years, is now seeking a new home due to accessibility issues at their current location. Deputy Matthews has met this group both locally in Wicklow Town and in Leinster House and is urgently seeking local support to ensure that the Shed remains active.
“The lads in Wicklow Town Mens Shed are active, local people and are very eager to see the Shed continue as a vital social outlet in the community, particularly for older men in the area. Their current home had served them well over the years but unfortunately is no longer viable.
“I have met the group on several occasions and have been back and forth with them about a series of potential buildings and spaces in Wicklow Town over the summer with no luck so far. This included significant engagement with the Courts Service regarding some of the smaller buildings at the rear of Wicklow Town Courthouse but following an assessment they were deemed unsafe for public use.
“I am working with Wicklow County Council to try and find a suitable location for the Shed, but I am also calling on local community groups and business owners to support the search if they can. The group organisers fear that the longer this goes on, the more likely it is that the group will stop meeting.
“If anyone has any suggestions of a possible building or space in Wicklow Town, they can drop me an email and I will discuss it with the group organisers to see if it could be viable. It would be a huge shame to lose this community group as they play such an important role in the lives of members and contribute so much to the local community in Wicklow Town. I sincerely hope that we can find them a new home”, concluded Deputy Matthews.
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