Black Mountain Shared Space Project is a cross community group based in Upper Springfield area.
Our project was delighted to assist in securing funding from NI Housing Executive’s Community Grants Programme alongside the Men’s Shed to purchase tools for this project. The tools were supplied by McIntyre’s Tools & Equipment, Belfast branch.
This facility provides space to socialise, learn new skills and assist them and their families with health and wellbeing, training, capacity and confidence building which supports them and their communities.
It is hoped that when the Gort na Móna Men’s Shed is fully up and running, training will be provided for the youth in the area to avail of much needed pre-employment skills. In our catchment neighbourhoods, there is persistent long-term unemployment.
The situation is further compounded by a lack of training opportunities and a culture of low academic expectations. Resultantly, the neighbourhoods have a much higher proportion of residents with no or low level qualifications; there is little or no opportunities for youth to get involved in hands on training in areas such as joinery, carpentry or environmental issues.
We believe this project is critical as there are many marginalised, isolated and disabled men who will integrate more and be able to offer their skills in carpentry, upcycling etc to the community, thus enabling them to realise their potential.
Quite a few of the men who are ready to offer their skills were previously employed in time served trades.
Having providing woodworking equipment, power tools, hand tools and a range of other equipment, McIntyre’s Tools & Equipment, Belfast branch, has supplied a great range of products to assist with these confidence and skill building exercises.
