Coleraine hen’s shed: How DIY classes for women are more than just practical

Jennie Templeton was first encouraged to go in 2025 by her doctor, who suggested it might help with her depression after her sister died.

That, coupled with her disability, meant she was finding it hard to get out of the house.

“There’s something about this place, I can use a mitre saw, a drill, various things I never used before and it makes you feel good, it makes you feel useful,” she said.

“They’re not just here to teach you something, they actually care and they’re there if you need to talk about anything.”

At the classes outside Coleraine, the current group of women are learning how to make a box planter.

On Wednesday, the workshop was filled with the sounds of saws and hammers, as well as laughter and banter.

Jennie said she had been putting her new practical skills to good use at home.

“Women are just as capable as men nowadays, look at all the trades you now have,” she said.

“We can do just as well if we put our mind to it and it shows us if we come here that we can do it.”