Meet the Newtownabbey community group that has become "a lifesaver" for older men in the area who are suffering from mental health issues and loneliness.
The Newtownabbey Men's Shed, run by Karen Tufts and Gordon Neale, has become a haven for men in the community to follow their passions while feeling like they belong.
When Karen was approached by Antrim and Newtownabbey Council to step in for a short period after the Men's Shed has lost their funding and would be forced to close, she never expected that three years on she would call the group her "home from home".
Speaking to Belfast Live, Gordon said: "Just over three years ago, I took over the chairmanship and I went to the council and told them this project would fail and that we needed help - the men here weren't up to speed with the likes of paperwork and I said I needed help.
"Luckily enough, we got Karen for a short lend of a couple of weeks and she's been with us ever since. It was Karen and her husband George's help that kept the place going."
Newtownabbey Men's Shed was established in May 2016 with four or five initial members and operated out of the Valley Business Centre before Karen secured funding to allow them to relocate to a bigger premises during lockdown.
Karen said: "Whenever we opened up again, we had dropped down to around 35 members and it was sad to see but now we are back up to 51 members so it's growing again.
"The Men's Shed was set up for older men who are in that bracket where they find it harder to socialise and make friends and give them somewhere to come and meet people while learning new skills - it was set up to deal with mental health."
After an accident left Karen unable to work, she experienced her own mental health problems which was part of the reason she was so determined to get the Men's Shed back off the ground as she understood its importance to the members.
"Even in my own experience, I found where I had lost all confidence, the Shed has brought us all on and I got my life again and found myself enjoying things again," Karen added.
Another part of the reason why Karen's heart is so invested in the community group is that she lost her own father to suicide when she was 24.
She continued: "I know the impact that mental health has on people and the Shed is great for that and getting people out of isolation and we really are one big family.
"Even outside of the Shed, we all ring each other and check up with each other and if anyone has something going on, we all pull together so that we are all there for them - it's home from home."
Gordon added: "We've had a few people affected by suicide or depression come to us and you can see from when they come to the door that the light has gone from their eyes and they are just looking for someone to help them.
"After a couple of months here, you can see them come back to themselves."
The Newtownabbey Men's Shed aims to offer every opportunity for its members - whether it just having a friendly face to chat to or a creative projects woodworking to 3D printing.
Karen said: "We were able to secure laptops off the House Executive so that we could upskill some of the guys as well who hadn't got any computer skills and that was a blessing during lockdown.
"It really helped with the isolation as people still had contact which was brilliant."
"We try cover everything - copper work, leather work, pyrography, artwork. We do electronic classes which are a total geg because when one person gets it to work, it's a miracle," Gordon continued.
"We also do a lot of work for the community with the likes of the schools and the children's hospice."
Both Karen and Gordon called the Men's Shed "a lifesaver" for a number of their members.
Karen said: "Whenever I came here, there were queues outside the door somedays because they just needed someone to chat to and if I could identify anything that is going on with them, I could link them to support they maybe didn't have before.
"To see how far it has reached and how much it has grown in such a short period of time is amazing. I think its that sense of not wanting to let the guys down as you know how important it is to them and that gives you the passion to keep going."
Gordon added: "It is very open and when I bring guys in, I tell them about myself you find they will talk to you about what problems they have too and brings everything out into the open which makes it a lot easier for them."
Not only have Karen and Gordon witnessed the importance of the group in the wider Newtownabbey community, the members also shared their appreciation of the Men's Shed, with one remarking that "it gives me a purpose in life".
Another member David added: "Whenever I first came here, I was very shy but now I have opened up.
"I enjoy the company - I can come in here and work on the 3D computer and do the brass work and if someone wants to learn how to do the pictures, I will teach them."
Discussing the future of the Men's Shed, Karen said: "We have a passion for our community and the Men's Shed has that stigma of being for older men and we want to break that so we have opened the doors for anyone over the age of 18 and we are looking to get some younger guys in because there are people here who have amazing skills to pass on."
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