Empowerment tools - how DIY classes for women are more than just practical

Learning how to put up a shelf or repair garden furniture might be practical, but one group of women taking DIY classes say it can be much more than just a means to an end.

Men's sheds - spaces for men to get together and learn or develop their practical skills while enjoying a sense of community - have become increasingly common in recent years.

But the organisers of a "hen's shed" have said they have been delighted at the uptake from women wanting to do the same.

The women taking part in classes say getting to grips with power tools and joinery is empowering, good for their mental health and has a whole host of other benefits.

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."

Ciara McCullagh is another returning participant after taking part in 2025 and has also been using her new skills at home, with plans to repair her garden gate next on the list.

"It's just really empowering, absolutely empowering knowing that you have the confidence to handle these tools," she said.

"Everybody's a bit lacking in DIY skills these days but there's probably more fellas growing up knowing a wee bit more about it.

"It's very slowly starting to change, with the rise of DIY people on Instagram and the likes there are loads of females out there doing it now and they're very inspiring to watch.

"My daughter is 16 and I've been helping her start to use power tools and I'm hoping maybe at some point she'll be the right age to come along."

The hen's shed is organised by mental health charity Ashes to Gold, which first started DIY classes for women who were survivors of domestic violence.

Some were struggling with DIY after moving into their new homes and felt uncomfortable asking people to come into their houses to do work for them.

Those classes expanded and the current project had 500 applicants, meaning the original plan to run a year-long project was changed to a series of four-week courses to allow as many women as possible to take part.

Women from all backgrounds with a range of motivations for getting involved are now taking part.

Alison McCloskey, charity manager at Ashes to Gold, said the most rewarding thing at the end of the each set of classes was seeing how women had developed their skills.

"Women are coming and telling us what they're doing at home and that they can do it themselves, and saying 'that saved me X amount of pounds'," she said.

"The feeling of achievement, the feeling of empowerment, of being able to do something yourself without having to ask anybody, for me that's what it's about."

Alison said it also equipped women to know more about what to expect if they had tradespeople come to do work for them.

"We had a woman here who was charged over £500 to get a fence post fixed," she said.

At each class, instructor Stephen Forde runs through with participants what they will be doing that day, before offering help and guidance and answering whatever questions come his way.

The former primary school teacher who enjoys "messing about" building things also volunteers in the charity's garden.

"It gives these women a sense of achievement, it gives them a bit of confidence and confidence and experience will go together," he said.

"They get a real buzz out of it and we get a real buzz out of having them here.

"DIY gives you a tremendous sense of achievement and that's good for your headspace.

"If you're doing these things and you're achieving something it'll stand you in a really good stead."