An organisation aimed at supporting men is hoping to branch out to wider communities to help as many people as possible.

Having received feedback from the council and other support groups, the Men’s Shed in Rossendale decided to engage with several new groups throughout the community.

It is inviting people from all backgrounds with a particular focus on elderly Asian men, the LGBTQA+ community, people struggling with dementia and their carers, and young people.

Men’s Sheds are places for men to meet up, make friends, learn skills and take part in new activities to fight loneliness.

Andy Robinson, who runs the Men’s Shed, said: “At the moment we have got older middle-aged white men but there are other needs that we have identified out there.

“There is a need to work with carers and those suffering from dementia, there is also a need to engage people from the LGBTQ community who identify as masculine.

“It is using the money we get to put on new projects to put on for men from various different backgrounds and benefit as many people as possible.”

In East Lancashire, there are already Sheds in Blackburn, Burnley and Haslingden, but it also runs social groups across Rossendale in Bacup, Whitewell Bottom, Helmshore and Haslingden.

Andy added: “Men won’t talk about our problems. If I sat a group of men in a circle and said let's talk about how we feel they would be like 'no thanks see you later'.

“Their feedback is that they can talk to each other and share their experiences.

"They have had lots of mutual support from each other and there are lots of them that are friends outside of the men’s shed.”

The charity also focuses on providing men with life skills that are often forgotten when they lose partners.

These include cookery classes with teachers from Nelson and Colne College and Dad’s N Hair which teaches fathers how to do their daughter's hair.

On August 21, the group is hosting a Dad’s N Hair session at St Mary’s Chapel in Rawtenstall with the event including food, a bouncy castle and face painting.