Every Tuesday and Thursday in a shed in Caldbeck a group of men are hard at work.

They make raised flowerbeds, dovecotes, awards trophies and other woodworking items.

They’ve also restored an old 1963 Royal Enfield motorcycle so that it works again. And this week they erected the village’s 15ft Christmas tree.

The overall impression is one of enjoyment.

“Put six or seven guys together and there’s bound to be a bit of banter,” says Rob Orchard, one of the group. “We always have a laugh and a joke. And laughter is the best medicine of all.”

Indeed, for some of them, it may well be an alternative to medicine. The group is called “Men in Sheds” and its members come together twice a week to work on a joint project, pursue one of their own, or just enjoy a chat, a laugh and a cup of tea.

Above all it’s an opportunity to get out more. Ken Graham, who leads the group, points out that getting out more brings definite physical health benefits.

According to research, isolation and loneliness pose a serious health risk – and it is the elderly who are most at risk from them. They are as dangerous as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and worse than obesity.

Now doctors in Scotland are trying to combat it with what’s called “social prescribing ”. Instead of prescribing medicines they’re prescribing cookery classes, volunteering, sport, gardening, arts activities, night classes or anything that gets older people out meeting others.

They may or may not involve physical exercise – but they’re still good for you, by removing that harmful isolation.

“Some of the lads might not confess to it, but they can be lonely,” Ken says. “But they get a lot out of the group, I can assure you. It’s a difficult thing to measure, but you just have to watch what they do. There’s a lot of good camaraderie.”

And that makes them healthier as well as happier. Ken is a retired consultant physician himself, and says: “I’ve no doubt it’s beneficial.

“When the group started I spoke to a few local GPs and asked whether they wanted to refer people to us, and they were very receptive to it.”

Rob, from Melmerby, is also convinced. He is an active 76-year-old and an Eden District councillor. He has also been a widower since late last year.

“I meet people through my council work but I miss conversations with just normal people,” he says. So a bereavement counsellor recommended Men in Sheds.

“When you’re bereaved there’s a great tendency to bury yourself away.

“This is a chance to meet people and mix with people and I think that’s so important.”

Does it actually improve your physical health?

If the idea of taking up sport seems too strenuous, then staff at Carlisle United offer a gentle alternative: walking football.

Around 20 over-50s come along to the sessions at Brunton Park every Tuesday and Friday afternoons, and are divided into six or seven-a-side teams.

It’s exactly the same as the standard game, explains community manager John Halpin - but with no running, only walking. “The most difficult thing is to make sure nobody runs!” he says.

It can be taken seriously and treated competitively, with walking football leagues and fixtures against other teams. “I’m the referee,” he adds. “I get all the abuse.

“But the social side of it’s as important as the football side. Afterwards there’s always a cup of tea and biscuits. If it’s someone’s birthday they’ll bring a cake in.

“Some of the lads didn’t have anything to do before. Now they have nights out together, go to quizzes and so on.”

So John feels sure it improves physical health. “Apart from the exercise, it gets the old grey matter working. You are not sitting at home brooding – you are out and about. That can only be beneficial. It does you a world of good.”

To Jo Radcliffe, it stands to reason that socialising is good for your health.

Jo is resource manager with Age UK in Carlisle and Eden, responsible for the weekly lunch clubs across the area.

There are four in Carlisle, two in Penrith, two in Appleby and one in Kirby Stephen – plus a weekly coffee morning in Alston.

The obvious health benefit is a hot meal. But the other, Jo finds, is just as obvious.

“Imagine if you have lost all your family and friends, you can’t get out of your house, and the only company you have is the radio and TV and a carer who flits in and out.

“People come here and they go away much happier than when they arrive.

“We guarantee that.”

Most of the regular attenders are the older pensioners – those aged 75 and above – who sometimes have mobility problems.

And they face other obstacles. Bus services have been cut back severely and Jo points out: “Taxis are very dear. They have to go a long way to pick someone up from Alston and take them to Penrith.

“Our oldest lady, who comes to a lunch club in Penrith, is 105. All her family and friends are dead and the only social contact she has is with our group.

“People feel a lot better than if they are stuck at home, thinking about all the things that are wrong with them. We give them something else to think about.

“They are meeting up with people of the same age, with some of the same interests.

“Even if they don’t live near each other they may have gone to the same school and will find they have things in common.”

Age UK in west Cumbria is tackling isolation and loneliness among the old with a scheme called “community connections”.

A team of 10 community connectors – whose job is to help clients get out and about and socialising – cover different parts of the west of the country, from Millom to Wigton.

“There are people who are referred to us by family members, or by themselves, or by health professionals,” explains Sandra Dempsey, the community connector who covers Whitehaven.

“It can be anyone who believes they would benefit from more social interaction, to improve their health and their life generally.”

She adds: “It will take pressure off the health service. The more people we can reach and introduce to social activities and other people, the happier they are.

“And if people are happy and fulfilled and included, they are less likely to go to the doctor or take up hospital beds.”

Is loneliness a growing problem? “It appears to be,” Sandra says. “The community connectors are very, very busy.”