When Jenny Jessup first heard her name announced as the winner of the Graham Hewitt Volunteer of the Year Award, she felt something deeper than pride. It was a moment of honour, connection, and continuity - because she knew Graham. She had worked alongside him. She...

Aged 57, Gosport-born-and-bred entrepreneur Nick Millerchip has lived two careers already, and is now deep into his third. From the precision of helicopter engineering to the fast-paced world of IT, and now the thriving camper‑conversion business he runs from Daedalus...

There’s a warmth to Dolly’s Tea Room on Stoke Road that goes beyond the smell of fresh tea and coffee and homemade cakes. It’s in the conversations happening across the mismatched vintage tables. It’s in the hugs exchanged between regulars. It’s in the way the...

When you walk into My First Steps on Lee‑on‑the‑Solent High Street, you’re greeted not just by soft organic cottons and beautifully crafted wooden toys, but by the warmth of owner Jan Coupe, whose entire life has been shaped by one thing: people. “I’ve always been a...

When Sunrise Chimney Sweeps was announced as Best Independent Business at the March 2026 awards, the room erupted, but no one looked more stunned than its owner, Neil Jarrett, who still describes himself as “just the chimney sweep who pops in for an hour a year.” Four...

At first glance, it’s a simple set-up. A coffee van by the ferry terminal, early morning steam rising into the sea air, commuters grabbing a cup before the day begins. But spend five minutes with Chris Delin from The Daily Grind Coffee Van, and you realise this isn’t...

Re5 Customs: Restoring memories, one pair of trainers at a time Walk down Stoke Road and you’ll spot it instantly: a shop that feels part‑workshop, part‑museum, part‑nostalgia trip. The walls are lined with rare vintage trainers and there is a faint scent of leather...

For Andy Pringle, helping people start and grow their own businesses isn’t just a job, it’s a passion that has been decades in the making. Now a business adviser with IncuHive, commissioned by the council to deliver its Digital Peninsula Business Support Programme,...

Portchester resident Helen Ruff is preparing to launch a new series of artisan markets at the picturesque Royal Clarence Yard, but her impact on the local creative scene is already clear. Through networking events, and her locally focused lifestyle magazine, Flo’s...

If you spend any time around Gosport, chances are you’ve heard the name Les Heyhoe. And if you haven’t yet, you probably will soon. Les Hehoe lives in Elson, and for more than five decades he has been quietly, and sometimes very loudly, raising money for charities....