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...
From property developer to business mentor: How Andy Pringle is helping Gosport’s entrepreneurs thrive
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,...
From markets to magazines: Helen Ruff’s mission to champion local creatives
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...
The man who turned fun into £12 million for good causes
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....
James Baggott: The entrepreneur who put Gosport on the map
Gosport has produced its fair share of characters, but few have shaped its modern story quite like entrepreneur, publisher and volunteer coxswain James Baggott. CEO of the Baize Group and founder of multiple award-winning businesses, James has built a national media...
A Slice of Vinyl: The couple spinning joy Into Gosport
If you wander down Stoke Road, past the cafés and the colourful independents, you’ll eventually stumble upon a little hub of music, laughter, and the unmistakable crackle of a record needle dropping. That’s A Slice of Vinyl, the forever home of Emma and Kieron Howes,...
Bringing wellness on wheels to Gosport: Meet Stu Benfield, the man behind Gosport’s new mobile ice bath and sauna truck
Gosport is about to welcome a bold new approach to wellbeing, and it’s arriving on four wheels. Thanks to local resident and community champion Stu Benfield, Gosport’s first-ever ‘mobile’ ice bath and woodfired sauna unit has launched, offering residents a wonderful...
Sew Tribal: How one Gosport maker is stitching confidence, creativity and community together
When you meet Carina, the founder of Sew Tribal, you instantly understand why children gravitate toward her classes. She radiates calm, warmth and a quiet belief that creativity belongs to everyone. Her workshops, now a cherished fixture in Gosport, are more than...
How the sweetest man in Gosport used one box of fudge to bring a town together
If you’re ever in and around Gosport on a Monday or Friday evening, you might just hear it before you see it, someone shouting across the road, “It’s the fudge man!” And there he is: Paul Lees, arms full of neatly labelled boxes and bags, smiling like he’s delivering...
The little bookshop keeping a community reading
If you’ve ever wandered down Lee-on-the-Solent’s high street and stepped into the cosy, colourful world of The Book Shop, you’ve already felt the warmth of Sarah Burrows’ dream. For Sarah, books aren’t just products on shelves, they’re lifelines, community builders,...