When Wendy first walked through the doors of the Gosport property that would become her second herbal medicine clinic, it wasn’t the high street frontage that captured her imagination. It was the garden. A large, enclosed, almost storybooklike walled garden that...
How one Gosport artist turned her passion into a global story
Tracy’s artwork has wandered far beyond Gosport, popping up in shops, studios, and homes across the globe, but she never forgets where it came from. Her designs are pure Gosport at heart, bursting with waterfront views, familiar landmarks, and the kind of local charm...
Vanguard Comics: The Stoke Road shop with a Superhero heart
If you wander down Stoke Road on a bright Gosport morning, past the artists’ studios and the giant dog mural keeping watch, you’ll eventually find a shop that feels a bit like stepping into someone’s imagination. That someone is Mark Bennett: comic lover, Warhammer...
Stronger Together: How two friends built a lifeline for Gosport’s over 50s and veterans
Riah Bunce devoted herself to charity work with FirstLight Trust, supporting veterans and armed forces families. But when it suddenly closed its doors in December 2024, she felt something deeper than shock, she felt responsibility. “The charity was closing but the...
From best friends to landladies -the women steering The Jolly Roger into a new era
When Melissa Cross and Pru Hennessey first met 33 years ago, waitressing in Hayling Island, neither imagined that one day they’d be running a waterfront pub. But that’s the thing about Melissa and Pru. Their story is stitched together with instinct, bravery, and a...
How Clare turned her passion into Gosport’s Best Independent Business
When Clare Woodford opened The Raw Pet Deli in Hardway in September 2023, she wasn’t just starting a business; she was following her heart. Just a year and a half later, her passion for pet health and nutrition was recognised when the deli was crowned Best Independent...
From cell to community champion: the man that is inspiring others to be seen and heard
Locked in a cell for up to 22 hours a day at HMP Belmarsh, Duke Harrison-Hunt shared a concrete room with a man he had never met. In that bleak space, while watching his Muslim cellmate pray five times a day, he found light in one of the darkest places imaginable. “I...
Thinking your way to a better life: How Gosport’s Alison Allsopp is bringing Philosophy to the heart of the community
When was the last time you paused and asked yourself why you do what you do every day? For Gosport resident, Alison Allsopp, that question isn’t just philosophical - it’s her way of life. Alison has lived in Gosport since the 1980s, moving to the area at the age of 23...
When the tide turns: How Gosport shaped Anna’s journey of resilience and purpose
Gosport isn’t just a dot on the map; it’s a town with salt in its veins and resilience in its soul. For Anna Wardley, who is originally from Sheffield and moved to Gosport in 2006, this coastal community has been the backdrop to a life defined by endurance, purpose,...
Drawing Gosport’s story: How visual facilitator Emma Paxton brings ideas to life
In a world overflowing with typed minutes and online slides, Gosport stands out for its people who quietly make a difference, and one of them does it with pens, paper, and a burst of creativity. Meet Emma Paxton, the visual facilitator who turns conversations into...