Gosport Shed appeals for new members as it gets going after the pandemic

The charity is in the St Vincent College campus and offers a friendly meeting place with workshop facilities, music groups and local or even international trips for its members.

Retirement can be damaging to a lot of people, as many are left vulnerable to isolation, illness and depression along with a lost sense of purpose.

The charity aims at offering retired men a place to pursue hobbies, interests and make new friends.

Since the start of the pandemic, the number of ‘shedders’ has dropped from around 160 to 133 and as a result the charity is appealing to welcome newcomers.

Roy Sparshott, a founding member said: ‘There’s still a lot of people in Gosport that don’t know about us and it’s about getting them across that threshold.

‘Anybody who joins here, if they’ve got any ideas about starting something just say so because we can do it.

‘You hear about people here that have had their wives pass away, they got lonely, depressed - we’ve probably got 20 guys like that, they come down here and suddenly they’ve got a family.

‘We’ve got guys of all walks of life, we’ve got two naval captains, we’ve got a senior army officer, a guy that headed a big financial institution in London, then we’ve got guys that spent all of their lives digging ditches - we’ve got everybody.’

New members can pay £1 to visit the shed for up to a week, with unlimited tea and coffee. If they would like to join, the full membership fee costs £60 per year.

Julian Rees, another ‘shedder’ added: ‘We’ve got a lovely group of fellas, we’re all from different walks of life and we all rub along together.

‘It’s a lifeline, a lot of chaps have lost their wives and they might be isolated - it is a sort of safety net, gives them an excuse to leave the house in the morning.

‘Definitely come along, doesn’t matter whether you just want a cup of tea, do a jigsaw, have a game of snooker or if you want to get involved in a community project.’

If you would like to find out more information, visit the Gosport Shed’s website thegosportshed.org

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