Gosport Gang Show is back with a bang for its 39th annual showcase

The Gosport Gang Show is on all this week at Ferneham Hall in Fareham, about 300 people attended yesterday’s matinee performance.

The annual event – which started on Wednesday and will end tomorrow – is a celebration of all the good things about Scouting and Guiding.

The show gives children from all divisions of Scouting and Guiding in Fareham and Gosport the chance to showcase their talents and meet groups from other areas.

An array of activities which includes, dancing, acting and singing have been lined up throughout all the shows.

Angie Shepherdson, show organiser, said: ‘Every year we put a good show, but this year is a fantastic show, better than last year.

‘We have a lot of talented young men and women who have worked so hard and have been practising since September.’

It is the show’s 39th year and show producer Bill Reed praised the support they get from the community and volunteers every year.

He said: ‘The show started smoothly. We work as a team and we have had incredible support from everyone. Year after year our goal is to bring out the best out of the kids.

‘It is on these shows that people get to know what actually Scouting is about.’

One of the performers, Cullum Blake-Rowe, 11, a Scout from Fareham, said: ‘I like acting and singing. This helps me to prepare for what I want to do in future.’

Cullum’s sentiments were echoed by Abbie Lewis, an Explorer Scout.

Colin Miles, who comes to the shows every year, was watching yesterday’s performance.

He said: ‘I had a brilliant time. Every year I come to watch the kids performing. It’s something that keeps them occupied and off the streets.’

For some like Pat Brown, from Gosport, who brought her two grandchildren, Joshua, a Cub and Erin, a Beaver, to the show, it’s become a ‘family tradition’.

She said: ‘I brought my grandchildren to prepare them for an upright adult life. We all have gone through this process in the family.’

The remaining shows will include a gala dinner today and a matinee show tomorrow.

For more information go to gosportgangshow.co.uk. To buy tickets call 0845 224 5108.