Gosport Community Support team thrilled to achieve registered charity status

A Hampshire organisation that works to support older and vulnerable people in Gosport and Lee-on-the-Solent has been granted official charitable status, giving a tremendous boost to everyone involved.

Gosport Community Support was established earlier this year, following the closure of a previous community project that had been serving the two towns since 1999. After 27 years of providing vital services to the local community, the news came as a blow to many.

But with the backing of a new group of volunteers, trustees and the wider community, it was decided to establish a new independent charity – Gosport Community Support – to continue providing vulnerable people with the vital support they needed.

Since May, the team have been working unpaid to rebuild, secure funding, establish policies and procedures, and get services running again.

It was recently announced that Gosport Community Support has been registered with the Charity Commission as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), and has received its own registered charity number.

Clare Shaw, operations and befriending lead at Gosport Community Support, said: ‘‘This is a huge milestone for us, particularly given everything we’ve had to achieve in such a short space of time. It means we now have a formally recognised, independent charitable organisation and a stronger foundation from which to apply for funding, develop our services and plan for the future.

‘‘Establishing our own charity has been an enormous challenge, but having our volunteers and the community rally round us has made every bit of it worthwhile.

‘‘Receiving our charity number felt like confirmation that all that hard work was paying off. But although we’ve saved the services from disappearing, we now need to secure their future. We’re determined that the people of Gosport won’t lose this support again.’’

Gosport Community Support helps the residents of Gosport and Lee in a number of ways, including befriending people who are lonely or socially isolated; helping residents navigate issues such as benefits, housing and health services; and assisting with transport needs.

Clare said: ‘‘Since restarting our services at the end of June, we’ve received more than 75 new referrals, demonstrating just how much these services continue to be needed.

‘‘With around 60 volunteers and approximately 100 service users, we’re already seeing the difference that maintaining these services has made. Our volunteers are absolutely central to everything we do, contributing thousands of hours of their time each year to support people who might otherwise have nobody to turn to.’’

Clare explained that she and her colleagues are hoping to find individuals and businesses who might consider donating £10, £30 or £50 a month.

She explained: ‘‘Having a reliable source of regular income would allow us to plan ahead with greater confidence, meet our ongoing running costs and focus more of our time on supporting the people who need us. Even a relatively small monthly donation can make a real difference when combined with the generosity of others.

‘‘We’re also keen to encourage people to get involved through volunteering. While we’re enormously proud of what we’ve achieved, we want to use this opportunity to help secure the charity’s long-term future.

‘‘We’ve been overwhelmed by the encouragement and generosity we’ve received since launching. We’re determined to build something that will be here for many years to come and benefit as many people as possible.’’

To find out more about Gosport Community Support, go online to www.gosportcommunity.org