Purpose

This report presents an application for funding under the Council’s
Voluntary Sector Support Fund Programme.

 

An application for Voluntary Sector Support Funding has been received
from Fareham Men’s Shed for £446 towards focussed support from Community First
to review their current Business Plan, focussing on constructing new
purpose-built premises for the group.

 

This Charitable Incorporated Organisation’s aims are to ‘promote social
inclusion for the public benefit by preventing people (particularly, but not
exclusively, older men), within Fareham and the surrounding area, from becoming
socially excluded, relieving the needs of those people who are socially
excluded and assisting them to integrate into society through the provision of
facilities in which they can meet jointly or individually to undertake
creative, physical or recreational activities, learn or pass on skills and
knowledge and support each other socially’. 

 

They are a thriving organisation with 95 members currently and are based
at Titchfield Festival Theatre.

 

Due to the high demand to join Fareham Men’s Shed, the group are finding that
their current facilities no longer meet their needs, both in terms of the space
required and also in regards to
accessibility.  They are developing proposals to build new premises, and require a fully considered Business Plan to
understand the feasibility of any options and to apply for appropriate grants.

 

Their last official accounts from June 2025 listed funds of £52,650 which
they plan to use as a contribution towards the cost of the new building.

Decision

RESOLVED that the Executive
Member for Leisure and Community approves the
application to award £446 from the Voluntary Sector Support Fund to Fareham Men’s
Shed.