About

Who We Are

Level Up Gosport (LUPG) is a charity that supports young adults aged 18 – 25 years with additional needs, mental health challenges, anxiety or are neurodivergent.

Our charity helps young people to gain self-respect and confidence through community volunteering with local businesses, charities, organisations, and group activities. Many of our youth volunteers have successfully secured employment after participating in LUPG.

Our Vision

Our strategic aim is to enable these young individuals to transition to independence, form meaningful friendships and secure sustainable employment opportunities.

Our Mission

We believe in the limitless potential of young people, seeing them as key to a brighter future for our community. We are committed to equity and inclusion, ensuring that everyone, regardless of identity, background or disability, has the opportunity to reach their full potential, strengthening our community.

…We are very honoured and delighted in 2023 to have been given the Kings Award for Voluntary Service (KAVS), which is equivalent to an MBE for charities.

Meet The Team

Sophie Goddard

Support Worker

Ana Vadiga

Office Administrator

Angela Davey

Allotment Support Worker

Mary Ive

Chair of Trustees, Secretary & Grant Writer

Diane Furlong

Trustee – HR Lead

Susan Wright

Trustee – WEXi Coordinator & Safeguarding Lead

Councillor Thomas Finn

Treasurer

Andy Newbold

Trustee – Lead Photography & Media Consultant

Young Person Representative (Co-opted)

This position is currently awaiting a vote by our Youth Volunteers

The Story So Far

Explore the story of Level Up Gosport and some key things we’ve achieved in our recent years.

2024

We were honoured & delighted to have been awarded the Kings Award for Voluntary Service. A Trustee, plus one of our young people were invited to a glorious Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace.
Our young people participated in various workshops with Itchen College, including learning how to pitch in a “Dragons’ Den” style workshop; plus taking part in various cooking and employability skills training.
Our young people donated and delivered some yummy chocolate eggs to their chosen place: Children’s Services, in Gosport
Our young people participated in Health & Safety & First Aid in the Workplace training (gaining certificates), plus Communities Against Cancer re-fresher training.
Our young people volunteered at our community allotment – clearing, tidying, digging and sowing; creating a bumper crop of produce.

2023

Our Project Leader was nominated to receive a Police Crime & Commissioner Award for “Community Volunteer of the Year” & one young person was nominated to receive the Gosport “Youth Award.”
Our young people launched their local community Board Games & Crafts Events – which are ongoing
Our young people donated and delivered some yummy chocolate eggs to their chosen place: Children’s Services, in Gosport.
Many of our youth volunteers participated in WEXi programmes at HiQ Tyres & Autocare; The Carisbrooke Arms; the Hub4Stuff and Gosport Community Cinema.

2022

Gardening at Thorngate Halls: where our youth volunteers completely renovated the overgrown gardens and made them neat and tidy for visitors to enjoy.
Stokes Bay Healthy Eating Project BBQ: where our youth volunteers were encouraged to choose healthy BBQ eating options and enjoyed a game or two of rounders in the sunshine.
My Favourite Place: Photography Project: our youth volunteers worked alongside Gosport Cultural Consortium, interviewing and photographing local Gosport residents to find out where their favourite places were in the locality. The photographs were put on display at The Discovery Centre in Gosport.
Gosport Waterfront Festival, which is a music festival highlighting local and national talent – where our youth volunteers met the stars of East 17, & also got the chance to become stewards for the day – learning valuable employability skills. The organisers were very grateful for our support, as they had been let down on the day by some volunteers and would have struggled without our help.
Gosport Rotary Club: Annual Car Rally at Stokes Bay – our youth volunteers were involved in stewarding, ticket checking, keeping the venue clean and tidy, plus helped with general inquiries from the public. We received the following feedback afterwards, please see below:

Our Allotment

Level Up Gosport cultivate their own allotment, a venture which regularly attracts up to eight youth volunteers a week, where they learn horticultural skills with the aim of becoming 100% organic and sustainable. The older allotment holders enjoy engaging with, giving advice and exchanging produce with the young people.

…In 2021 our charity came 2nd Place in a competition for the best allotment…