Gosport Let's Have a Brew!
Gosport, Let’s Have a Brew was a co-produced community heritage project exploring the stories, memories and connections that can begin over something as simple as a cup of tea.
Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund through the Gosport Heritage Generator programme delivered by Hampshire Cultural Trust, the project invited local people to explore Gosport’s heritage through conversation, creativity and shared experiences.
Using blackout poetry and creative workshops, participants reflected on themes including identity, belonging, community and everyday life. Tea became both the theme and the starting point. Familiar and accessible, it opened up conversations about memories, routines, relationships and local culture.
Workshops took place across Gosport at Your Space, Elson Library, St Faith's, Two Saints, Headway Portsmouth & South-East Hampshire and ADHD&U. The final exhibition was held at Your Space, bringing together the poems, artwork and reflections created throughout the project.
The project focused on making heritage accessible and participatory, particularly for people who may not usually engage with traditional heritage activity. By combining creativity with conversation, Gosport, Let’s Have a Brew created a space where personal stories and shared experiences became part of a wider community archive. ☕
Co-production
Gosport, Let’s Have a Brew was shaped through co-production from the very beginning. Rather than creating a project for the community, the project was developed with the people taking part.
A small core group helped guide the direction of the project, exploring themes, planning activities and contributing ideas about how the final exhibition should look and feel. Together, the group made decisions about the creative process, selected themes and reflected on what stories and experiences felt important to share.
The exhibition itself was also co-curated, with participants helping to shape how the work was displayed and experienced by visitors. This collaborative approach ensured the project reflected the voices, creativity and lived experiences of the people involved throughout every stage of the process.
The Workshops
Creative workshops took place across Gosport in partnership with local organisations and community spaces. Sessions welcomed people from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, creating opportunities for connection, creativity and conversation.
Using blackout poetry as a starting point, participants explored memories, identity, community and everyday rituals connected to tea and social connection. The workshops focused on accessibility and participation, encouraging people to engage creatively in ways that felt comfortable and meaningful to them.
Each session contributed new voices, perspectives and creative responses to the growing archive of poems, stories and artwork that became part of the final exhibition.☕️
The great tea debate
No conversation about tea would be complete without debating the “right” way to make it.
Throughout the project, participants shared their opinions, habits and strongly defended methods for making the perfect cup of tea. These responses became part of both the workshops and the project’s social media campaign, sparking conversation and inviting more people to engage with the project.
From milk-first versus tea-first debates to discussions about brewing time, favourite mugs and biscuit choices, these contributions highlighted how something so everyday can still hold personal meaning, memories and identity.
The poetry
Blackout poetry became the creative heart of the project.
Using existing texts, participants selected and removed words to reveal new poems hidden within the page. This simple but powerful process allowed people to explore thoughts, feelings, memories and experiences in an accessible and creative way.
Many participants had never written poetry before, yet the process encouraged reflection, experimentation and self-expression without the pressure often associated with traditional writing. The poems created throughout the project capture moments of humour, connection, nostalgia and honesty, forming an important part of the project’s shared archive.
The places
Tea is often connected to place as much as people.
As part of the project, participants shared their favourite places in Gosport to enjoy a cup of tea, meet friends, take a moment of quiet or simply feel connected to the community around them. These responses celebrated the everyday spaces that hold meaning in people’s lives.
From cafés and community spaces to kitchens, gardens and seafront benches, the project highlighted how ordinary places can become important through memory, routine and shared experience.
The Exhibition
The final exhibition at Your Space brought together the poems, artwork, conversations and creative responses developed throughout the project.
Designed collaboratively with participants, the exhibition celebrated both the creative outcomes and the relationships formed during the process. Visitors were invited not only to view the work, but also to reflect on their own memories, routines and connections linked to tea, conversation and community.
The exhibition transformed personal stories and creative expression into a shared community experience, demonstrating how heritage can be created collectively through everyday lives and voices.
The Memories
Throughout the project, people shared stories and memories connected to tea, conversation and time spent with others.
Some memories were joyful and comforting, while others reflected loss, change, family traditions or moments of connection during difficult times. Together, these stories created a powerful reminder of how ordinary routines can hold deep emotional meaning.
By collecting and sharing these memories, the project created a living archive of personal experiences connected to community, belonging and everyday life in Gosport.
Thank you
Thank you to everyone who took part in Gosport, Let’s Have a Brew by sharing stories, memories, creativity and conversations throughout the project.
Together, these poems, reflections and shared experiences form a creative snapshot of community life in Gosport. A reminder that heritage is not only found in historic objects or official records, but also in the everyday moments, routines and connections we share with one another.
This project was made possible through the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of the Gosport Heritage Generator programme delivered by Hampshire Cultural Trust.
Thank you also to all of the partner organisations, community spaces and participants who helped shape the project and contribute to this shared archive of creativity, connection and local stories. ☕
