Coastal Living in a Historic Location 02392 002087
Menu
Royal Haslar

News

The new-age volunteer is retired, hardcore and a local hero in their community Image

The new-age volunteer is retired, hardcore and a local hero in their community

8th March 2025

Retired people who volunteer are the backbone of our nation. They are the unsung heroes supporting local schools, hospitals and charities and contribute billions to the economy. And as the world’s challenges have grown, so the volunteers have followed, becoming climate activists, instigating environmental initiatives and setting up eco-charities.

The new-age retiree is so keen to make a difference that volunteering opportunities are factored into their checklist when choosing a retirement community. What’s more, volunteering propels operators to support residents by providing spaces for their initiatives and setting up volunteer programmes.

At the former naval hospital Royal Haslar Waterfront Village, a retirement community for over-55s in Gosport, Hampshire, homeowners have a choice of three volunteering projects right on their doorstep. And they are proving life-changing.

Woman standing in church.
Pat Coughlan now works as a guide around the historic former naval hospital - image credit MATTHEW PJ CLARK / The Times

Volunteering with the Haslar Heritage Group has given Pat Coughlan a new lease of life since her husband died just before their planned move into a two-bedroom seafront apartment in 2022. Pat, 76, now lives there alone — but she is far from lonely.

The retired nurse, who trained at the former naval hospital in the 1960s, is one of several residents who guide visitors around the historic building and host heritage open days. The operator, Haslar Developments, has now promised to build a heritage centre.

“There’s only a small group of us but we just love showing people around and telling them all the wonderful stories about this place,” Pat enthuses. “It has given me a new passion and I’ve made lots of friends. Royal Haslar is a fascinating place to live. We all love it here and want to preserve its heritage and take care of it.”

Another Haslar initiative is run by Patsie Ruzewicz, 76, a retired bank manager. She founded Hub4Stuff with her friend Fiona Cooke three years ago after moving there.

The aim of the charity is to reduce furniture poverty in the local area and decrease the number of items going to landfill. She has found that Royal Haslar is not only a rich source of volunteers but it also helps by taking in some of the excess furniture.

Group of people standing outside Hub 4 Stuff furniture store.
Hub4Stuff founders Fiona Cooke and Patsie Ruzewicz with volunteers - image credit MATTHEW JP CLARK / The Times

Hub4Stuff has already supported 1,400 families and distributed more than 3,000 items of furniture.

“Several residents have generously contributed their preloved items to us,” Patsie says. “They have also helped with fundraising, lugging heavy furniture and driving our van.”

Haslar Developments, which counts the Princess Royal’s husband, Vice-Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, as a director following the resignation of Sir Andrew Parker Bowles last year, has donated a storage unit previously used to store medical supplies for them to keep their “stuff”.

It has also donated three acres of land to Shore Leave, a veterans’ memorial garden, which serves as a volunteering opportunity for green-fingered homeowners.

“Royal Haslar has always been about community and we are determined to continue that legacy,” says the Haslar Developments director Pat Power. “Each party can give so much to the other, particularly in retirement communities where many of those living there are anything but retired.”

The Retirement Villages Group, which operates 19 villages in the UK, set up a community volunteer programme after commissioning a study in 2023 that found that the over-65s contribute a staggering £48 billion to the economy through volunteering — equal to 2 per cent of GDP.

Source - The Times - https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/property-home/article/the-new-age-volunteer-is-retired-hardcore-and-a-local-hero-in-their-community-2wljfdbd6

 

Make an Enquiry >