Conservative Councillor Ken Smith used the Community Grant Fund to secure funding to restore the Bedhampton sign and for new benches in Bidbury Park. 

In 2002 a village sign was erected by the Bedhampton Society containing an inscription from the works of John Keats, (1795-1821), who is known to have stayed in Bedhampton near to the Parish Church of St Thomas in 1819. “A thing of beauty is a joy forever: Its loveliness increases; It will never pass into nothingness.”

However after years of neglect, the sign had fallen into disrepair. The weather had damaged the wood and many of its bronze features had fallen off. 

Cllr K Smith was keen to fix this and enlisted the help of HAMESH Men's Shed which is a community workspace for like minded men to meet and share stories, skills and company. The sign was restored and put back on show outside Bedhampton Social Hall earlier this year.

After seeing the finished product and the skill of the Men's Shed, Cllr K Smith enlisted Havant Mens Shed. This time to build new park benches in much loved and much used Bidbury Park. 

Cllr K Smith and all of us at Havant Conservative Association would like to pass on his sincere thanks to both HAMESH & Havant Mens Shed's, who without them, these projects would never have come to life.