Pam Underwood

Pam Underwood, born Pamela May Underwood, was a founder member of the Apollo Theatre in Newport, on the Isle of Wight, and a well known figure in the island's amateur dramatics community for more than half a century. She died peacefully in Newport on 31 August 2026 at the age of 95, with her four children around her.

Pam was born in Portsmouth in 1931 and grew up with her mother, who raised her alone at a time when there was little support for single parents. During the Second World War she was evacuated from Portsmouth several times, and later said that some of her happiest wartime memories were of the period she spent in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, before returning to Portsmouth after the war ended.

With her husband John, Pam raised a family of four children, the last of whom, Catherine, was born in 1967. In 1969 the couple became founder members of the Apollo Theatre, joining a group of volunteers who converted a former Methodist church on Pyle Street in Newport into what has since become one of the Isle of Wight's most cherished community theatres. Pam performed in many of the Apollo's early productions and was also a familiar presence in the box office, welcoming generations of theatregoers over the decades. She was equally devoted to the Sandown Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society, where she took part in productions and built lasting friendships. Outside the theatre, she spent many years working at Plessey Radar as secretary to the company's Training School.

John Underwood died in 2014, after which Pam moved from the family home into sheltered accommodation in Newport. Far from stepping back from community life, she became a popular and active member of her new home, joining in a wide range of activities and, as late as February 2026, still putting together music playlists and entertainment for fellow residents.

News of Pam's death, first reported locally by the Isle of Wight's Island Echo, prompted an outpouring of affection from the island's theatre and amateur dramatics community, who remembered her warmth, resilience and enthusiasm for life, and the joy she brought to so many people over the years. She is survived by her four children, along with grandchildren and great grandchildren, and will be remembered as a devoted mother and grandmother as well as a tireless champion of community theatre on the Isle of Wight.