• Bristol & Bath Social
• Wednesday July 1 2026

Olympics legend drives forward sporting charity in Bristol golf day

An Olympics rowing legend teamed up with West Country business professionals to ensure a fundraising drive for a sports charity in Bristol was oar-some.

Gold medallist Greg Searle showed off his golfing skills when he teed off at Filton Golf Club when he took part in the annual Origin Workspace Golf Day for the Access Sport charity and ensured it went with a swing.

The Access Sport ambassador helped its Bristol-based supporters Origin Workspace raise almost £2,000 for an organisation dedicated to removing barriers to community sport faced by disadvantaged and disabled young people.

But just as importantly, Greg helped ambitious Access Sport officials and the Origin Workspace team raise its profile across the Bristol business sector as it targets further growth in the city.

The 1992 Olympic gold medallist who also won 1993 world championship crown and then a bronze medal at the age of 40 at London 2012, joined forces with more than 40 golfers at the Filton course to bolster a cause close to his heart.

The Access Sport Ambassador and honorary patron said: “My support is rooted in the backing and encouragement my parents gave me when I was growing up to embrace sporting opportunities which is something I’ve done the same with my children.

“Now, and right in line with the legacy goals of London 2012 to inspire future generations to participate in sport, I’m fully committed to a charity that is on a mission to make sure young people should not miss out due to social background or disability.

“And I have to say that I’m very proud to support Access Sport because of its amazing work to ensure no young people are excluded from enjoying the life-enhancing and potentially life-changing benefits of community sport.”

Greg, who has supported Access Sport for the last 15 years, relished the opportunity to take to the fairways with more than 40 like-minded golfers to maintain Access Sport’s growth.

He added: “It’s great to see so many people from the Bristol business community who are enthusiastic about changing people’s lives for the better and are ready to step up to support Access Sport’s work to promote sport across a fantastic city’s diverse communities.”

“They not only did Bristol’s business sector proud by raising valuable funds for Access Sport but the event also raised awareness to broaden our reach and encourage more local professionals to come together for a great cause.

“We’re certainly moving in the right direction because I know from seeing and hearing about the work being led by Access Sport here in Bristol that the charity is having a genuine impact on the lives of young Bristolians.”

The golf day is the latest show of support for Access Sport from Origin Workspace, the premium co-working and office space provider in the historic Berkeley Square, central Bristol.

Origin Workspace-based Tom Hull, from Hunter Healthcare, who launched the golf day four years ago with John Owen, from Masterclassing, was delighted to be joined by Greg who led the Access Sport foursome.

Tom said: “Greg is a truly inspirational sporting hero and his participation in the Origin Workspace Access Sport Golf Day will ensure our fundraising and awareness-raising efforts keep gathering momentum.

“It’s brilliant to see our golf day going from strength to strength, with more people than ever who are linked to Origin Workspace coming together with a common purpose – to help Access Sport make a positive difference to the lives of disadvantaged or disabled young people.

“For my part, I’ve always had a passion for sport and bringing people together and with Origin Workspace being renowned for being such a vibrant community of like-minded people I knew we could rally behind a great cause.”

Long-standing Bristol-based Access Sport former trustee and retired lawyer John Baker, who was part of Greg’s quartet, issued a rallying call to city companies to throw their weight behind the charity.

John said: “We’re lucky to have someone of Greg’s stature on our side because he’s a highly-respected sporting icon whose support has been invaluable in terms of fundraising and spreading the word about our aspirations.

“The same applies to the annual Origin Workspace golf day which will strengthen our presence in Bristol and our work to open doors to leisure and sporting facilities for disadvantaged and disabled young people.

“The backing we’ve received from Bristol businesses like Origin Workspace which places community, collaboration and wellbeing at its core, is vital to the work we do such as providing four BMX cycle tracks in under-served Bristol locations.

“We’re definitely making progress and looking ahead we’re confident we will build on Greg’s personal show of support which will undoubtedly persuade more companies to make a difference locally through Access Sport.”

Access Sport forged a relationship with Origin Workspace in 2021 to bolster efforts to make inclusion the norm in Bristol.

That has provided the charity with access to desk space, meeting rooms and opportunities to meet local businesses and people interested in its activities.

Access Sport also benefits from Origin Workspace volunteer days with members directly supporting local community sport clubs and through fundraising.

Origin Workspace Managing Director Rob Hingston added: “Everyone at Origin Workspace is delighted at the way Access Sport continues to flourish and our better and bigger than ever golf day will help maintain its growth trajectory.

“The golf day was not only a money-raising event for Access Sport but also proved to be a vibrant networking event for business professionals and that reflects perfectly Origin Workspace’s ethos of collaboration.

“We are big believers in the power of sport and exercise as a way to bring people together and that’s why we’re so proud Access Sport is one of our chosen charities and why we’re so pleased to see it thrive.”

Sport as a whole is very much at the heart of Origin Workspace’s success with 42,000 sq ft co-working space, founded by Heather Frankham, whose career began as a PE teacher working in some of the city’s most deprived schools and who was awarded an MBE in recognition of services to education and skills in the King’s Honours List.