19 May 2023

Autism Hampshire was delighted to bring back its annual Golf Day on 28th April, when a host of sporting celebrities led eight teams through their paces on the fairways and greens of the beautiful Bramshaw Golf Club, set in lovely New Forest countryside.

Having had to cancel last year, we were thrilled to be joined by teams from local businesses and our loyal supporter, Matt Le Tissier, who brought along several of his friends from the sporting world to help the charity raise funds.

The day was sponsored by Meachers Global Logistics Ltd, who also entered a team to compete in the challenging competitions held throughout the afternoon.

The event began mid-morning when the participants arrived and were fortified with bacon baps and coffee, before teeing off at 1pm for the chance to take the honours from three contests; a putting green competition, nearest to the pin, and beat the pro.

Each of the teams had at least one of the sporting stars playing with them, among them ex-footballers Wayne Bridge, Mark Chamberlain and Tony Pulis, former English test cricketer, Shaun Udal, and Paul Philp, who played basketball for Solent Stars in the 1980s.

Wayne Bridge was teamed up with the golfers from JMS Wealth Management, who triumphed in the competition and were handed the winners’ trophy at the post-event dinner.

After the meal, we heard from Autism Hampshire trustees, Jonathan Hardie and Andy Reddy, speaking about the impact the charity can make for autistic people and their families. They were followed by a former trustee; Lee Corless, Head of Global Expansion, People & Culture at Rangam Consultants Inc. Lee himself is autistic and spoke passionately about the value of employing autistic people.

The event raised over £5,000, and Autism Hampshire would like to thank the organisations that took part; JMS Wealth Management; White Knight Recruitment; Leonard Curtis; Trant Engineering; Rangam; Evelyn Partners; ABS Financial Planning Limited and particularly Meachers Global Logistics, the event’s main sponsor.

In addition, we are grateful to our wonderful volunteers Tracy, Lyn and Fiona for supporting with the set-up and running of the event. And we must also thank Matt Le Tissier and his sporting chums Tony Pulis, Mark Chamberlain, Wayne Bridge, Matt Oakley, Kevin Davies, Dave Beasant, Kevin Bond, Rob Styles, Paul Walsh, Hugh Fisher, Paul Philp and Shaun Udal for coming along to support what is one of the charity’s main fundraising events.

Autism Hampshire’s Associate Director of Community Service and Development, Cheryl Claxton, said after the event, “We couldn’t have done this without our wonderful volunteers and all the lovely people who supported it. Everyone had a great day and a great dinner, and the speeches were particularly inspiring.”

If you would like to know more about how to make the most of employing autistic people, we offer high-quality, CPD-accredited training with content created, designed, and wherever possible, delivered by autistic people. Our training can help to make your organisation or service more accessible to autistic people and unleash the potential their different perspectives can bring to your business and workplace.

If you are interested in discovering more about Autism Hampshire, please visit www.autismhampshire.org.uk