Chelmsford-born Dan Bentley is a Team GB Boccia Paralympian. He won a team gold at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics and a team bronze at the 2012 London Paralympics. On a visit to Jubilee Lodge in 2013, to help celebrate Revitalise’s 50th anniversary and the appointment of Samantha Cameron as the charity’s Patron, Dan commented: “I was honoured to have been asked along today to play a round of Boccia with the guests and volunteers at Jubilee Lodge and also highlight the fantastic work that Revitalise excel at and help them celebrate their 50th year. When I was younger I used to have breaks away. Not only did it help me, it also gave my parents much-needed time to recharge their batteries.” Dan recently graduated from Portsmouth University with a Graphic Design degree and now works as a graphic designer.

His gold in Rio adds to the gold he won in Beijing and the silver and bronze he won in London. David is now the joint most successful British Boccia player in history. He developed his talent for Boccia as a student at Treloars School in Hampshire, of which he is now Patron. He became the youngest ever player to win the British Championships and went on to be crowned World Champion at the age of 18. On a recent visit to Netley Waterside House to show the guests his medal collection, David said: “Achieving gold is something I will never forget and it was great to see so many of the guests having fun and getting involved in a sport that I am so passionate about.” David famously played Boccia with Samantha Cameron on the occasion of Samantha’s appointment as Patron of Revitalise at Jubilee Lodge in 2013. Eastleigh-born David — who now resides in Swansea — was awarded an MBE for services to Paralympic sport in the Queen’s New Years Honours list in 2017, and later an OBE in 2022.