International Women’s Day is a moment to celebrate women who not only build successful businesses but also use that success to open doors for others. Heather Frankham, founder of Origin Workspace, is a powerful example of how entrepreneurial drive, community spirit and a belief in young people can help towards transforming a city.
From PE teacher to pioneering entrepreneur
Heather began her career as a Physical Education teacher in Bristol, driven by a passion for helping young people find what makes them tick and build confidence in their abilities. Seeing first-hand how skills and opportunities could change lives, she made the bold decision to leave teaching and start her own business in 1995.
That venture became Lifetime Training, an apprenticeship and skills training provider that Heather grew from a start-up into the UK’s number one apprenticeship and skills training business, employing over 1,000 people and working across sectors including fitness, leisure, hospitality and care. After more than 20 years at the helm, she successfully exited the business, using the experience, connections and resources she had built to begin a new chapter focused on impact, inclusion and community.
The Origin Workspace concept
Origin Workspace was born from Heather’s own entrepreneurial journey and the challenges she faced starting with “zero connections”. Her vision was clear: to create an exciting, inclusive community where ambitious businesses could start, grow, and scale with support and guidance, and have a strong sense of belonging.
Located on Berkeley Square in Bristol, Origin Workspace offers over 42,000 sq ft and of high-spec coworking space and serviced offices designed around community, collaboration and wellbeing rather than just desks and Wi-Fi.
Importantly, Origin’s purpose goes beyond workspace. All surpluses are reinvested in the Origin Foundation, which supports Bristol-based charities that support young adults.
From workspace to Origin Foundation
Heather’s commitment to young people is woven through everything she does, and nowhere is that clearer than in the creation of the Origin Foundation. As Trustee and Founder, Heather, along with the other Trustees, has a clear mission – to give children and young people the best possible start in life.
The Origin Foundation focuses its funding on inclusion, reducing divides and backing Bristol-based charities that help young people build confidence, skills and opportunities. In practice, that means supporting projects that remove barriers, create safe and inspiring spaces, and help young people to see and seize new possibilities for their futures. For the Origin community, it also creates a powerful link between the success of the workspace and direct, tangible impact for the next generation.
Championing youth: Bristol Youth Zones
Alongside her work at Origin, Heather plays a key leadership role in Bristol’s youth sector. She serves as Chair of Youth Moves, the organisation at the heart of the city’s youth development initiatives. Through this role, she helps steer strategy, supports the team and champions ambitions that put young people at the centre of Bristol’s future.
Heather is also supporting Bristol’s first OnSide Youth Zone – 224 Youth Zone – in the city, a major new centre designed to deliver year-round, aspirational youth provision. The Youth Zone will act as a central hub, amplifying the work already happening in South Bristol and creating a safe, affordable, inspiring space where young people can access activities, support, mentoring and opportunities that match their ambitions. It is a natural extension of Heather’s long-standing belief that investing in young people invests in the long-term health, creativity, and prosperity of the whole city.
Recognising a Bristol Legend
Heather’s impact as an entrepreneur and social impact leader has now been recognised on a city-wide stage. Heather has been awarded as the overall Business Leader in the first-ever Bristol Legends Awards, organised by Bristol24/7. This award reflects not just her track record in building and scaling businesses, but her values-led leadership and commitment to using business as a force for good.
As a female founder who has moved from PE teacher to successful entrepreneur, investor, workspace creator and philanthropist, Heather embodies the spirit of International Women’s Day: championing equality, creating opportunity and lifting others as she climbs. Through Origin Workspace, the Origin Foundation, Youth Moves and the new Youth Zone, her work continues to shape a more inclusive, confident and connected Bristol – today and for the next generation.
Kalvinder Kaur
Marketing Manager
Kalvinder Kaur
Marketing Manager
Kalvinder Kaur
Marketing Manager
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