Matt Hampson will celebrate his 40th birthday on November 29, and next March will mark 20 years since the moment which changed the course of his life forever.
Matt was paralysed from the neck down and breathing through a ventilator following an accident in training with the England Under-21 rugby squad in 2005 but, rather than lament what he had lost, he decided to ‘get busy living’ and he created the Matt Hampson Foundation as a charity to help others.
The ‘get busy living’ mantra continues to drive the Foundation’s work in providing physical and emotional support for young people on a journey following serious injury towards a return to education, employment or sport, or in adjusting to their new life.
During this special year, Matt has plans to extend the Foundation’s Get Busy Living Centre, opened in Leicestershire in 2018, to support even more beneficiaries.
“The Get Busy Living Centre is a unique facility which has come to symbolise everything that is good about the Foundation and our values of family, community and teamwork,” said Matt who was awarded an OBE for his achievements in 2021.
“Extending the Centre is our biggest project since it opened and it will require significant financial investment, but I know we’ll get there.
“We’re very proud of the Foundation and our beneficiaries, but there is always more we can do and more people to help. Our plans for 2025 will allow us to show more young people that they can live exciting and fulfilling lives after serious injury.”
A programme of events for the year includes a team of beneficiaries and fundraisers taking on the London Marathon in April, a summer ball and a golf day at The Belfry while there is an opportunity to raise awareness of the Foundation as an official charity partner of the British & Irish Lions and their Tour to Australia.
Seeing Matt’s plans come to fruition would be the best possible present for a special year and a JustGiving page has been created to assist the goal of extending and transforming the Get Busy Living Centre.
You can add your support at https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/hambos40th
