THE MATT HAMPSON FOUNDATION PLANS FOR A BIG YEAR AHEAD
The celebration of his 40th birthday in November marked the start of a huge year for Matt Hampson OBE and the Foundation he created to support young people after life-changing injury.
As a young professional rugby player, Matt was paralysed from the neck down and breathing through a ventilator following an accident in training with England Under-21s in 2005. But he decided to ‘get busy living’ rather than lament what he had lost and also created the Matt Hampson Foundation as a charity to help others.
That ‘get busy living’ mantra continues to drive the Foundation’s work from its base at the Get Busy Living Centre in Leicestershire in developing skills, confidence and opportunities for young people on a journey from serious injury towards a return to education, employment or sport, or in adjusting to their new life.
The Centre, opened in 2018, hosts physical, emotional and wellbeing support and, after already touching the lives of hundreds of young people, Matt is now aiming to extend this facility during a period which includes two significant dates.
In March 2025, Matt and the team will mark 20 years since the moment which almost cost him his life but also changed its course and impact forever, and the Foundation has a full programme of events in place for a landmark year which includes selection as an official charity partner of rugby’s British & Irish Lions.
In April, a team of beneficiaries and fundraisers participate in the London Marathon, including friends made through sponsorship of previous events and members of the NHS who have witnessed the team’s work at the Centre. A golf day at The Belfry and a summer ball are among other milestones while one supporter is planning a sponsored solo cycle across Europe and another is preparing a team to row across the Atlantic.
“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.
“Extending the Centre is our biggest project since it opened and 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 reach more young people and show them they can live exciting and fulfilling lives after serious injury.”
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 support the goal of transforming the Get Busy Living Centre. You can add your support by clicking here Matts Big 40! – JustGiving
