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REVIEW OF THE MATT HAMPSON FOUNDATION YEAR 2024

With plans to extend the Get Busy Living Centre, the new year already looks like a landmark one for the Matt Hampson Foundation, but 2024 has had its moments too!

Thank-you from Matt and everyone in Team Hambo for all the support over the last 12 months and a massive salute to all beneficiaries, staff, trustees and ambassadors who play such an important part in the Foundation family every single day.

Some of our highlights of 2024

  • Matt’s 40th birthday in November which kicked off plans for a massive year ahead for the entire Matt Hampson Foundation family!
  • Work on plans for to extend the Get Busy Living Centre and support even more beneficiaries in future.
  • The inaugural Hambo Throwdown, the first adaptive fitness competition in the UK exclusively for wheelchair users.
  • Selection as a charity partner of the British & Irish Lions ahead of their 2025 tour to Australia
  • Beneficiary No.1 Henry Fraser coming on board as a trustee.
  • Paralympic gold medallist Kylie Grimes MBE joining as an ambassador.
  • Launch of an MND programme at the Get Busy Living Centre in association with My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.
  • New relationship with Europcar including branded Foundation vehicle.
  • Launch of relationship with PING golf equipment including branded range of golf kit.
  • Gym Possible, the Foundation’s northern satellite, moving to its new premises at Gateshead Leisure Centre.
  • Provision of a dedicated space for yoga and the addition of pilates to the exercise and wellbeing programme at the Get Busy Living Centre.
  • Beneficiaries and team members completing high-profile events including the London Marathon, Great North Run, Vitality 10K and London Landmarks, all raising awareness of the Foundation.
  • Matt’s nomination as a positive role model at the National Diversity Awards.
  • Our physical trainer Sutty – soon after becoming a dad – being named in the Disability Power 100 by the Shaw Trust.
  • Beneficiary experience days including flying, ski-ing and water ski-ing.
  • The new Parents and Partners events to bring together the people closest to our beneficiaries.
  • BBC TV, ITV and BBC Radio Leicester all reporting from the Centre.
  • Accommodation lodges in use throughout the year, providing intensive rehabilitation packages to beneficiaries staying with us.
  • Expansion of the Life Goals programme, supporting beneficiaries with work experience opportunities and coaching.
  • Yoga teacher Paige qualifying as an Oxygen Advantage breathwork coach.
  • Get Busy Living Centre visit from Hari Budha Magar, the first double above-the-knee-amputee to summit Everest, thanks to Foundation friends Barratt Homes.
  • Research links with Loughborough University.
  • The Foundation highlighting opportunities for adaptive fitness at FitFest, attended by thousands of fitness fans at the NEC in Birmingham.
  • Record number of students supported through work experience, plus links with the University of Leicester to provide official placements to physiotherapy students.
  • The annual Corporate Games and the Foundation’s leadership days with schools and businesses, providing training in resilience, wellbeing, diversity and inclusion.
  • Marquee social events at the Centre, including Burrough-on-the-Hill Village, Melton Round Table, Friends of the Tenth and Omnigym.
  • Beneficiaries getting involved in or organising fundraising challenge events, showing their determination to help others.
  • The Foundation family ending the year together at the Get Busy Living Awards, with special congratulations to winners Alex Sharpe, Geraldine Burdett, Noah Cosby, George Robinson and Roy Jackson.

Amazing events from the past year

  • Walk4Matt’s return to its spiritual home at Twickenham, taking in 100 locks and 100 miles of the Grand Union Canal and raising £50,000 in sponsorship.
  • Horseracing’s support for Graham Lee and an invitation for the Foundation to raise awareness at the Go Racing In Yorkshire festival as well as York’s biggest race meeting of the year.
  • Rugby legend Dean Richards and the Gravity Fundraisers (including Matt Hampson’s dad Phil) cycling between Paris and London.
  • The second social Get Busy Cycling Day at the Centre in September.
  • Personal trainer and Team Hambo hero Sutty completing a 100-mile ultra marathon as well as marathons at London and Manchester.
  • Massive support from Foundation patron Mike Tindall including golf at The Belfry, shooting day and the inaugural Mikey’s Mountain Miles event in Austria.
  • Billy Twelvetrees raising funds to support former rugby team-mate Ed Slater and charities including the Foundation by cycling 350 miles in 24 hours.
  • Julian Evans, a Foundation trustee, climbing the Eiger while the rest of us enjoyed a relaxing bank holiday weekend.
  • Oli Taylor organising his own individual Walk4Matt to the Get Busy Living Centre.
  • Steve Burnhill raising funds by walking 180 miles around his former rugby clubs and also inspiring a colleague to take on his own exciting sponsored challenge in 2025.
  • Support from organisers and participants at the Belvoir Castle Shoot.
  • All the musical acts and organisers involved in Hamplified at Rugby St Andrews RFC.
  • George and friends cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats.
  • Long-time supporter Eddy Crowe’s successful musical event at Great Bowden.
  • Massive thanks to EVERY organiser and everyone involved in an event which supported the Foundation and its work with young people following life-changing injury during the year!

Beneficiaries ‘get busy living’

  • Sophie and Henry competing in the World Adaptive Games in Texas.
  • Colin and Holly appearing on the BBC Morning Show.
  • Noah driving a Team BRIT McLaren in the British Endurance Championship after success in the season-long Britcar Trophy.
  • More than 50 fundraisers joining Davy’s Three Peaks Challenge in Yorkshire.
  • Taylor competing in his first para-canoe regatta.
  • George speaking at the International Neuro Trauma Society and Hugh James Brain Injury conferences.
  • Olli’s victory at the Golf Trust Disabled Open, his medal at the Handigolf British Championship and appearance on Sky Sports Golf programme ‘Rise Up and Play’.
  • The Gym Possible team, led by Drew Graham, completing the Great North Run in a time under 1 hour 30 minutes.
  • Seb acting on film and stage while studying a film production degree, and Tom going on to study at university.
  • Holly receiving her London Classic medal for completing the Marathon, Swim Serpentine and Ride London while Colin completed his own triathlon challenge.
  • Laurence celebrating his 50th cap for the Leicester Tigers Wheelchair Rugby Team with European and national titles on successive weekends.
  • Gez smashing her first attempt at the London Vitality 10K.
  • Alex skiing from the top of the slope.
  • Paige, Liv, Joe and his mum Sharon and all supporters at the London Landmarks Half-Marathon.
  • Kylie being elected to the ParalympicGB Athletes’ Commission.
  • Alison finishing a first Ironman Triathlon.
  • Dan’s shooting victory in the British Open Sporting Championship.
  • Josh winning the wheelchair race at the Swansea Half-Marathon in 1 hour 5 minutes and completing his first London Marathon in just over 2 hours.
  • Paige’s sky-dive and bungee jump during a trip to New Zealand, Jacob travelling in Australia, Olli in the USA and Giselle in Sydney.
  • Will’s top-10 placing in his para-climbing World Cup debut in Innsbruck, Austria.
  • Jamie, Nick, Gav and Kieran selected for Team GB’s wheelchair rugby team at the Paralympics
  • George, Ed and Kylie working in the media at the Paralympic Games in Paris.

The Foundation family

To every beneficiary who has made the most of ‘Little Big Things’ in moving on with their lives after serious injury, including:

  • Tom starting university in London.
  • Kelly supporting others with advice from her professional background.
  • Olivia returning to education in support of her career path.
  • Joe working really hard in his rehab sessions.
  • Ed returning to work and living in London.
  • Craig coming through surgery.
  • Mike using the Centre’s lodges for his first stay away from home without parents since injury five years ago.
  • Graham finding his smile again through the music of Gerry Cinnamon.
  • Alex completing a CAD course.
  • George driving again.
  • Mark supporting his wife following surgery.
  • Laz being inspired by Sutty to work more on her speech.
  • Adam due to become a dad for the first time.
  • Drew making plans for the future after major surgery.

To our incredible supporters

Massive thanks for the continued incredible support of everyone who organised or took part in an event, great or small, who provided donations or sponsorship, supported various auctions or bought merchandise, contributed towards an extension to the Get Busy Living Centre or showed support in any other way to help our beneficiaries to ‘get busy living’. Without you, we could not do what we do.

We wish you a happy new year and look forward to seeing you again in 2025!

Check out of images of the year too in our 2024 Photo Gallery here.

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