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OUR PEOPLE
THE MHF TEAM
Matt Hampson OBE
Founder
Tommy Cawston
Chief Executive Officer
After graduating with a degree in physiotherapy, Tommy joined Matt in 2007, initially to support him and his fundraising. He then worked to establish the Foundation to inspire and support other young people seriously injured through sport and was later appointed CEO. Tommy now leads a team of more than 20 staff who deliver an unrivalled rehabilitation service to beneficiaries.
Tony Bolton
Centre Manager
Tony manages The Get Busy Living Centre as well as the Foundation’s design and print requirements. Tony says it’s the most fun, rewarding and varied job he’s ever had, which he says, “doesn’t make it a job”.
Abbie Wells
Head of Fundraising
Abbie joined the Foundation team in 2020 and now manages all our fundraising activities to support its work with beneficiaries.
Alice Horton
Fundraising Executive / Satellite Manager (South)
Alice is responsible for managing the Foundation’s satellite hub in the South. The Get Busy Living centre is a truly inspiring place but for some it is too far for them to attend regularly and Alice helps those further afield to get busy living after life-changing injury.
Louis Deacon
Estates Operations & Maintenance
Louis is a former Leicester Tigers and England international rugby player and now manages the Get Busy Living Centre site. He works hard raising sponsorship, building relationships and creating new opportunities for the Foundation. Louis is also a coach of the successful England Women’s rugby team.
Josie Ledbetter
Head of Rehabilitation
Josie is the Foundation’s lead physio. Josie is hugely respected within her field and qualified as a chartered physiotherapist from the University of East London in 2004. She specialises in neurological rehabilitation and has worked both in the NHS and the private sector.
Gary Sherrard
Marketing & Communications
Gary has spent his working life in sports journalism, from magazines and newspapers to the elite environment of professional rugby with Leicester Tigers. He joined our team in 2023 to tell the story of the Foundation and its amazing people.
Tilly Cumming
Clinical Lead
Tilly qualified from Brighton University in 2007 as a neurophysiotherapist and has vast experience working with people recovering from strokes, brain and spinal cord injuries. Tilly has previously held roles at teaching hospitals in London and Leicester.
George Thompson
Strategic Partnerships and Inclusion Lead
George joined the team as sports therapist, specialising in muscle and joint injuries. He designs and guides beneficiaries through rehabilitation programmes for any injuries of this kind. He has now added responsibility for building strategic partnerships in the health and fitness industry and is our Inclusion Lead.
Paige Murray
Yoga Instructor
Paige joined the Foundation as a fundraiser and is now our specialist adaptive yoga Instructor working with our beneficiaries to deliver personalised one-to-one and group yoga practices to support their rehabilitation. Off the mat, Paige is a motivational speaker, and also loves running around athletics track with the support of three wheels!
James Sutliff
Personal Trainer & Gym Coordinator
James, or Sutty as we call him, is the Foundation’s personal trainer and disability coach. Sutty woke up from a normal weekend of rugby and found his speech was distorted and slurred and began to suffer problems with his hands too. Following numerous tests, he was eventually diagnosed with Dystonia. His enthusiasm and zest for life is infections and he’s the life and soul of the Get Busy Living gym.
Gill Robinson
Head of Wellbeing
Gill is the Foundation’s counsellor and became involved with the charity following her son’s spinal cord injury when he became a beneficiary. Gill works with our beneficiaries, supporting their mental health and emotional wellbeing alongside their physical rehabilitation.
Clive Galloway
Logistics Manager
Clive joined the Foundation from Leicester Tigers where he spent over a decade as kit manager for the club. Clive manages the Foundation’s eBay store, merchandise sales and logistics. Originally from Staffordshire,
Heather Kelk
HR & Administration
Heather provides human resources and administratiove support to the Foundation team.
Charlie Thacker
Physiotherapist
Charlie spent time at the Foundation on placement during his training at the University of Leicester and was offered a position after qualifiying as a neuro physiotherapist. He supports the rehab team working with beneficiaries on their rehab journeys.
Ben Gray
Physiotherapy assistant / S&C coach
Ben qualified as a strength and conditioning coach with an MSc from Sheffield Hallam University and specialises in sports science and performance. He joined the Foundation team as a volunteer before being offered a staff role.
Geordan Murphy
Commercial & Partnerships
Geordan is a former player, captain and director of rugby with Leicester Tigers and an international with Ireland and the Lions. He is now part of the Foundation’s Leadership & Development team helping others succeed in their chosen field.
Sophie Wilson
Head of Operations
Sophie first teamed up with the Foundation as a beneficiary following a spinal cord injury. She joined the team as Head of Peer Support as the point of contact for new beneficiaries and is now Head of Operations at the Get Busy Living Centre while also organising beneficiary experience days and activity trips. Sophie is also a regular in fitness competition at national and international level.
Ciara Barry
Executive PA
Ciara first worked for Matt within his care team but found she was pretty good at keeping him organised too, becoming PA to him and FOundation CEO Tommy.
Shelly Heffernan
Hospitality and Experience Lead
Shelly is responsible for creating the warm, welcoming environment that makes the Get Busy Living Centre so special. The role ensures the Centre and lodges are presented to the highest standard while also supporting beneficiaries and their families during their stay, and plays a key role in co-ordinating social and corporate events to deliver an exceptional experience for everyone who visits the Foundation.
Jane Coleman
Financial Co-ordinator
Jane, a former primary school teacher, has been with the Foundation since 2010 initially working on events and admin. She is now responsible for managing finance and accounts.
Dan Hipkiss
Head of Learning & Development
Dan supports leaders and teams to develop the skills and behaviours that promote high performance in the workplace with our Leadership & Development programme. He rrtired from professional rugby in 2013 after playing for Leicester Tigers, Bath and England – including the 2007 World Cup Final – and now shares his experiences to support our beneficiaries’ transition into the workplace.
OUR TRUSTEES
Adam Walker
On the Foundation’s Board of Trustees since 2019 and deputy chairman from 2022, Adam was appointed Chairman in succession to Roy Jackson in 2025. Adam is a life-long rugby fan as well as an enthusiastic player and follower of cricket and tennis. He first met Matt in 2005 and has been a supporter of the Foundation ever since. His business career included 20 consecutive years as the Group CFO of four listed companies – National Express Group plc, Informa plc, GKN plc and IHS Holdings Ltd. After retirement from executive life, he holds a number of non-executive director positions.
Peter Harrison
Henry Fraser
Tim Peters
Lianne Firth MBE
Lianne Firth is a founding director of the Totemic Group, a financial services company where she is responsible for strategic development and employee engagement.
Chairman of Grantham Tennis Club, the Lawn Tennis Association Club of the Year for Disability in 2018 and National Club of the Year in 2022 as well as recipients of the Queen’s Award for Volunteering, Lianne is also a member of the management committee at Lincolnshire LTA and has represented England and GB in seniors’ tennis. She was awarded an MBE in 2016 for services to the community and charities.
Julian Evans
Julian lives in Leicestershire and is a proprietary partner at London-based property consultants Knight Frank LLP where he heads up their healthcare team.
The company advises on around £8 billion per annum of healthcare businesses including retirement villages, care homes, hospitals and surgeries. He’s a keen sportsman and also regularly takes part in expeditions raising money for charities including the Matt Hampson Foundation.
His expeditions have included walking to the North and South Poles, running the Marathon Des Sables, cycling Land’s End to John O’Groats, scaling Everest and various other mountains such as Mont Blanc, Kilimanjaro and an attempt on Aconcagua.
As a Leicester Tigers fan, Julian wanted to do something to support the Foundation and has become a close friend of Matt’s and significant ally to the Foundation over the years.
Graham Rowntree
After retirement as a player, he joined the England National Academy as a coach and was an England assistant coach from 2008 as well as on three Lions tours, in 2009, ’13 and ’17. He left his England post in 2015, had a spell as forwards coach at Harlequins and then joined Munster in Ireland where he was appointed head coach in 2022/23, ending his first campaign in charge as United Rugby Championship winners. Graham also worked with the Georgia national team and moved to Japan as head coach at Urayasu D-Rocks in 2025.
Martin Hill
Martin has been in the aggregates industry for 40 years and has overseen the growth of GRS Roadstone into a national company.
Martin has been an ardent supporter and shirt sponsor of Northampton Saints over the last 20 years and enjoys the rivalry with the Tigers.
He first got to know Matt in 2012 and involved the GRS management team in fundraising for the Foundation because the whole company had been so impressed with what Matt, Tommy and Roy were trying to achieve. Martin says he is honoured to be involved with the Foundation and is very proud of its achievements.
OUR PATRON, PRESIDENT & AMBASSADORS
Mike Tindall MBE
Patron
Mike Tindall MBE is patron of the Matt Hampson Foundation and our biggest advocate.
Former England rugby captain Mike has been a friend of Matt’s and a supporter of the charity since its beginnings in 2011, becoming patron in 2014 and officially opening the Get Busy Living Centre in 2018 .
Capped 75 times by England, Mike was part of the Rugby World Cup-winning squad in 2003 and the last of that group to retire from the game, playing for a last time in 2014. Since retirement, he has featured on a number of reality TV programmes including I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here, Bear Grylls: Mission Survive and The Jump, and is a regular on the podcast, The Good The Bad & The Rugby.
Mike is married to Zara Phillips, the daughter of Anne, Princess Royal, and niece of King Charles III. They have three children.
Mike is a very active patron and advocate of the Foundation. His charity golf day is hugely popular every year and raises valuable funds for the Foundation.
Roy Jackson
Hon. Life President
Roy was serving as President of the Leicester Tigers rugby club when Matt was injured in 2005 and he quickly became a close friend and valued supporter of Matt and his family. He played a pivotal role in establishing a trust fund and as first Chairman of the Foundation.
After more than a decade as Chairman, which included the opening of the Get Busy Living Centre, Roy was appointed Honorary Life President in 2025.
He spent his working life in the printing industry where he owned and ran a hugely successful reprographics company, and was deputy chairman of the Leicestershire & Rutland Prince’s Trust Board.
His association with Tigers began in 1982, serving as commercial manager, non-executive director and President. He is now a Life Member of the club.
Jim Hamilton
Jim enjoyed a successful and well-travelled rugby career as a second-row forward with Leicester Tigers, Gloucester and Saracens in the English Premiership, Edinburgh in Scotland and at Montpellier in France.
After playing in England age-groups, he made his senior international debut with Scotland in 2006 as the country’s 1,000th senior cap, and went to his first World Cup a year later on the way to 63 Test match appearances.
Already a Premiership champion with Leicester, Jim won-back-to-back league titles with Saracens and a European Cup double in 2016 and ’17.
He set up a sports marketing company then became familiar as co-presenter of the Rugby Pod, discussing issues and events in the game alongside former team-mate Andy Goode, and also as creative director for Rugby Pass.
Jim has been a supporter of the Foundation for many years and regularly attends its events, often sharing stories of his days in rugby.
Andy Goode
Second in the list of all-time points scorers in Premiership history, Andy had a professional rugby career spanning almost two decades up to 2016 with clubs in England, France and South Africa.
He was inducted into the Premiership Rugby Hall of Fame in 2021 and his post-playing career has taken him into commentary and punditry, including as co-presenter of the Rugby Pod with fellow Foundation ambassador Jim Hamilton. He has also worked in finance.
Andy was a Premiership and European champion with Leicester after joining the club straight from school, and later played with Saracens, Newcastle, Worcester, Wasps, Brive in France and the Sharks in South Africa, also winning 17 caps for England.
Alex Goode
European Player of the Year in 2019 when he won the European Champions Cup with Saracens for a third time, Alex Goode is among the most successful players in English club rugby history.
An all-round sportsman excelling in athletics, tennis and football as a junior, the former Oakham School student focused on rugby when he joined the Saracens academy and made his professional debut in 2008.
He played at full-back or fly-half in a record number of appearances for Saracens in the professional era, passing the 400 mark before retirement in 2025. He won six Premiership titles, a European Cup treble, was Premiership Player of the Year in 2016 and gained 21 caps for England.
No relation to fellow Foundation ambassador Andy Goode, Alex is a big supporter of Matt’s and says: “I hope to continue to assist the Foundation in whatever way I can.”
Freddie Tuilagi
The eldest of seven rugby-playing brothers, Fereti ‘Freddie’ Tuilagi joined Leicester Tigers after spells in English rugby league with Halifax and St Helens. He had already played for Samoa in the 15-man code at the 1995 Rugby World Cup and became an instant hit with Tigers fans and the English rugby audience with his powerful play from the wing.
A Premiership and European champion with Leicester, he also played for Cardiff and Biarritz but remained based in the Leicester area, watching his brothers make their mark in the sport as well as making regular corporate appearances – usually in traditional Samoan dress!
He is a big supporter of the Foundation and says: “I’m happy to do all I can to further Matt’s work both here in the UK and other places around the globe where care for injured sportsmen and women is not as advanced.”
Emily Scarratt MBE
Born in Leicester, Emily Scarratt made her 100th Test rugby appearance for England on home turf in front of a record crowd at the home of the Leicester Tigers during 2022.
She first played rugby at Leicester Forest RFC, then joined the pioneering women’s rugby set-up at Lichfield before playing for Loughborough Lightning in the Premiership.
Just a teenager when first capped by England in 2008, Emily was World Rugby Women’s Player of the Year in 2019 and became England’s record points-scorers a year later. She also played in World Sevens and Commonwealth Games, and captained Team GB at the Rio Olympics in 2016, finishing fourth.
Emily was appointed MBE for services to rugby in 2021. A qualified teacher, she moved into coaching with Loughborough on retirement as a player and was added to the England Women’s coaching team ahead of the 2026 Six Nations Grand Slam.
James Taylor
A former England cricketer, James Taylor was born at Burrough-on-the-Hill, close to the Foundation’s Get Busy Living Centre, as the son of a National Hunt jockey.
He made his county debut with Leicestershire in 2009 and was the youngest player in the club’s history to score 1,000 Championship runs in a season. As a top-order batsman, James gained One-Day International status with England just two summers later and a Test debut followed in 2012 shortly after joining Nottinghamshire.
He played in the 2015 World Cup and in all four Tests of a series victory over South Africa before being forced into retirement by discovery of a serious heart condition aged just 26. He stayed in the game as a national selector and scout, then as a batting coach in the county game.
Freddie Steward
Originally from Norfolk, Freddie Steward came through the Leicester Tigers academy to quickly establish himself at senior level with club and international level.
From his Tigers debut during 2018/19, he made the full-back jersey his own during the Covid lockdown phase in 2020 and, after selection for England Under-20s, progressed to the senior ranks under Eddie Jones. He was a Premiership title winner in 2022 and recognised among the very best in the game challenging for high ball.
Freddie became a Foundation Ambassador in 2023 shortly before selection for his first Rugby World Cup.
Jack van Poortvliet
He was an Academy League double winner with Tigers while still at Oakham School and gained his first experience of senior rugby in 2018/19, making his Premiership debut the following season. Jack captained Tigers in the Premiership Rugby Cup and England Under-20s in a Six Nations Grand Slam before promotion to Test status when he joined club colleague Youngs in the senior international squad. He joined the list of Foundation ambassadors in 2023.
James Whitcombe
A second-generation Leicester Tigers prop, James Whitcombe followed his dad Martin in representing the club, coming through its academy to reach senior ranks. He has a rich sporting heritage as great-grandfather Frank Whitcombe was one of Welsh rugby league’s greats.
James joined Tigers from school in West Yorkshire and played in back-to-back Under-18 League title wins while also earning England age-group selection. After a summer playing in Australia in 2019, he made his senior debut for Leicester in 2020/21 and captained the team in the Premiership Cup a year later. In 2025, he moved to Edinburgh Rugby.
Ollie Chessum
After coming through junior clubs and a spell in the Leicester Tigers academy, Ollie played senior rugby with Nottingham and rejoined Leicester during the lockdown period in 2020. He quickly made his Premiership debut and ended the 2021/22 season with a league winner’s medal.
He made an instant impression in international rugby with England and became an Ambassador for the Foundation in 2023 shortly before selection for his first Rugby World Cup. In 2025, he was selected by the British & Irish Lions for the tour to Australia and was named club captain at Leicester.
James & Oliver Phelps
Actors James and Oliver Phelps made their big-screen breakthrough as Fred and George Weasley in the Harry Potter film series and have been major supporters of the Matt Hampson Foundation over several years.
Born in Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands, the twins were selected for the Harry Potter parts from auditions despite having no previous acting experience and have since appeared behind the camera in various roles as well as in front of it. They have collaborated on a podcast entitled ‘Normal Not Normal’ featuring discussion and interviews and are supporters of several charitable causes including the Matt Hampson Foundation.
George Ford
From rugby league country in Oldham and son of former GB international Mike, Ford was just 16 years old when he made his senior debut for Leicester Tigers in 2009 and made his first winning appearance in the Premiership Final in 2013 on the way to his England debut the following March.
George was a Six Nations champion with England in 2016 and ’17, and started in the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final before joining Sale Sharks where he reached another Premiership Final in 2023 before travelling to France for another Rugby World Cup.
Tom Croft
With Leicester Tigers, England and the British & Irish Lions, Tom Croft enjoyed a decade of success in rugby’s highest levels.
He came through the Tigers Academy and Oakham School – where he played in the same rugby team as England cricket hero Stuart Broad – to make his senior rugby debut in 2005 and quickly made an impact as a quick, athletic and dynamic forward operating either at lock or flanker. By 2008 he earned the first of 40 England caps and a year later scored two tries in the opening Test of the British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa.
He went on a second Lions tour in 2013 immediately after collecting a fourth Premiership title and played in the opening two Tests of the series win in Australia. After recovering from a series of injuries, he enjoyed another impressive season in 2015/16 before retirement in November 2017.
Tom says: “I am enormously proud to be able to assist Hambo as an Ambassador of the Foundation.”
Ben Mosley
As official artist for Team GB, he created paintings live in Paris 2024 and a mural in Carnaby Street during the Tokyo Games. He was also official artist of the British & Irish Lions for the 2025 tour to Australia.
An expressionist artist whose use of 24k gold and precious metals has become synonymous with his unique style, Ben’s work can be found in many private collections throughout the world. He has also raised more than £2.5m pounds for charity with his live paintings and has collaborations with some of the biggest names in sport and popular culture including Wembley Stadium, Manchester United, McDonald’s, Tag Heuer and Porsche.
Cameron Henderson
Born in Hong Kong, second-row forward Cameron Henderson joined Leicester Tigers during the summer of 2020 and three years later became a senior rugby international with Scotland.
He originally spent a summer with Tigers Under-18s during 2017 but was based in Scotland where he joined Glasgow Warriors as a Scottish Rugby Academy player, gaining national honours at Under-20s level.
After returning to Tigers during the Covid period, he shared in a Premiership title win in 2022 and made his Scotland international debut during the build-up to the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Dan Kelly
Dan Kelly took the short journey from Loughborough University to Leicester Tigers during 2020 and just a year later was celebrating a first cap for England.
The Manchester-born centre was a member of the Sale Sharks Academy from 2017 and won Ireland Under-20s honours before playing in the National League with Loughborough Students. He made his Premiership debut with Leicester in August 2020 and gained a first England cap against Canada at Twickenham in the summer of 2021. He won a first Premiership title with Tigers in 2022 when he also became an Ambassador for the Matt Hampson Foundation and moved to Munster in 2025.
George Martin
George Martin made his England debut as a teenager in 2020 after just a handful of games in senior rugby with Leicester Tigers.
As a double winner in the Under-18 League with the Tigers academy team, he captained England Under-18s before his breakthrough in senior rugby at the resumption of the Covid-hit 2019/20 campaign.
George won a Premiership title in 2022, passed 50 appearances for Leicester the following season and played in the 2023 Rugby World Cup in the same year he became an Ambassador for the Foundation. In 2026 he announced a move to Saracens.
Ben White
Ben White made history as the youngest Premiership player in Leicester Tigers history when he made his debut as a 17-year-old and has gone on to establish himself as an international scrum-half.
Formerly with Denstone College in Staffordshire, White progressed from the Leicester Tigers Academy to senior rugby before moving to London Irish in 2021 and then joined French club Toulon in 2023.
After captaining England at Under-20s level, he gained senior recognition with Scotland and in 2025 was called up as an injury replacement for the British & Irish Lions tour to Australia, where the visitors recorded a 2-1 victory in the Test series.
Kylie Gough MBE PLY
Three-time Paralympian Kylie Gough (previously Kylie Grimes) made history in 2021 as the first woman to win wheelchair rugby gold at the Paralympic Games and was appointed an MBE the following year in recognition of services to the sport.
She had been part of Team GB’s fifth-placed squad at London in 2012 and switched to athletics in Rio before returning to team sport and striking gold in 2021.
Kylie also competed in the athletics World Championships in 2015 and ’17, and won European gold with GB’s wheelchair rugby team among other achievements, showing that a life-changing spinal injury is no barrier to sporting ambition.
Kylie was appointed to the ParalympicsGB Athletes’ Commission in 2024.