Matt Hampson Reflects on Foundation’s Achievements as He Turns 40

Former rugby union player Matt Hampson, an ex-Leicester Tigers prop, has expressed pride in how he has leveraged the life-altering injury that curtailed his athletic ambitions to “shake things up for the disability world,” as he reaches his 40th birthday. In 2005, at the age of 20, Hampson was an emerging prop for the Leicester Tigers when a scrum collapse during a training session with the England Under-21 squad resulted in him becoming paralysed from the neck down. Six years later, he established a foundation bearing his name, dedicated to assisting young individuals who sustain injuries while participating in sports. On the occasion of his 40th birthday today, Hampson has taken time to consider the accomplishments of the Matt Hampson Foundation through its provision of care over the years, as well as the future goals he and his team envision. “I reflect on the foundation and on myself as a person,” he stated to BBC East Midlands Today. He continued, “I reflect on how far the foundation has come, what we have achieved as a great team, and how before it was a why me, why me situation, but now I see this place, and I think, ‘Yeah, it did happen for a reason’, and that was to create this wonderful foundation.” Hampson added, “I always say I’m the biggest beneficiary of this foundation.” Over the years, Hampson’s foundation has provided assistance to hundreds of individuals. Its “Get Busy Living Centre,” located in the Leicestershire market town of Melton Mowbray, offers access to expert physiotherapists, specialist personal trainers, wellbeing support, and other personalized healthy living guidance. The centre has expanded its services to include accommodation, and there is significant demand for access, evidenced by a four-month waiting list. Hampson remarked, “There is always more we can do, more people we can support, and I think we are at the forefront and leading by example as a foundation.” He further stated, “I feel we are shaking things up for the disabled world, empowering and giving our beneficiaries the tools to go and achieve amazing things.” “I’m proud of where we have come from and what we have achieved in a relatively short period of time. It’s grown over the years, and we support people in a very unique way,” Hampson concluded. Among those who have received support from the foundation are several Paralympic athletes, including Nick Cummins and Jamie Stead, both members of ParalympicsGB’s gold medal-winning wheelchair rugby team at the Tokyo games in 2021. Regarding the aspirations of individuals seeking the foundation’s assistance, Hampson commented, “Some people want to go to the Paralympics to get gold, and that’s fantastic.” He added, “And there are other people who just want to be able to go to the shops or to pick up their loved ones from school, to live a fairly normal life again, and to just feel happy – and for us, that is just as big of an achievement.”