Bernard Burnham
Barney's page
Fundraising for Restart
Story
I've got the begging bowl out again, and, once more, it's for my friend Matt Hampson. He was a highly promising rugby player who suffered a catastrophic neck injury in a training accident with the England Under-21 team, in March 2005.Paralysed from the neck down, and unable to breathe without a ventilator, he spent over a year at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, before returning home, to a small village in the countryside near Oakham. He's refused to let his condition affect his appetite for life, and he's amazed and inspired everyone, with his courage, determination and cheerfulness.
On top of running his own rugby memorabilia company, he's earnt his Grade 1 coaching badges, he's a busy rugby journalist, he's patron of the charity SpecialEffect, which helps severely handicapped children, and he's the Ambassador for this very charity, the RPA Benevolent Fund. He sees his high profile as the chance to raise awareness of spinal injuries, and he's committed to helping fund research, and to assist and advise other people with injuries similar to his own.
On May the 22nd, rugby supporters from all over the country will set off from Rugby, in Warwickshire, en route for Twickenham, and the Guinness Premiership final, a week later. It's a repeat of last year's successful Walk4Matt, covering 105 miles, along the towpath of the Grand Union Canal. It'll also be doing its best to help the pub industry!It's estimated that Matt needs a staggering eight million pounds to give him the level of care he needs, for the rest of his life. He requires two carers, 24 hours a day.Money raised by the walk will be divided between Matt's own trust fund, SpecialEffect and this charity, the RPA Benevolent Fund.Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now.Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now.