Changing the world - Hampsons paralysing injury and England pride, 20 years on

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Hampson reflects on life-altering injury and life-changing influence

Matt Hampson could not breathe by himself and was drifting in and out of consciousness when medics cut his England jersey off him.

It was half a lifetime ago that the now 40-year-old was in intensive care, having been left paralysed from the neck down when a scrum collapsed in a training session with the Under-21 national team.

He recalls the faces around him immediately after the incident, the "shell-shocked" looks, the sense of helplessness when he could not feel his arms and legs, and waking up in the back of an ambulance after "blacking out" before being resuscitated.

He was only 20 years old then. Now, 20 years on, the former Leicester Tigers prop remembers how it all felt "so surreal" when he was rushed to Northampton General Hospital.

The injury left Hampson only able to breathe through a ventilator and as "bizarre and scary" as that struck him at the time, he admits he was momentarily distracted from the life-changing chaos of it all.

"Having my England kit that I was so proud of being cut off me with scissors was a small trivial thing I was thinking of," Hampson told BBC East Midlands Today.

"I was so proud of playing for England with the rose on my chest, and then having that kit cut off me, I was just thinking of that rather than thinking of myself."

Hampson had started the day - 15 March, 2005 - by slipping that England shirt on as one of the nations finest rising rugby union prospects.

It was with the academy at Leicester Tigers, a club renowned for developing forwards of fierce pedigree, that Hampson worked hard to gain that reputation.

"I wasnt a natural rugby player, but I wanted it, I was hungry for it and was passionate about it," he said.

"Rugby was my purpose and what I could do to channel my energy. I felt like it was my calling."

That calling, however, was silenced in harrowing circumstances which sent him in a different direction.

He would go on to spend 18 months at Stoke Mandeville Hospital - home of of the National Spinal Injuries Centre - and after that he said there was "a lot of soul searching" about what would come next.

"You are a rugby player, so to redefine yourself was massively important," he said.

"It was obviously a turning point in my life and initially I struggled to justify why it happened to me and why life would never be the same again. But now I understand."

He says this while sat at the Get Busy Living Centre, a state-of-the art facility that he is the driving force behind, which offers total support to those in a similar situation.

The centre, which is nestled among farmland outside Melton Mowbray in rural Leicestershire, is also home of the foundation set up in Hampsons name.

"I come into the driveway and see the foundation and centre and this is what its all about," he said.

"This is why it happened. Realising how much support I had and how many people that Id be able to help and influence, just through my journey and my story - to show people that there is a great life to be had in this situation."

Matt Hampson was awarded an OBE in 2022 and received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Leicester in January

It was the support that Hampson got after his accident that made him realise what could be possible.

In hospital he was visited by so many people that he ended up needing a booking system to stay on top of it all. As a high-profile injury that rocked the rugby world, there was also a lot of money donated to help him and his family cope.

He knew he was "blessed" to be in that position, but also saw that many were not so fortunate.

"It didnt just come to me straightaway," Hampson said of plans for his foundation and the centre. "The trust fund was sort of thrust upon me where people were raising money for me.

"I felt very grateful for that and I felt that I needed to give something back. The natural progression for the trust was to turn into a foundation, a charity to help other people.

"The most worthwhile thing we can do in our life is to make an impression on someone elses life."

How many people the foundation and centre have supported over the years, Hampson cant put an exact number on.

But it is hundreds who have sought access to expert physiotherapists, specialist personal trainers, wellbeing support and other tailored healthy living advice at the centre.

Accommodation has been set up there recently to help offer even greater levels of access, and there are further redevelopment plans for the site and aspirations to expand its reach with satellite centres around the country.

Some people who have come through the centre have even gone on establish themselves as athletes, competing at the Paralympic Games. Among them are Nick Cummins and Jamie Stead, who were both part of ParalympicsGBs gold medal-winning wheelchair rugby side at the Tokyo games in 2021.

Graham Lee, a Grand National-winning jockey who suffered a spinal injury in 2024 in a riding accident, went direct to the centre from hospital to start his rehabilitation.

"The second I got out of the van, Matt was there," Lee said. "He is a class act in every way."

When Hampson turned 40 last year, he spoke of his pride in how he, and those he works with, have "shaken things up for the disability world".

"The world is a lot more inclusive. You were just existing back then," Hampson said when reflecting on the support he received after he first left hospital with his injury.

"Now you can get busy living and you can do things. Its a challenge, every day is a challenge, but it makes it enjoyable and makes it worthwhile.

"You feel like you are actually getting somewhere, actually changing the world for disabled people but also changing the world for a lot of other people as well.

"Im immensely proud of what we do here."

Natalie Jackson, BBC East Midlands Today sports editor:

I have been covering Matt Hampsons story for 20 years and first met him in Stoke Mandeville Hospital not long after his accident.

When he was first injured he could only communicate by blinking and clicking, and his injury is the worst level of tetraplegia – paralysed from the neck down and on a ventilator.

He was in hospital for 18 months and I filmed with him during his last week in hospital before he came home.

I was nervous about meeting him because I was worried about saying the wrong thing but he instantly put me at ease with his smile, humour and positivity. And that mental strength he has used ever since to change the way people view disability and to shake up the disability world, changing and saving hundreds of lives.

He has an incredible ability to know what people need.

I have seen people take their first steps at his centre and seen him take people from a dark place and transform their lives, proving that you can have a full and incredible life after a spinal injury – Getting Busy Living.