Matthew "Hambo" Hampson OBE (born (1984-11-29) 29 November 1984 (age 40) is an English former rugby union prop who became paralysed from the neck down (C4/5 tetraplegic), after a scrummaging accident when practising with England under-21 squad in March 2005.
Referee and former paramedic Tony Spreadbury was praised for his quick reaction to stabilise Hampson's neck, saving him even further damage that could have resulted in his death.
Hampson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours for voluntary and charitable service,[2] and received his award from the Princess Anne in a ceremony at Windsor Castle in February 2022.
[3] Hampson's ambition was to create a dedicated physical rehabilitation centre for sufferers of serious injuries through sports-accidents, resulting in life-changing conditions with long-term effects including permanent disability, to help them to recover to the best of their abilities.
Work started in November 2016 on the site of an old aircraft hangar in countryside at Burrough on the Hill, near Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, England, and the new facility was opened officially on 2 October 2018.
[16] The book is highly critical of the standards of care he initially received from the National Health Service, and the attitude of the RFU, which contrasts with that of the Leicester Tigers board.