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Julian Evans recentlycompleted this gruelling challenge that consists of running over the highest sand dunes in Morocco. 157 miles in 6 days, with day time temperatures of upto 48 degrees C. This was the longest and hardest route in the 23 years the Marathon des Sables has been going.
Julian was in a group with
an ex-marine, ex-boxer, former junior world tri-athlete champion and two iron men competitors.
The competitors sleep in tents and must carry their own supplies in a ruck sack throughout the event.
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Julian ran the event to raise money for both Matt's Trust and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (hybrid of Alzheimer's & Parkinson's).
We would like to congratulate Julian on comleting the Marathon des Sables as it really is an incredible acheievement to do so.
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Mason and Brooke hosted the sell out gig in aid of the Matt Hampson Trust Fund sponsored by Guinness.
A huge thankyou has to go to all at Mason and Brooke and also a huge thankyou to Guinness who sponsored the evening for £2500 pounds.
The boys who performed on the evening included George Chuter, Sam Veaty, Dan Hipkiss, Ayoola Erinle, Aaron Mauger and Seru Rabeni.
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Every fundraising event is vitally important and if you are keen on doing something for Matt then please get in touch by emailing tommy@hambo.co.uk. |
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The Plough Inn at Bruntingthorpe has Raised a substantial amount of money for the Matt Hampson Trust.
A huge thankyou has to go to all at The Plough Inn at Bruntingthorpe for their ongoing support for Matt.
Every fundraising event is vitally important and if you are keen on doing something for Matt then please get in touch by emailing tommy@hambo.co.uk. |
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Ian Stafford will be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro this year between October 3rd and 12th. KIlimanjaro, on the border between Kenya and Tanzania, is at 19,340 feet the tallest mountain in Africa, and the tallest, free-standing mountain in the world. To reach the summit you have to endure vastly contrasting conditions, from tropical rain forest to freezing, polar terrain and also face numbing altitude which often results in severe sickness, migraines and, in a worst case scenario, facial oedamas which can be life threatening. He will be raising funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust and also for the Matt Hampson Trust, and all things related to it - spinal research, special effects, stem cell research and hopes to raise £20,000.
All contributions are greatly accepted and will help to drive Ian to the summit of one of the world's great mountains and challenges. Ian is a multiple-award-winning sports writer ( Sports Reporter of the Year, twice Magazine Sports Writer of the Year, author of 14 books, a prolific contributor to TV and radio, and an after dinner speaker. Ian currently writes for The Mail on Sunday and a host of international publications. |
Stafford has written many times about Matt's plight, and also spent a week training with the Leicester Tigers which culminated in a 15 minute appearance from the bench playing as a flanker for the Tigers against Ulster in 2001. This was chronicled in a chapter in the book, "In Your Dreams." The Tigers went on to win their first European crown that year, thanks he mauintains to his pre-season contribution. |
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When booking my annual holiday on-line to an island in Thailand called Ko Samui, the managing director of Ko Samui Properties, Harry Bonning asked if I was the Roy Jackson, who at the time of booking was President of Leicester Tigers.
Harry, born and bred in Leicester, is still an avid fan of the Tigers and was delighted when the answer was in the affirmative. Harry and I have conversed over the email many many times since we booked the holiday and when I told him that I was Chairman of the Matt Hampson Trust Fund he decided to work on different events now being held for Matt whilst Fiona and I are on the Island. The highlight of the trip will be an event on Saturday 23rd Feb when England play France, Wales play Italy and Ireland play Scotland. This is being held at a bar called Coco Blues and has the making of a marathon evening as the England |
game does not start until 2.00 am local time. No doubt Fiona and I will have to pace ourselves as we are flying home on the following Monday.
On behalf of Matt, his family, his Trust and all at the Tigers I wish to thank Harry and his friends and colleagues for all they are doing for Matt. It is much appreciated and I can’t wait for next week. Incidentally I will not be playing golf as I am useless and it ruins a good walk, although my holiday mate Graham Goode will probably walk away with the prize.
Roy Jackson |
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When you go away and play for your country, do you find it a difficult transition from club rugby?
“ Yes, it is a little bit different actually. Its only difficult sometimes when you are playing club rugby, especially after being at Leicester for so long. At Leicester, a lot of moves are tailored to individual players. When you play for Ireland, we use different moves and patterns and in that aspect, that’s what makes it a difficult transition.”
This week, have you done anything different to what you would normally do in a build up to an international?
“ Not too much different really, we’ve changed the training a little bit, we used to split up into forwards and backs and train separately then come together for the last twenty minutes. But now we train together as a unit for a longer period of time to try and gel the team. I think its really important to play together as a team to perfect the patterns and different phase plays.”
What is it like to play against some of your Tigers team mates?
“It’s a bit strange, we played England in last years competition I went into a ruck and I saw Lewis trying to nick the ball, so I went in and cleared him out. I gave him a little dig. He started swearing and he looked up and I thought he was going to chin me, but he didn’t know who’d done it. I was quite pleased I got my little dig in! This year, I’m looking to get one in on Castro….”
When you are away staying in hotels and you are not training, what do you do to occupy yourself?
“We don’t actually have that much time to ourselves, we have a lot of meetings. For instance, today we trained until lunch time, then we had an hour break, then we had weights, after which we are supposed to go and rest up. We had a meeting at 6.30, then dinner at 7pm. We get a day off on Wednesday and I’ll probably go and see my family and catch up with them and watch movies and DVD’s and possibly get roped into babysitting my niece and nephew!”
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This years Six Nations competition promises to be a really close fought contest and there is probably no real clear favourite, who would you say is going to be your toughest opponent and why?
“I don’t know to be quite honest with you. I’d agree with you that there is no clear favourite. Wales should do quite well with Warren Gatlin taken over and planning a big Six Nations. I spoke to Jimbo last week before I went away and he told me that ‘..Scotland are up for it and want to put in a really strong campaign’. England are always very strong and France have a young and improving squad so there are no easy games.
“So you are just going to take every game as it comes?”
“Well, we had such a bad world cup, that is the way we are going to have to play it. We can’t afford to take anyone for granted.”
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When you go away and play for your country, do you find it a difficult transition from club rugby?
‘It’s a little bit different to club rugby because different coaches have different philosophies but it’s really nice to catch up and see my friends from Italy.’
This week, have you done anything different to what you would normally do in a build up to an international?
‘We have a new South African coach now used to train a lot longer but now the training sessions are a lot more intense - shorter and sharper. We talk a lot about what we should do at different stages of the game and how we should play on particular parts of the field.’
What is it like to play against some of your Tigers team mates?
‘I’m obviously playing against quite a few of my team mates in this competition, its really nice to see them after the game and catch up.’
When you are away staying in hotels and you are not training, what do you do to occupy yourself?
‘Training sessions are quite demanding so I just like to chill out, play on the play station, watch television, or if we get any time off, go to the cinema.’
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This years Six Nations competition promises to be a really close fought contest and there is probably no real clear favourite, who would you say is going to be your toughest opponent and why?
‘England for me are the team to beat, I play a lot against the squad week in week out in the premiership. They have a lot of strong and physical players, especially in the front row.’
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Six nations preview.
This years six nations competition’ promise’s to be the closest contest in years. I think there is no clear favourites.
The team I am most interested in watching is the French, they have so many uncapped and unknown players in their squad. Marc Lievremont obviously wanted to make his mark with his first squad selection or maybe he wanted to give the rock stars a kick up the backside.
Wales really fancy their chances with Warren Gatlin plotting a real strong assault the title. The new head coach of the welsh team is widely renowned as one of the best tacticians in the game and with the Welsh teams doing so well in the Heineken cup Wales look like one of the favourites.
Ronan O’gara is the in form fly half in Europe at the moment, after a really poor World cup by his standards, O’gara has come back stronger than ever. The area Ireland have struggled with for a number years is in the scrum, their props have a great work rate in the loose but when it comes to a front rowers bread and butter ‘scummaging’ they really fall short of the mark.
In vast comparison, the one area the Italians can really compete against the best in the world is at scrum time. The Italians keep on improving every year, although they didn’t show themselves in the best light during the world cup. Italy used to be very one dimensional and predictable, back in days of Diminges but now they have a new style and vigour. I can only see the Italians improving with the recently appointed Nick Mallet.
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I was pleasantly surprised with the way England preformed in the world cup. They had an incredible team sprit and self belief. I am really looking forward to watching are new crop young internationals. The player I have partially got my eye on is James Haskell, he was so unlucky to miss out on a world cup place. Haskell has got to be one of the quickest back row players in Europe.
With the exception of Ireland Scotland have the most settled squad in the Six Nations.
“Man mountain”, my old team mate James Hamilton, has become a regular in the Scotland team, one of the best players I have ever had the privilege to play with.Jason White now back from long term injury, and back to his brutal self, putting in half a dozen massive tackles in every game, he must be one of the toughest players in world rugby. Scotland are well capable of causing a few up-sets.
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On a recent visit to Paris Hambo managed to get some pictures of himself with his new official rugby ball at the Louvre. Including one with the Mona Lisa. Here at www.matthampson.co.uk we try and get photos of the World's very best rugby players with the Trust's official Gilbert Rugby ball and we shall continue to do so.
However we have decided to hold a competition where you to can get pictures of Matt's rugby ball or any other Hambo merchandise that shows the website in the most obscure place or with the most famous people.
There really is no limits to where the ball can be photographed or with whom. We plan to feature the best photos on the website and there will be a first, second and third prize to be confirmed in the coming weeks. The competition will run for 6 months so you have plenty of time to capture that winning image. All you need to start is a Matt Hampson Rugby ball.Click here!
Check out Matt's pictures from Paris. |
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Q1 - When you go away and play for your country, do you find it a
difficult transition from club rugby?
Sometimes its difficult, its slightly different this time because the world cup is still fairly fresh in our minds. we are quite lucky this week because we have had more time to prepare as our game is on Sunday, this means we have one day less than Wales for the week after though.
Q2 - This week, have you done anything different to what you would
normally do in a build up to an international?
Me personally not really, only that I am calling the lineout so there is a bigger responsibility to get things right in training and on the pitch, which means more homework on there key line out operators. As a team we have been drilling the moves more and as I said before we have had the luxury of 1 extra day.
Q3 - When you are away staying in hotels and you are not training, what do you do to occupy yourself?
It can be quite boring staying in hotels but nice and relaxing in a way, don’t have any worries at all, food is cooked for you, rooms are cleaned everyday, and your laundry is done. We have a good bunch of lads to so it’s easy to sit around and socialise. We have a meal out every week in small groups which is good, apart from that I am into watching films and box sets, I am into prison break, 24 and lost at the minute.
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Q4 - This years Six Nations competition promises to be a really close
fought contest and there is probably no real clear favourite, who would
you say is going to be your toughest opponent and why?
This year is very hard to call, France are always going to be difficult but they have got a completely new management and team (with no Chabal). So it will be interesting to see how they go. Surely Ireland and Wales can’t be as bad as they were in the world cup, I doubt they will be. I think England look quite exciting with a mix of youth and experience, guys like Haskell and Cipriani look very exciting, I think our toughest test will be in Rome against Italy, they will still be reeling after the world cup. That’s fine by me, the harder the task the better. But I’m sure games away at the millennium and Croke park will be a real test of character and the team.
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Does a drive from Leicester to Athens in August 2008 using beat up cars all for charity (Spinal research and Matt Hampson) sound interesting?
Yes, well that's great, you have come to the right place. To take part in this event each car team must have at least 2 drivers over the age of 18. Every team must raise at least £200 pounds to take part, which will all go to the charities (however we know you can raise at least £500).
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The trip will take in unseen Europe and conclude in Greece, where the option of scraping the cars or driving them back will be given. Its a great chance to meet new people, travel, have a laugh and raise as much money for charity as possible
When? We plan to leave on August 11th 2008 and will last for 10 days (this may change, but it shouldnt do)
Sounds Good? How Do You Join?
Want to take part in the rally? Send an email to leicestertoathens@googlemail.com and fill in the form that will be send to you, and see you name appear on the website.
See who else is taking part and chat about the event and any other issues you may have.
http://www.getphpbb.com/phpbb/index.php?mforum=leicestertoathe
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The Hambo 7's Tournament at Oakham Rugby Club will take place on the weekend of the 24th and 25th May 2008.
The Saturday sees the start of the 7's, entry is just £100 per team. There will be a plate, bowl and cup competition so all standards are welcome. Teams to feature include a Hambo Select 7 and a side from the Tigers. Camping on site will be available and there is a planned fancy dressed disco in the Marquee with entry just £5 on the Saturday night. Sunday will be finals day and the prize giving ceremony.
For more information or to book your team in please contact Matt or Tommy at the following matt@hambo.co.uk or tommy@hambo.co.uk |
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Matt Hampson is now known all over the country as the inspirational figure who has given hope to people going through a rough period in their lives, the guy who got injured but wouldn’t take it lying down.
Before March 2005 he was an emerging talent in the world of rugby, recognized by the respected as having the capability to go all the way.
Then came the moment that changed his life. “He (Matt Hampson) remembers the call and he remembers the shove and he remembers the scrum collapsing, just as it had many times before. He remembers going down and his feet being lifted off the ground and feeling suddenly unable to breathe as his friends piled on top of him.” (The Times March 12th 2006).
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Matt suffered a dislocation in his neck which had trapped his spinal cord. It has left him paralyzed from the neck down and more determined than ever from the neck up. It is Matt’s spirit and bravery that has earned him such recognition and has pulled together the rugby world who want to take care of one of their own.
Without question, Matt is an incredible young man. He is an Inspiration and motivation to everyone who knows his story. It seems like nothing is too big a challenge for Hambo and with his determination and a little luck, the world really is still very much at his feet.
It has always been Matt's intention since his accident to work, help and support spinally injured people. Monies raised from “Grow a ‘mo’ for Hambo” will be split with spinal research and The Matt Hampson Trust Fund.
The plan for the month of November is for all the Guinness premiership players to grow moustaches or to put it simply “to grow a ‘mo’ for Hambo”. The sight of two first grade teams going head-to-head with ridiculous handlebars is sure to gain a fair bit of attention. To add to this the general public will be encouraged to join in on facial hair growing.
To ensure ease of monetary matters the concept will be self-sponsored. A minimum donation of £5 (although more would be gratuitously accepted) will be made to the website WWW.MATTHAMPSON.CO.UK
No information will be required to be filled in (only Paypal) and participants will not be required to add email addresses etc unless they want to.
The money will be put to use for spinal research and for Matt’s trust fund. This money is essential if future advances are to be achieved in this area and to give hope to those having suffered an injury such as Matt’s.
The concept is simple, the application even easier and the cause fantastic. To meet Matt is an inspiration and every little helps.
Any questions or queries should be directed towards Matt’s website and his PA – tommy@hambo.co.uk
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Marco Wentzel led a team including Tiger’s team mate Matt Cornwell to victory at the annual Rutland Agricultural Society Golf day at Greetham Valley Golf Course.
The One Thirty Shot Gun start was signalled by a fly by from an RAF Harrier from the nearby Cottesmore Air-Base. Twenty five teams were in action and all enjoyed 18 holes on the fantastic Lakes course and a wonderful evening and dinner.
Wentzel and Cornwell were joined in the Matt Hampson Trust Team by Tommy Cawston and Tom Hampson.
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And despite some wayward and some would say reckless driving by Cornwell eventually came out on top much to the surprise of Hambo!
The Tigers duo will be donning their golfing attire again on the 11th October at Stapleford Park for a Golf day organised by The Elite Fitness Group. Other Tiger’s stars will also be in attendance and so can you.
If you are interested in a four ball at the event please contact Tommy Cawston at tommy@hambo.co.uk. |
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Lorraine Knaggs a big supporter of the Matt Hampson Trust is set to become the first woman ever to take part in a jousting match at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds.
Lorraine from Rugby, Warwickshire will be facing an expert jouster in the medieval challenge on 14 October, in order to raise funds for the Matt Hampson Trust.
What makes the venture even more remarkable is that Lorraine has only just got back on a horse after a bad experience five years ago, which 'shattered her confidence'.
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Now she is not only getting back in the saddle, but returning to riding with the full weight of lances and body armour.
It takes jousters 15 to 20 years to train for the event at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds - but Lorraine is having just four or five training sessions before her big fight.
She said: "Someone has told me that jousting is sitting on three quarters of a ton of very fit horse, wearing up to 80lbs of armour, travelling at a speed of 30 mph towards a man who wants to skewer you!
"It is a bit scary, and I have had to take out public liability insurance
for £2.5 million."
"It's hard work. Getting on and off is a laugh - also, I sound like a load of dustbins! - but at least I managed to hit the target on the quintain bang on! So far I have had a go with sword, lance and spear in target practice."
Leicester Tigers fan Lorraine came up with the idea because she 'wanted to do something different' to raise money for Hambo. Matt who spoke with Lorraine at the launch of his website said after ‘‘I don’t think many people know how difficult this joust is actually going to be. To be quite honest with you Lorraine is one of the nicest most charitable people I have met but quite frankly I think she’s a bit crazy!’’
The public joust will take place on October 14 at the Royal Armouries in Leeds.
Anyone wishing to sponsor Lorraine can email her on: boarsnout7@ntlworld.com
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was re-launched on Wednesday 12th September just in time for the start of the 2007/08 Premiership season. Matt joined up with Mason & Brooke a new bar in Oadby to hold a joint launch party as it was also their opening night.
Matt was joined by a good crowd of people including many of the Leicester Tigers first team squad. It was an opportunity for Matt to thank a host of people who had been influential in getting the website up and running, and everyone who attended had a really good evening. |
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A big thank you must go to the owners of Mason & Brooke Manjit and Sophie and we fully recommend you pay either the bar in Oadby or their one on Allandale Road a visit. |
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As you may well have noticed www.matthampson.co.uk has been out of action for the past couple of months. Today the site is re-launched and we think it has been well worth the wait.
Thanks to Creative Link and Fastant, two local Leicester based companies, the website and accompaning ebased store have been updated and improved.
We aim to continue to supply high quality merchandise and memorabilia and this is shown by
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our association with both Nike and Gilbert: two world leaders in the specialised field of leisure wear and rugby products. We hope you enjoy the new website and spend a while familiarising yourself with its new lay out.
A launch party is planned tonight at a new bar Mason & Brooke in Oadby from 7pm. We welcome any supporters of the Trust to join us to celebrate the launch.
Enjoy the site and thanks for logging on. |
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Martin Johnson captained a Leicester Tigers All Stars XI against a Leicester City All Stars side at Topps Park, home of Oadby Town FC on Sunday 2nd September.
The match saw many former Tigers put on their boots and a side led by Jonno included Darren Garforth, Glen Gelderbloom, Steve Booth, Stuart Redfearn and Malcolm Foulkes Arnold amongst others.
The Tigers aquitted themselves well against a City XI which was lead by Paul Ramsey and included a |
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host of former stars such as Gerry Taggert and Ali Maclaulen. The game was end to end throughout and a Mitch Read goal in the final few minutes meant a well earned draw for the Tigers.
A good crowd turned up including a number of the Tigers first team who had just returned from a pre-season friendly in France. A raffle and auction took place and a substantial amount of money was raised on the day for the Trust.
Hambo was there to watch the match and was thoroughly impressed with the quality of football on display especially from some of the weightier Tigers players!
Many thanks to all involved from the players to supporters and to all at Oadby Town Football Club who made everyone so welcome. From the feedback from the players this looks set to become an annual event.
The final score was 3-3
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On Saturday, June 23, Matt Hampson held his first summer ball in the beautiful surroundings of Marston Trussell Hall. Thankfully, the weather held off and guests were treated to a champagne reception in the hall's wonderful gardens. On entry to the marquee, the grand central chorus entertained the party before MC for the evening Andy Goode called people to their tables.
The highlight of the evening’s entertainment was the Tigers in Tights ballet display featuring Messrs |
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Matt Cornwell, Tom Croft, Dan Hipkiss, Matt Smith, James Buckland and Johne Murphy. Unsurprisingly, the lads, along with their dancing partners, brought the house down!
An auction with Charlie 'Flog It' Ross followed, with guests bidding on such items as a four ball round at Loch Lomond Golf Club and a signed, limited edition print of Martin Johnson. Singing sensations Fat Chance then got everyone up and dancing, ensuring a fantastic night was had by all, with an impressive total being raised for the trust in the process. Many thanks must go to Sue Dowse who was the main organiser of the ball.
Photos of the event can be purchased on http://www.adsprojects.com/ and monies from these photos will be added to the total raised on the evening.
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Matt has teamed up with ‘SpecialEffect’ – a brand new charity that helps young people with disabilities to enjoy life again by enabling them to play computer games and control many other kinds of leisure technology. One example of their amazing work is to lend the right technology when it is needed most, like Matt did following his devastating injury.
As Matt says, “Even if you can't have all the technology available immediately, it's when you're there in hospital that you need to know that this technology is out there.” |
Dean, a very disabled young boy, uses 'eye-control for the first time.
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His mum, Ann, adds: “If you're in hospital for a long time which, in a spinal injuries hospital, is often the case, you need that stimulation desperately.” SpecialEffect specialise in using cutting-edge technology, such as eye-movement controlled computers, to put that stimulation and enjoyment back into peoples lives when it will do most benefit, as soon as possible following a serious illness or injury.
Mick Donegan, Director of SpecialEffect, says “It was fantastic news for everyone when Matt agreed to join forces and become Patron of SpecialEffect. We can’t think of anyone who could be a more inspiring example to the many young people that we support. Matt has already been a huge help with providing contacts and advice and he is very keen to become even more actively involved in the charity in the future.”
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Matt travelled down to London to watch the Rugby Club being filmed and to meet the Stars of the show Messrs Barnes, Greenwood and Lazenby.
Sky Sports very kindly invited Matt down to their studios in Isleworth Middlesex to watch the live broadcasting of the Rugby Club.
Matt watched from the studio floor the pre-recorded Analysis section with Will and Stuart and was impressed with their slickness as they nailed the section in one take ! |
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The rest of the show is actually broadcast live which is not widely recognised much to the people involveds' annoyance.
Matt watched the rest of the show with the Director who talked him through exactly what was going on, in front of what seemed like hundreds of television screens of various sizes. There was even a piece on the Hambo Bowl to be played later this year at Welford Road!
The day ended with Matt meeting the presenters and a few photographs were signed which are available for purchase on the website.
We would like to thank everyone at Sky Sports for inviting us down to the studios and for making it a real day to remember. |
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Alex King the Wasp and England Fly-Half has donated £7,000 from his benefit year to the Matt Hampson Trust
Alex King the Wasps and England International Fly-Half has been enjoing his benefit season this past year. Awarded after ten years of service to the London club. He has very kindly donated £7,000 from his benefit fund directly to the Matt Hampson Trust. This is a fabulous gesture from a great servant of the London Wasps club.
On behalf of Matt and everyone involved with the Trust we would like to thank Alex for his generous gesture and his support of the trust. |
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The latest people to send us in their fundraising efforts for the Matt Hampson Trust are the McGallan Family of Rochester in Staffordshire. They ran the Dovedale dash and raised £1000 for the Trust.
Mum Sue, Dad John and sons Andrew and Jamie ran the Dovedale Dash on a Sunday morning last November. This involved a run of 5 miles or so over hill and dale (a very muddy course apparently) and through the River Dove (very cold!).
The run certainly isn't a course for the faint-hearted, and on behalf of the trust we would like to thank all the McGallan family for their efforts in raising the magnificent sum of £1,000 for Matt. |
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Amy Wood and her friend Chris Baguley recently undertook a sponsored swim of 4 miles each at Water Meadows Swimming Centre in Mansfield to raise money for the Matt Hampson Trust. This challenge was achieved by the pair and together they raised £577.50.
They are going to the final Tigers game of the season against Wasps on 28 April to meet Matt and present their cheque to him.
We here at www.matthampson.co.uk would like to thank and congratulate both Amy and Chris for this wonderful achievement. |
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If you have or know of other people who have raised funds for Matt then please let us know and we can highlight peoples efforts on the website.
Please email Tommy Cawston at scawston@matthampson.co.uk with your fund raising stories. |
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MattHampson.co.uk has earned itself many loyal supporters but none more so than Jacqueline Darby. Some of her past pupils are serving with the Royal Marines 42 Commando and to show just how far the Matt Hampson Trust fans are prepared to go, she sent her serving expupils a MattHampson.co.uk banner all the way to – wait for it - AFGANISTAN!
We have no doubt that everyone feels the same as us here at MattHampson.co.uk that we could not be more proud of the bravery and courage shown by our troops serving all over the world. The humility shown by Jacqueline by arranging for this banner to be sent to the other side of the world in such pressing times for the forces is just truly remarkable. |
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Jacqueline is an avid supporter of the site and arguably our most regular donator. Only last week, a product she had donated was picked up by a customer for a donation of almost £200. Jacqueline goes further than just donating products which she herself spends time collecting in-person and she is regularly making donations to acquire other pieces of memorabilia available on the site and for that we thank her unreservedly.
As the marines have shown – the products available on MattHampson.co.uk can be sent worldwide so no matter where in the world you live please show your support to the Trust Fund by making a donation today in return for some of the best items of rugby memorabilia available anywhere in the world. |
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England Scrum-Half Harry Ellis starring role against Scotland on Saturday 3rd February earned him rave reviews from many pundits and supporters alike. www.matthampson.co.uk offer you the chance to purchase a signed 10 x 8 action photograph of Harry on one of his many dazzling breaks during the game.
Although Brian 'The Pitbull' Moore gave the Man of the Match award to the returning Jonny Wilkinson, it was Ellis who caught the eye of many former players commenting on the game including Austin Healey who felt it was a performance worthy of the MOTM accolade. |
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Speaking to www.matthampson.co.uk Harry modest as ever credited his powerful performance to the solid platform the forwards provided him allowing him the space to attack the Scottish team.
Harry a huge supporter of the Matt Hampson Trust has pledged to sign all the photos on his return to Leicester, Ellis typical of the Leicester Squad adds "All the boys at Tigers do what we can to show our support for hambo and www.matthampson.co.uk allows us to do so whilst providing some great memorabilia for the public"
We would like to thank Harry for his continued support and wish him all the best for the rest of the Six Nations. |
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Saturday 20th January 2007 will go down in History as one of Leicester Tiger's proudest days, and here at www.matthampson.co.uk we have the perfect remainder of an amazing evening.
This three photo image of Geordan Murphy scoring his first half try is available now for £75. The response so far for this item has been fantastic. Other images from the game will also be made available in the future so keep your eyes peeled!
The item will be hand-signed by Geordan on his return to Leicester after the Six Nations.
So get yourself a momento of one of Tiger's most famous victories a constant remainder that the Tiger's took the mighty Munster's Unbeaten record at Thomond Park. |
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Members of the University of Leicester Men’s Rugby team braved the elements to rattle buckets around the Walkers stadium before South Africa played the World XV in a game to celebrate a centenary of Springbok touring. The collection raised almost £2,000 and everyone here at the Trust would like to thank the guys for all their efforts.
This is not the first time the club have supported the trust a further donation of around £800 has come from sales of old Leicester Tiger’s training gear in recent weeks. |
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We hope this newly formed association with the ULRUFC can continue in the future. You can check on the Club’s website for news, fixtures and results on www.ulrufc.co.uk.
We would like to wish the Club all the very best for the remainder of the season and we will be there to support them in the Varsity match at Welford Road in March 2007 |
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The World XV take on South Africa in a game to celebrate 100 years of Springbok overseas tours at the Walkers stadium and the Matt Hampson Trust Memorabilia turned out to be a big winner.
With the likes of Lawrence Dallaglio, Michael Owen and Justin Marshal on display for the World XV and the Springboks putting out a blend of youth and experience it was a superb opportunity for the Trust to acquire memorabilia from some world famous names to add to our growing catalogue available on our website www.matthampson.co.uk |
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The Matt Hampson Trust Memorabilia team were out in force, either running a stall outside the stadium or in the inner sanctums of the team’s dressing rooms. Both teams took time out to support the trust and many fabulous items have been acquired and can be seen on the website now.
Mahlatse ‘Chiliboy’ Ralepelle who became the first black captain of South Africa signed a number of items including a pair of match worn shorts as did De Wet Barry South Africa’s most capped centre. Francois Steyn who many tip to be a huge star for the Springbok’s in the next World Cup also took the time to support Matt.
Of the World XV we would like to thank Lawrence Dallaglio, Andy Farrel, Michael Owen and Justin Marshal for giving their time and support to the Trust.
Special thanks must go to Simon Smith the World XV Team Manager, the South African rugby team and a big mention to the Leicester University Men ’s rugby club who raised around £2000 through a bucket collection. |
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This is what William Kershaw and his friend Paul did to raise money for The Matt Hampson Trust Fund.
The pair went on a weeks mountaineering trip to the French Alps with the ultimate goal of climbing Mt Blanc, Europe's highest mountain at 4808 metres. Whilst preparing for the climb, a few months in advance they contacted Dusty Hare about gaining sponsorship for Matt's Trust.
They managed to raise £1000 and successfully summited Mt Blanc. Here is a photo from the summit grimacing after the gruelling climb at - 25 degrees C! |
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As difficult as the climb was physically, Matt was an inspiration to them both with his courage in the face of his situation.
A huge thankyou from all at The Matt Hampson Trust fund has to go to Paul and William Kershaw. |
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Sbimages.co.uk have donated the use of their images to the Matt Hampson Trust Fund Memorabilia in an effort to enhance the new website and raise more much needed funds for The Matt Hampson Trust Fund.
Sbimages.co.uk is one of the premier places to find high quality sporting images. Categories of images include Football, Rugby Union, Rugby League, Cricket and Athletics.
As well as the photos on the website, Sportsbeat Images have also given permission for unlimited use of their photos for signing by players. |
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We are incredibly grateful for their help with this as high quality signed 16”x20” photos form part of the plans for the RWC 2007 memorabilia campaign to get underway shortly.
A huge thanks to sbimages.co.uk from the Matt Hampson Trust Fund for their help. |
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