Joy For Local Charity As It Is Selected As Charity Of The Year

March 20, 2013 - PRLog -- The Matt Hampson Foundation, a charity set up by former English Rugby Union player Matt ‘Hambo’ Hampson, has received a massive boost from Peterborough-based medical devices company Coloplast (www.coloplast.com). Coloplast has selected the Leicestershire-based foundation as its charity of the year.

In 2005, Matt was training for an under 21 Six Nations match against Scotland when a scrum collapsed on top of him, dislocating his neck and trapping his spinal cord, leaving him paralysed from the neck down. Matt has since set up the Matt Hampson Foundation which provides help, advice and financial support for young people seriously injured through sport.

Matt’s courage to get on with living his life and his determination to help others resonated with Coloplast’s own values. The company’s support of the foundation began last year when Coloplast staff took part in the annual Walk4Matt, raising £8,000 for the charity.

This year, Coloplast has decided to take it even further and make the Matt Hampson Foundation its charity of the year.

Sue Kernahan, Coloplast’s general manager, explained: “We have been honoured to work with Matt in recent months to raise awareness of one of our products, Peristeen, which can make a real difference to the lives of people with spinal cord injuries. Matt has been using Peristeen for around two years and has become almost as passionate about it as we are!

“Having spent time working with Matt we have learned about the work he does through his foundation to help others like him. At Coloplast we have a mission, through our products and the service we provide, to make life easier for people with intimate healthcare needs. Matt has a mission to help people who are injured through sport and, in many cases, there is an overlap between what we can do and what Matt can do to help. Spending time with Matt and learning about his work inspired us to link up with the charity to help provide support to people who need it.

“Every year we choose a charity to raise money for and this year we are delighted to be able to raise money for the Matt Hampson Foundation, to help Matt to further the amazing work he does.”

Matt commented: “As awareness of the foundation grows, more and more people are asking for our help. It’s great to see the foundation achieving what it was set up to do but in order to help more people we need more funds. For Coloplast to donate £40,000 is fantastic and will enable us to help even more people to see that there is life after a serious injury.

“Coloplast is an inspirational company to work with. Its products are life-changing in ways that many people can’t imagine. Everyone at the foundation is honoured that Coloplast has chosen us as its charity of the year.”

To find out more about Coloplast visit www.coloplast.com. To read more of Matt’s inspirational story, visit www.matthampsonfoundation.org.

If you want to join a company that is recognised in the Sunday Times Top 100 Best Companies to Work For, has won awards for its people development, cares for its customers and genuinely recognises and rewards success, visit jobsatcoloplast.com.