My Story

Some of you who know me well will know that I broke my spine playing rugby at University.  I was fortunate.  While painful, the injury was never debilitating and was fixed by surgery that allowed me not only to recover, but to return to the pitch for another 5 seasons.  Many are not so fortunate, and they desperately need the rugby community to support them, as well as to learn how injuries- especially brain injuries- can best be prevented. 

That's why I'm running the TCS London Marathon 2023 as part of the #RugbyRunners team fundraising to support rugby players who experience life-changing injuries. 

The charity I'm running for is the RFU Injured Players Foundation who provide support and information to rugby players in England who sustain a catastrophic spinal cord injury or traumatic brain injury playing the game, and help prevent future injuries through vital research.

Their assistance is available to any player, from grassroots up to professional level, to empower them to lead their lives as fully and independently as they are able to. They are there for the player, family, friends and club immediately after injury and for the rest of their lives.

They are continually funding research to make breakthroughs to understand how they can improve the care of the injured player and make the game of rugby safer with the vision to allow everyone to play the game without life-changing injuries occurring.

They also offer help to individuals who sustain injuries while playing rugby that are not classed as a catastrophic spinal cord injury or a traumatic brain injury, by providing information and where possible by relieving financial hardship.

We want everyone who loves the game to get involved. Please help me to help raise funds and raise awareness to support injured players and to fund vital research that will help secure a sustainable future for the game we all love.

For real stories of player the IPF has supported, please visit: www.rfuipf.org.uk.