A PIONEERING £1 million rehabilitation centre for those who have suffered life-changing sporting injuries is one step closer to completion with the support of GRS.
The Get Busy Living Centre near Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, the brainchild of the Matt Hampson Foundation, required a specially designed road to be built from the existing Twyford Road to the site to improve accessibility to the centre.
This has now been completed, allowing for the demolition of the existing derelict aircraft hangar structure to take place earlier this month, and ground works to start on site – moving this exciting project one step closer to becoming a reality.
The project will see the hangar, located on the Burrough Court estate, transformed into a start-of-the-art facility for those who have suffered life-changing injury through sport, like Matt himself in 2005.
During this project, a number of local partners are generously offering their time, services, materials and expertise for free. Building materials supplier GRS Roadstone, earthmoving, ground engineering and civil engineering contractor, Barton Plant, and supplier, Peter Bennie, both part of The Bennie Group, have provided the knowledge and expertise in order to see the realisation of the road.
Speaking of the work, Martin Hill, Chairman of GRS, said: “We’re delighted to be able to help in such a practical way to create the access road. Through our fundraising and materials supply we have built a strong relationship with the Matt Hampson Foundation and it’ll be great seeing this brilliant project coming to fruition.”
Emma Ayres, managing director at The Bennie Group, added: ““This has been a fantastic project to be involved in and we are very pleased to have played a part in its creation. We have no doubt that the centre will make a real difference to people’s lives and look forward to its completion and the realisation of Matt Hampson’s dream.”
Soon to follow the access road will be the construction of a new structural frame based on the original footprint of the building designed to stand the test the time while maintaining the overall look and feel of the creative design. A mezzanine floor will also be constructed inside the building which will double floor space and extend length of the building by one third.
The facility will be a home for injured athletes where they can spend time with their families and build relationships with others in similar situations as well as offering services such as physical rehabilitation. It will also house specialist rehabilitation and gym equipment for beneficiaries of the facility.
Matt Hampson, a former England Under-21 and Leicester Tigers prop, suffered a life-changing accident during a training session in 2005 set up the foundation to offer support and assistance to those who have had similar life-changing events and he is the driving force behind this new facility.
Speaking of the progress, Matt said: “It was a fantastic moment for me to finally travel the road up to the site of where the Get Busy Living centre will be. This project has been several years in the making and to see real progress on it and know it will be finalised in the near future is very special to both me and the team.
“We could not have reached this stage without the hard work and generosity of our project partners and we’d like to extend a huge thank you to those involved in the completion of the road, namely GRS Roadstone and Barton Plant, and look forward to the next stage of this exciting project.”
The project is being delivered by a number of local partners, many of which are offering their time, services, materials and expertise for free, including: construction company Willmott Dixon, professional services firm MDA Consulting, architects Corporate Architecture, engineering consultants Couch Perry Wilkes, Salus and BSP Consulting, PR and marketing agency Cartwright Communications, earthmoving, ground engineering and restoration contractor, Barton Plant, and supplier, Peter Bennie, both part of The Bennie Group, building materials supplier GRS Roadstone, and demolitions specialist, AR Demolition.
By starting the construction phase in the following weeks, the facility hopes to be ready this Autumn with the main aim to create an environment to assist those facing new challenges in both theirs and their families’ lives.
For more information on the centre, please visit: http://matthampsonfoundation.org/.
