Hudgell Solicitors were delighted to join the Princess Royal in supporting our inspirational client Martin Hibbert as he updated supporters of his charity on his aim to raise £1m for the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA).
Martin was one of the closest people to the terrorist blast at the Ariana Grande concert in May 2017 to survive and is one of dozens of people left with life-changing injuries now represented by our serious injury lawyers at Hudgell Solicitors.
He established the Martin’s Mountain charity with the aim of raising £1m to ensure better and more consistent support is provided to all people who suffer spinal injuries in the UK.
The showcase fundraising event, which will see Martin and others take on challenge of climbing Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, was supposed to have happened this year, but had to be postponed to next June due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
As a result, an ‘Afternoon Tea Reception’ which had been initially scheduled to celebrate the completion of the challenge was used to allow Martin to update supporters on both his progress, and that of the charity, which has currently raised more than £325,000.
Guests at the event, at Fortnum & Mason in London, included SIA Patron Princess Anne, SIA Founder Baroness Masham of Ilton, many other officials from the SIA and the High Commissioner of Tanzania.
Martin updated people on how, with the support of technology, he has been able to walk for the first time since the attack by using an exoskeleton – a wearable machine that helps people with spinal cord injuries move.
Speaking of the support of the Princess Royal, he said: “To have her love and support was truly amazing. She gave a speech and said some truly remarkable words about me that almost moved me to tears.”
Hudgell Solicitors aiming to raise £100,000 towards cause
Rachel Di Clemente, chief executive of Hudgell Solicitors, was an invited guest at the event alongside owner and executive chairman, Neil Hudgell.
She said: “Every time you speak to Martin or meet him you find yourself even more inspired. He has that impact on everyone he meets and he had clearly made a huge impression on Princess Anne too.
“He has now walked for the first time with the support of technology and whilst that was a huge moment for him personally, he was again keen to use this to inspire others and demonstrate that, with the right support, positive new progress can be made in the research of spinal cord injuries and the treatment of them. He knows this fundraising can make a huge difference.
“It is why we committed as a business to raise £100,000 for the charity ourselves this year, and to this date have already donated over £30000 to the cause.”
Martin suffered 22 shrapnel wounds and a severed spinal cord which left him paralysed from the waist down as he protected his daughter, who was also seriously injured, from the blast.
Having learned that only one in three people with a spinal cord injury in the UK receive treatment in a specialist spinal injury centre, he wants to ensure others receive the same level of support and treatment he has benefitted from over the past four years.
He will now set off early next June with two nurses who helped him recover, along with his two best friends, aiming to take the Paralympic torch to the summit, making it a ‘moment of hope’ for everyone living with a spinal cord injury.
The gruelling challenge is expected to take between seven and 11 days to complete, passing through rainforests, boulder fields, sand dunes and snowy peaks.
