Hamplified is a music, comedy and rugby charity event which was founded by Mark Brightwell and Robert Low (both Logistics Planners in the Bulk Cement Department at CEMEX House, Rugby). Many other CEMEX employees are involved – Callum McPhillips, Matt Rudd, Wayne Morgan and Dave Eaton to name a few. They need help at the Rugby 7’s event on the 18th July so if anyone wants to end a hand please contact Rob Low.
Together Mark and Rob have created a unique annual free event combining three of their favourite pastimes: music, comedy and rugby for Rugby St Andrews RFC, its members, family, friends and the local community. They also wanted to raise money and awareness of a charity they felt inspired by.
Some time ago one of the Rugby St Andrews players suffered a serious spinal injury that required several potentially life changing surgeries. Thankfully, he went on to make a complete recovery allowing him to be fully mobile, to train, work and enjoy times with family which at one stage he feared he may never be able to do. This, however, is not the case for others who suffer a serious injury like this. Whilst recuperating he came across Matt Hampson’s autobiography, ‘Engage’, and this changed his outlook.
The book ‘Engage’ tracks the life of Matt Hampson, a young rising star at Leicester Tigers and England who was involved in a scrum accident which damaged his spine and paralysed him from the neck down. It charts the way he overcame the negatives of such a serious and life altering situation and created The Matt Hampson Foundation which now helps many young people who have been seriously injured whilst playing sport. Their ethic is to GET BUSY LIVING and certainly aim to help people to do so.
This inspirational charity provided Mark and Rob with the platform to develop their music festival and events from which Hamplified was born. Since 2012 Hamplified has gone from strength to strength raising over £12,000 to date. It is a great event which is only successful with the help of Rugby St Andrews RFC, Matt Hampson, CEMEX, musicians, comedians, local rugby clubs, stall holders, local media, the community, friends and family.
Hamplified is now recognised by the Matt Hampson Foundation as one of the foundation’s Top 10 fund-raisers in the UK. Rob and Mark were invited to meet Matt Hampson at last year’s Aviva Premiership cup final which was a great experience and they wish to thank everyone involved for helping make Hamplified the success it is today.
Their next Comedy & Chilli night on Friday 13 Feb is SOLD OUT. It features 4 of the UK’s next circuit comedians and the grand auction will have some excellent lots such as:
1x England RFU shirt signed by the current squad
1x Leicester Tigers RFC shirt signed by the current squad
1x Northampton Saints shirt signed by the winners of the 2010 LV cup final squad
If anyone who does not have a ticket for the event would like to bid on these fantastic items of sporting memorabilia the please email: rob@hamplified.com for more information.
This year’s Music and Rugby 7’s Festival will be on Saturday July 18th and features 11 of the top local performers and rugby teams. It is free to enter at: Rugby St Andrews RFC, Ashlawn Road, Rugby. Rugby 7’s is from 10 am, with music from 1.30 pm until 11 pm. Any CEMEX employee wishing to “Lend-A-Hand” on the day and help out can also get in touch and can be assigned a job for a few hours on the day.
So please feel free to click on the links below and read more about the Matt Hampson Foundation and Matt’s inspirational story, and go along to one of their popular and ever evolving events soon.