The Princess Royal attends Rebuilding Lives Conference

Our Royal Patron HRH The Princess Royal joined us on October 1st for our annual Rebuilding Lives Conference, which brings together healthcare professionals, researchers, carers, legal partners, and people with spinal cord injuries.

The Princess Royal visited Stadium MK, ahead of the Rebuilding Lives Awards. The conference included panels on Westminster and policy developments, research innovation, women’s health after spinal cord injury with expert perspectives on the future of spinal cord injury care.

The Princess Royal met the nominees and winners of the Rebuilding Lives Awards, which celebrates the achievements of outstanding members of the spinal cord injury community. Among the people she met were the award winners: Iwan Sadler from Llanelli, founder of Myelopathy.org, who won the Campaigning for Change Award; Firas Sarhan from Winslow, Clinical Education Transformation Lead for NHS England, who won the Frank Williams Academy Educator and Mentor Award; the Acute SCI Inreach Team at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, who won Outstanding SCI Team of the Year; and Sophie Wilson from Loughborough, Head of Operations at the Matt Hampson Foundation, who won the Rising Star Award.

The Princess Royal then spoke to delegates and paid tribute to the vital work of the charity to support and advocate for better rehabilitation, care and support for people with spinal cord injury.

The Spinal Injuries Association was founded by Baroness Lady Masham who was paralysed in a horse-riding accident when she was 23 years old and asked The Princess Royal to become Patron in 1984.

Spinal cord injuries can happen to anyone at any time, causing devastating impacts on the individual and their loved ones, with someone sustaining a new injury every two hours. Spinal Injuries Association supports the 105,000 people in the UK with spinal cord injuries, with services including peer support, advocacy, counselling, and clinical advice.