World champion gymnast Max Whitlock lends his support to the RNOH's spinal injury patients

Posted by Rebekah Ahmed on 17 December 2015

We were very excited to receive a visit from world gymnastics champion and Olympic medal winner Max Whitlock on the 16th December.

Max, who is one of the RNOH Charity’s official Appeal Ambassadors, came to the hospital’s Spinal Cord Injury Centre to talk to patients, and to announce his support for our campaign to expand the centre so that the RNOH is able to treat more people with acute spinal cord injuries.

Max said: “One of my friends, David Holmes, was a patient at the Spinal Cord Injury Centre, and I know from talking to him about the incredible work that takes place in the centre every day. I also know about the challenges the centre is currently facing. It is simply not big enough to offer its amazing service to all the people who need it. The campaign to expand the LSCIC is hugely important, and I’m absolutely delighted to be able to support it.”

Angela Gall, RNOH Consultant in Rehabilitative Medicine, said: “Although the LSCIC is one of the leading spinal cord injury centres in Europe, it is at present not big enough to meet the demand for its service. The expansion of the centre will enable us not only to offer our world class rehabilitative service to more patients every year, but to admit them more quickly than is currently possible. We are thrilled that Max is helping to promote our campaign to raise funds for the expansion project.

During his visit Max chatted to 16-year-old Santiago Fori-Noreena in the SCIC's gym (pictured top), got to know Michael Woodward and Stephen Keer (pictured above), and shared a joke with Daniel Wilson and Edward Todd (pictured below).  

As well as his role as Appeal Ambassador for the RNOH Charity, Max is one of the most successful gymnasts Britain has ever produced. He won the pommel horse bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics; has been European champion on both floor and pommel horse; won the silver medal in the all-around competition at the 2014 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships; and, at the 2015 Championships, became the first British man ever to win a World Championship gold medal on the pommel horse. He is also currently a contender for BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2015.