An ice hockey Paralympian and international leader in disability access has been named as the very first ambassador for the new National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC).
Mark Briggs, 47, from Ollerton in Nottinghamshire, was five years old when he was kicked in the shin at school, triggering a rare genetic condition with only seven recorded cases globally and no cure.
His lymphatic system went into overdrive and dissolved the bone and skin in his leg, resulting in years of painful operations, before he finally made the decision at 15 to have his leg amputated.
A chance encounter in an Asda supermarket with someone setting up a sledge ice hockey team at the new Nottingham Ice Centre led to Mark playing the sport, being selected for Team GB, and competing in the 2006 Paralympic Games in Turin.
He said: "My rehabilitation was non-existent. It was a very different time medically and so once my leg had been removed, I was left to get on with my life. There was nothing to help me to overcome the physical and mental impact of the long-term trauma I had been through.
"Sport was the turning point for me. It was through learning about rehabilitation after sports injuries and other disabled people sharing their experiences that I was able to reflect on my own rehabilitation."
From 2010 to 2013, Mark became captain of the GB team and worked with charities Help For Heroes and Battle Back (part of the Royal British Legion) to train and develop veterans in sledge hockey, and eventually 50% of the GB team were veterans.
He said: "I saw the value then of bringing military veterans and civilians with disabilities together – a key part of the work taking place at the NRC. It was also the first time I got to see Hedley Court – the former military rehabilitation centre in Surrey – and realised what rehabilitation after a life-changing illness or injury could look like."
Mark retired from ice hockey in 2018 and in 2022 left the local authority where he had worked in child services to become a director at Nimbus Disability – a social enterprise company based in Derby which works to improve the lives of disabled people through providing advice and training to organisations.
Mark said he is excited to be asked to be an ambassador for the brand-new National Rehabilitation Centre, currently under construction and due to be completed next year.
Having had my own experiences of a lack of rehabilitation, and having seen what Hedley Court and now the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre near Loughborough is achieving, we are missing a trick when it comes to post-medical rehab. The medical system works wonders, but the mechanisms for post-medical healing in the following weeks, months and years are crucial too, and in many cases aren't there at the moment. Then we need to help disabled people into employment in a positive way."
"I don't think the NRC should achieve its expectations; it should exceed them. This is our opportunity to put a stake in the ground and say 'there are barriers to rehab created by misjudgement, this is what is truly needed, and these are the opportunities that will make a real difference to people coming out of trauma and enabling them to continue with 365 days of rehab."
Miriam Duffy, NRC Director, said: "We're pleased that Mark has agreed to join the NRC team as our first ambassador, bringing so much personal and professional experience with him, and such a passion to change rehabilitation for the better for our patients.
"Through his work with the military and his career in sport, Mark really understands what we are trying to achieve through situating the NRC on the same site as the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre, so that we can share knowledge and facilities, but he also has a deep understanding of what role sport can play in recovery of patients who may not have been involved in it before.
"Our whole team look forward to working with Mark, tapping into his experience and seeing what additional opportunities we can offer our patients in the coming months."
The National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) is a £105million programme which will create a 70-bed, purpose-built and highly energy efficient new facility. The specialist NHS facility will be built on the Stanford Hall Rehabilitation Estate near Loughborough, home to the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre which opened in 2018. The NRC is due to open in Summer 2025.
In addition to providing excellent patient care, the NRC will also be a national hub for innovation, cutting-edge research and development, and training and education. Therefore, the NRC has two academic partners - the University of Nottingham and Loughborough University, and a national consortium of 24 universities across the country to ensure the NRC remains at the forefront of rehabilitation research and expertise.
