Well, skiing was awesome. I spent a total of seven days out in Sweden and had a fantastic time. Four of the days I spent skiing, and although I was unwell on the fifth day I was due to ski, I loved the whole trip. At their coldest, temperatures dropped to -22°C during the day without windchill added on, so it was definitely a shock to the system. I travelled with four other spinal injured adults, and about 12 further able-bodied people who helped out during the week with anything the spinally injured passengers required, from getting dressed to simply eating and drinking. Please have a look at the pictures I have added:
http://www.goforitmatt.com/modules/myalbum/viewcat.php?cid=34&orderby=dateD
I had a fantastic New Year's Eve in the end. I went to Milton Keynes and saw the New Year in with a group of my friends at the Oceana nightclub -- fantastic night and a great start to the year. Needless to say my memories of the evening are vague to say the least -- pictures attached:
http://www.goforitmatt.com/modules/myalbum/viewcat.php?cid=35&orderby=dateD
Really looking forward to the Six Nations rugby tournament which starts this weekend. Will be interesting to see if England have progressed at all since the autumn internationals.
University is going well. I got quite a long way behind whilst away in Sweden, and had great difficulty catching up and understanding the work, but think I am just about there now thanks to many hours working with my Mum!

Well that is it, 2009 is almost at an end (seven hours 40 minutes and counting!). Looking back over the year, I have achieved some major personal goals, not least the completion of my degree, and am looking forward to 2010. It is now 5 1/2 years since my incident, and looking back on the dark days I spent in hospital I would never have thought that I would be where I am today, so am quite content with what I have achieved and my hopes for the future.
I am due to be going skiing to Sweden with the Backup Trust again on 10 January and I'm really looking forward to it. I first went with them back in 2006, and the whole experience was one I will never forget, and when I learnt so much from. In 2006 I was still relatively newly injured, and the trip to Sweden taught me that I could still enjoy life... the trip to a Swedish nightclub was certainly an eye-opener! Fingers crossed this trip will be equally as enjoyable and thrilling...
Following my graduation a few weeks ago the Daily Mail ran an article regarding my university achievements –I hope you like it, and the link is attached: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1232501/The-boy-gave-Story-paralysed-rugby-player-overcame-disabilities-win-job-legal-firm.html
Well it is New Year's Eve today, and I am off out later to see in the New Year with my friends in Milton Keynes which should be good. Hope you all have a great New Year!

On Friday 20th November I had my graduation ceremony at St Albans Abbey, Hertfordshire. I had a really enjoyable evening, and it was great to see so many people get the recognition they deserved for all the hard work they have put in over the past three years. I received First-class Honours in Law, awards for the best first and second year grades, and also the University Prize for Environmental Law... all in all, pretty pleased! Photo's here –
http://www.goforitmatt.com/modules/myalbum/viewcat.php?num=10&cid=33

I have been back at Uni now for a couple of months, and am really enjoying the course. As I'm only doing it part-time it isn't anywhere near as intense as my degree, so I'm enjoying not having so much pressure. Unlike my degree which was very theoretical and dry, the course is very much focused on the practical aspects of providing legal advice, so I'm really enjoying practising how to give advice to clients rather than just learning the law. I have exams coming up on a couple of weeks, so I will be hitting the books pretty hard!
I have my graduation ceremony on Friday for my Law degree. Really looking forward to it as it will be the culmination of three years hard work... after my accident whilst in hospital, I never even dreamed that I would one day be graduating with a law degree, so I guess I have come a long way. I will post the pictures next week.
On Sunday I was invited to attend the Variety Club Showbiz Awards 2009 at the Grosvenor House in London. The main aim of the evening was to raise money for the charity, however a number of awards were given to ‘celebrities’ from all different walks of life. I had never really been to anything like that before, so it was a great experience, and one I really enjoyed. All in all, approximately £60,000 was raised so the night was a great success, and hopefully many needy children will benefit as a result. I have put some pictures on the web site of the night... http://www.goforitmatt.com/modules/myalbum/viewcat.php?cid=32
I am heading down to Twickenham on Saturday when England take on New Zealand in the rugby. The previous two weeks have been pretty poor performances from England, so fingers crossed they will improve otherwise it could be a cricket score against us.

I started back at university last week to begin studying for my Legal Practice Course and Masters. It was a pretty intense week -- I was there Monday to Friday, 9 until 5, so I was exhausted by the end of it. From now on however, I will just be attending Uni all day, just one day a week, so it shouldn't be as tough as my degree. So far the course has been really interesting, and I am enjoying it, so hopefully it will continue.
A few weeks ago I was asked by the Variety Club to appear on Sky News and talk about their Easy Riders Wheelchair programme. The Easy Riders programme helps fund much-needed wheelchairs for children under 18 years of age, so hopefully the interview helped raise awareness of the cause. I will post a video of the interview online as soon as I work out how to!
I was also contacted by the Backup Trust to appear in a video to help promote the good work which they do to help people with spinal cord injury. The Backup Trust have applied for a charitable grant from Deutsche Bank which will be worth £300,000 to them, and the video was intended to assist in their application. As highlighted in the video, spinal cord injury can happen to any person at any time, so anything which can be done to make the lives of those affected by it a little easier and more fun filled should be encouraged, so fingers crossed they get chosen for the grant

Earlier this week I finished my work placement in London. I was based in the
personal injury department of the firm, and thoroughly enjoyed my time there. I worked on a number of different cases, and it was great when the work I had done directly resulted in some progress on the cases. Although the original plan was to stay down in London for the second week, I decided that I would travel down each day in the end, which worked out fine. However, this did mean some very early starts and long days, so by the end of the placement I was fairly knackered. Saying that, I have definitely noticed an improvement in my stamina with regards to being able to concentrate for long periods without becoming tired, which had proved to be a bit of a problem in the past. I have added some photographs of the location of the office in London -- stunning views. http://www.goforitmatt.com/modules/myalbum/viewcat.php?cid=31

Well it is not long now until I return to Uni to begin my LPC and Masters. It seems as if the summer has passed incredibly quickly. To be honest I cannot wait until I have finished my masters and can finally get on with trying to build a successful career for myself down in London.
I'm going to the Rugby League Challenge Cup final tomorrow at Wembley between Warrington and Huddersfield. I have been a couple of times before and have always had a good time, so I am looking forward to it.
Unfortunately I have lost another of my friends recently, so I would like to take this opportunity to pay my respects to him -- Rest in Peace Ricky.

I have just returned from our holiday to the Mediterranean, and although the weather isn't great here, it is a nice feeling to be home. I had a fantastic time whilst away and saw some unforgettable sights. My favourite place we visited had to be Rome, simply because of the history of the place. I was truly astounded by St Pauls Basilica on the outskirts of Rome -- it was stunning. The weather was very kind to us throughout the whole trip, and we enjoyed unbroken sun for almost the entirety of our time in the Mediterranean. I will post some pictures up shortly when I upload them to the computer...
In a few weeks I will be travelling down to London to continue my work experience with Stewarts law. Although I will only be there for two weeks, I hope to start building working relationships with the people who will become my colleagues when I begin my training contract in 2011. For the second of the two weeks, I am planning to stay down in London to experience some of the night life that it has to offer and get a feel for how it will be living in London.
Other than that, there isn't really too much which I can add. I have really been enjoying my time off from university and have been taking advantage of the good weather when we have had it. I am returning to university to begin my Masters in September, and I'm really looking forward to the start of the new rugby and football seasons. It should be great!
I would like to take this opportunity to pay my respects to Stuart Mangan. Rest in Peace.

I received my final degree result last week, and I'm delighted to let you know that I have been awarded First-Class Honours. For my individual modules, I received two Firsts, one 2:1, & one 2:2, so I am really pleased that it averaged out at a First. During my first week of the degree in 2006, particularly when I was seriously contemplating quitting, I could never have envisaged coming out with such a great result, so I'm utterly delighted and relieved.
Another piece of great news is that I have been offered a Training Contract with Stewarts Law to start in September 2011 following the conclusion of my Legal Practice Course and Masters at university. I started applying for Training Contract’s last summer, and although I had two interviews, I didn't get either, so I'm chuffed to bits that I have finally secured one, particularly with such a great firm. I did some work experience with Stewarts Law last summer, and really enjoyed my time with them, so I am really looking forward to starting with them.
There is a long left now until we leave on the cruise. As with all things nowadays, it is taking a massive amount of planning, but it will definitely all be worth it I hope.
Enjoy the sunshine!

Well that is it -- my days as an undergraduate Law student are over! I am fairly satisfied with how my exams went, but the proof will be in the pudding when I get my results. My exams were really tiring, and I pulled a few all night sessions of revision beforehand, so I was pretty exhausted when they were over last Wednesday. I went out to the pub that night in the hope of celebrating both the completion of my degree, and also a Manchester United victory in the Champions League, but had to be satisfied with just the former.
During the build up to my exams, I was invited to attend two events in London. The first was the annual fund-raising dinner for the Backup trust, at which I gave a brief talk. Backup are the charity with whom I first went skiing to Sweden with in 2006, and I have since become a mentor with them, speaking with newly injured people with spinal cord injury, and hopefully helping them through their ordeal a little bit. I was incredibly nervous before the talk, and hadn't had much time to prepare anything as I was concentrating on my revision, but all in all it was well received. I had a great time, and a fantastic amount of money was raised, so all round the evening was a success. I was also invited to attend a prize winners reception for the Girdlers Association at which I received an award for overcoming adversity since my accident -- not sure exactly what I have done which is considered extraordinary, but I was delighted to receive it nevertheless!
My family and I have now booked our summer holiday. We have booked a cruise to the Mediterranean which should be brilliant! Nowadays, I get a little bored on holidays as I am not able to do the same things other people do, or the things I used to be able to do, so I thought that the idea of a holiday which would enable me to visit lots of different interesting places would be ideal. During the cruise we will be visiting (amongst other places) Rome, and Monte Carlo so I am really looking forward to it. I have just started reading ‘Angels and Demons’ by Dan Brown which is set in Rome, so it will be good to go to Rome and see the different locations the book is set in first-hand.
As for the present, I am just really enjoying the freedom of not having Uni work to do. The warm weather seems to have come out for me, so all in all, I am really looking forward to the summer!

I have pretty much broken up from University for exam leave now, prior to my first exam on 14th May. My exam timetable isn't too bad... I have two exams which fall on dates immediately after I have sat an exam the previous day which isn't great, but other than that I can't grumble too much.
My revision is going well. I started it about four weeks ago, and so I think I am about 3/4 of the way through it now. I am beginning to become a little burnt out I think, so I'm really looking forward to getting these exams out the way and relaxing during the summer!
It is going to be pretty full on up until my exams, so I won't be posting an update for about three weeks, but I will say hello as soon as they are out the way!

Well, that is it... I have finally submitted my final piece of coursework for my degree! It is such a relief to no longer have the additional burden of coursework, so now all I need to do is knuckle down and prepare for my exams in May! I was ecstatic on Tuesday when I found out that I had achieved 83% on my Environmental Law coursework, and things in general are going well at the moment.
I am off to Twickenham tomorrow to watch England play France in the Rugby, and I must say, I am not too confident. At the start of the Six Nations, I was quite confident that England would prove the doubters wrong and really do well, but as it stands, we have played three, lost two have only won one. So to say I am disappointed is an understatement. I will be happy tomorrow as long as we give a good account of ourselves...
I went back to the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital last week for my annual checkup, and thankfully, everything seems okay. It will be five years since my accident on the 4th April this year, and looking back, I cannot quite believe how much my life has changed. Although my life hasn't followed the smooth course I had envisaged, I am currently really happy in what I am doing, and I'm looking forward to the future. Despite my disability, I believe I can still achieve my potential as a Lawyer, and can forge a successful career for myself... I just have the small matter of passing my exams in the summer first! It was good news last week when I heard that Barack Obama had lifted the ban on stem cell research, which will hopefully pave the way for advances in the treatment of spinal cord injury, and hopefully lead to a cure. Although I hope that one day I can take advantage of any medical advancement, I am firmly of the belief that life is for living, and therefore until that day comes (if it ever does), I intend to make the most of my life and to continue taking each day as it comes.

I am now back to Uni following the Christmas break... it seemed to fly by!
It was great to catch up with my friends... a few good nights were had. I spent Christmas and New Year with my family which was nice, although I don't plan to see in next year with Mamma Mia ringing in my ears!
I am completely snowed under with Uni work at the moment...coursework/ seminar/ revision... the list goes on!
I have got my plans sorted for next year now. I'm going to do the Legal Practice Course (LPC) on a part-time basis at St Albans. The LPC is a mandatory course which must be passed for all prospective solicitors, and I am hoping that doing it in familiar surroundings will make it a little easier?!
Must get back to the coursework...

I broke up from University for the Christmas break last Friday, and I am really enjoying the break! Unfortunately however, I have two pieces of coursework which need to be completed in January, and therefore I won't be having too many days off :(
During the break I am hoping to catch up with a lot of my mates who I haven't seen since we all returned to our separate Uni’s in the summer. I imagine that a few drinks will be in order, but hey it's the holidays...
During November I also applied to the ‘Backup’ Trust to go on a skiing holiday to Sweden with them in January. However, as this would have been my second time (I previously went in January 2006), they gave priority to those who hadn't been before with them, and unfortunately I missed out. I am going to undertake a group leader training course with them in April 2009, and hopefully this will increase my chances of being accepted as a team leader on one of next years courses.
I hope everyone has a Happy Christmas and a Fantastic New Year... roll on 2009!

My uncle has recently added a new section to the website, which includes some of the television films which have been shot since my accident. If you click on the videos tab at the top of the page, it should load for you...
I have been back at university now for a couple of months and I'm currently working on my employment law coursework. It is a really interesting course, and I am enjoying it the most out of all the modules I am taking. I am finding both the workload this year, and also the difficulty of the work a massive step up from my first two years, and I just seem to be reading whenever I have a spare moment.
Tomorrow night I am attending the Hertfordshire Law Society AGM at which I am picking up my award for the top second-year student from the University Law School. I am looking forward to it, and hoping that I can make a few contacts which will let me stand a better chance of getting a training contract.
I went to the England vs Australia game at Twickenham on Saturday, and although we lost, I really enjoyed myself as I was able to sit on the wheelchair Terrace. The terrace is located at the top of the second tier, and this gave me a much better view of the game. Also, if I'm able to sit there in future I'll be able to avoid the inevitable rain which always seems to fall at Twickenham!

Following my initial interview at the law firm in Luton, I was invited back for a second interview. This involved an abstract theory test (identifying patterns of shapes etc) and a proof reading test followed by a second interview with two of the partners of the firm. The interview went quite well, however they notified me last week that I was unsuccessful in applying for a training contract with them. I also had an interview with a law firm in Cambridge, which simply comprised of an interview with two of the firms partners. As with the interview Luton, I came away with the impression that I had held my own, and although they stated that they were very impressed and placed me on the reserve list (in case any of the applicants to whom they had offered the job turned it down), they too notified me last week that I had been unsuccessful. I am not too disheartened as I feel I have learnt a lot from these experiences, and hopefully I will be a stronger candidate next time I apply for my training contract.
My work experience in London which I completed at the end of September was really enjoyable, and I feel the experience of working in a busy city firm will stand me in good stead in the future. Whilst there I worked on a number of personal injury cases in which the claimant had suffered either catastrophic brain or spinal cord injury. As I hoped, my experience of spinal-cord injury really helped as otherwise I would have been totally stumped by the terminology they were using! I travelled down each day using the train, and although this was by far the most efficient way of getting into London, it was extremely tiring and by the end of the week I was relieved that it was over, and that I had a couple of weeks to rest and prepare for Uni.
I returned to Uni full-time a couple of weeks ago, and already I can fill my stress levels rising! However, I am really enjoying being back, and so far the modules I chose are proving to be really interesting (not to mention difficult!). I received some really good news last week that I had received the award for the highest grades for my year in the second year of my degree, and I am just hoping that I will be able to maintain this level during my third year!