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!

Well, following the hours I spent filling in application forms for training contracts with legal firms, I was offered two interviews. I had my first interview last Monday at a law firm in Luton which specialises in a wide range of legal fields. This was my first real experience interviewing for a potential job, and so I did all the usual research etc, and hoped for the best. I think it went quite well, but I will find out this week if I have been invited back for a second interview, and I will let you know.
Next week I have been offered some work experience working in a legal firm in central London which specialises in personal injury, and particularly spinal-cord injury compensation claims. I am really looking forward to it, and hope that my experiences will give me a greater insight into the work they do.
I don't return to university for another three weeks, so after this next slot of work experience I will have a couple of weeks left to prepare all my materials. Last week I chose my modules for the forthcoming year (Employment law, Company law, Environmental law, and Equity and trusts) and I am just looking forward to getting stuck in again.
A few weeks ago I went to the Rugby League Challenge Cup final at Wembley and had a really great day. My brother travelled down from Manchester with a friend, and we went out on the Friday night and sank a few bevies. I don't see my brother too often, so it was great to see him (despite the fact that he managed to cost me £60 by placing a wrongly placed a bet -- if he would have done it correctly I would have won!)... a few of the pictures have been uploaded.
I will let you know how I get on with the interviews...

I have uploaded some photographs to a number of folders, which can be found below:

Work experience in Parliament: http://www.goforitmatt.com/modules/myalbum/viewcat.php?cid=26

Nights out: http://www.goforitmatt.com/modules/myalbum/viewcat.php?cid=28

Olney 7’s with Bedfordshire Tigers: http://www.goforitmatt.com/modules/myalbum/viewcat.php?cid=27

I have pretty much decided that I want to pursue a legal career as a solicitor, and therefore for the past couple of weeks I have been completing application forms to join various firms in 2010 after I have completed my university studies. I haven't yet decided which field of law I am going to specialise in, but I think it will be something involved with Commercial Law.
Our new puppy, Barney, is a really good dog, and has picked up a few basic commands quite quickly. He is still in the puppy stage where he wants to eat anything and everything, especially shoes. This morning he massacred one of my mum’s cushions which did not go down well!
During July I went to the Cotswolds for a week with my family which was a really nice break. Thankfully, the weather didn't play us up too much, and we were able to fully explore that area of the country, however any longer than a week would have proved too long as there is not all that much to do there! We visited Oxford for a day when it was absolutely boiling, and although there were millions of shoppers about I really enjoyed it. We also went to Weston Super Mare, and went on the Grand Pier for which proved to be our last time -- it has since been burnt to smithereens!
I am currently hoping that I am offered some interviews following the application forms that I have completed recently, but we shall have to wait and see.

I received my results last week for the exams I sat for my degree back in May. Although I was not very confident about how I had done, I am really pleased since I achieved two 1’s, and two 2:1’s. Neither my results this year, or my results from last year actually contribute towards my final degree grade, and therefore it all rests upon how I manage my third year. I don't return to Uni until the end of September, so I have lots of time to relax before I have to think about doing any work for it!
The puppies are now several weeks old, and are beginning to leave for their new homes. Although they all are adorable, I don't think I will be missing them too much as I think they have made it their personal mission over the past month to wake me up at five o'clock every morning. We have found nice homes for all the puppies, and I think Fudge will be the most relieved when they leave us!
My work experience in Westminster was a fantastic week, although I have to admit it really took its toll. I had to be there for 10 a.m. which meant I had to begin getting up at six o'clock every morning. The first few days I found this okay, however as the week progressed I slowly fell myself becoming more tired, to the extent that I fell asleep watching a debate in the House of Commons about the 42 day detention of terrorists. I spent the week working on projects for Mr Alistair Burt, the Conservative MP for North East Bedfordshire, and shadowing him on various tasks he undertook during the week. I was lucky enough to meet the leader of the Conservative party, David Cameron and have a brief chat with him regarding the care provided to spinal cord injury victims, and how in my opinion it could be improved. I thoroughly enjoyed my week down there, and it has really opened my eyes to the demanding job which the MPs have to do.

Last week I completed my second-year exams for my law degree, so it feels as if a real weight has been lifted off me at the moment. The past two months have been extremely busy preparing and revising for them, so it is nice not to have to think about law at the moment! My exams went okay... not as well as I would have liked, but I shall have to wait and see for my results in a couple of months.

Another really exciting piece of news is that our dog, Fudge, has given birth to five healthy, beautiful puppies. She started giving birth last Sunday morning at 5:30 a.m. and fortunately all went well. I have uploaded some photos onto the website if you want to have a look...

During the summer I have a few different work experience placements, one of which is working at the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, so I'm really looking forward to those. However, as for now I am going to try and enjoy any good weather we have, and just wind down a little bit...

The Matt King golf challenge
2.00 pm Friday 6th June 2008

You are invited to enter up to four players, to play together in this, the fourth playing of the Matt King 9 hole Texas Scramble being held at the American Golf Kingsway facility, Melbourne, near Royston in aid of the Matt King fund. It will be a shotgun start 9 hole competition for golfers of mixed and non playing abilities, followed by a BBQ.

Prizes will be awarded for the various on course activities. A separate putting competition will be held, combined with champagne shooting.

Please confirm you and your team members availability by
30th April 2008.

Teams of four will be based on previous results, handicap, playing ability and bribery. The chief handicapper will determine your teams handicap.

Entry £25 per person, including range balls, 9 hole team competition and BBQ.

Finally, I am seeking hole sponsorship and competition prizes, as well as other elements related to the day in general. Since I am obviously trying to maximise the amount raised for the fund it would be greatly appreciated.

Should you be unable to participate due to other commitments but would nonetheless wish to sponsor a prize then please contact me.

I thank you on behalf of the Matt King fund for your support and look forward to seeing you on the day!

Regards,

Chris King
Tel 01462 701187

I have finally broken up from Uni for Easter after what seems like a never ending term. I got 2:1’s in both pieces of coursework I have submitted to date which I am really pleased with, and I have one more piece of coursework to get finished during the holiday. My exams don't start until mid May, so I have a bit of time before I start revising.

In addition to my work placement with Stewart’s Solicitors during the summer, Mr Alistair Burt MP has offered me some work experience shadowing him in Westminster. Although I am not too familiar with the workings of the political structure in this country, it should be a steep but enjoyable learning curve.

For the past year I have been mentoring a young lad who has been paralysed from the chest down, in conjunction with a charitable organisation called ‘Backup’. This entailed visiting and ringing him, and generally being somebody to talk to and last weekend I travelled to Stoke Mandeville for a mentoring training course. This involved learning and practising the various aspects which make a good mentor, such as listening techniques and asking appropriate open questions etc. Although the weekend was incredibly tiring, I found it really enjoyable. It was the first time since my discharge from hospital that I had been in the presence of other spinally injured people for a concerted period of time. As much as I learnt about mentoring, the weekend also gave me an opportunity to talk through issues regarding my disability with people in a similar position to myself which I found really helpful.

It is my 21st birthday on 20th March and I'm looking forward to celebrating it with my friends and family, and perhaps partying the night away!

Since my return to Uni following the Christmas break, it has been all go and the workload has really stepped up a level. What with coursework, preparation for seminars and revision for my upcoming exams, I'm not really getting as much time as I would have liked to get out and enjoy myself! Saying that, it's not all doom and gloom...

On February 19th, I was invited to be guest of honour at Bedford Blues when they took on Exeter Chiefs at Goldington Road. For as long as I can remember, I have always loved going to watch the Blues play, and it was in August 2004 that I made my first trip out from hospital, and attended the pre-season friendly between Bedford and Harlequins (which we won!). So once again being invited back as guest of honour was quite an emotional experience as it brought back memories of that first visit back when I was still quite unwell, and it made me realise just how far I have progressed from that time, and what crazy adventures I have been lucky enough to experience.

I was recently invited to attend the Disability Resource Centre in Dunstable to have a look around at the range of products on the market nowadays for people in a position such as mine, and have a chat to a local radio station about prospects for people living with disability in today's day and age. It was a real eye-opener to say the least, and I definitely picked up a few tips which I hope to be able to use in the future.

I am really looking forward to the upcoming Six Nations rugby tournament and am hoping that England can build on their success at the World Cup. I have been fortunate enough to get tickets for England's home games, so I will be cheering them on (come rain, snow or sunshine!) and perhaps sinking a view bevvies!

Over the past few days I have been busy posting a lot of recent photos onto the website, so please check them out...

www.goforitmatt.com/modules/myalbum/viewcat.php?cid=18
www.goforitmatt.com/modules/myalbum/viewcat.php?cid=19
www.goforitmatt.com/modules/myalbum/viewcat.php?cid=21
www.goforitmatt.com/modules/myalbum/viewcat.php?cid=20
www.goforitmatt.com/modules/myalbum/viewcat.php?cid=23
www.goforitmatt.com/modules/myalbum/viewcat.php?cid=22

Matt

Following my completion of the New York Marathon, I was invited to attend the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards 2008 at Birmingham NEC at the start of December. It was a fantastic evening, being surrounded by so many great sporting achievers and idols of mine, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Unfortunately, I was unable to stay to the ‘knees up’ afterwards as I had to be in Uni at 9 a.m. the next day... but needs must!

Following my return from New York, I have been frantically trying to catch up on work I missed whilst I was away and endeavouring to meet my coursework deadlines. I broke up from Uni about a week before Christmas, and had a much needed break during the holidays. I was fairly lazy during the holiday, and just enjoyed having no work to do and no marathons to organise! To see in the New Year I went down to London to watch the fireworks on the River Thames. The atmosphere was fantastic down there, so despite the rain and the traffic jams on the way home meaning we didn't get in until 4 a.m, it was a good night.

I have a brand new ventilator which is making my life a lot easier. My previous ventilator was quite bulky, and had to be carried behind my wheelchair on a specially designed ventilator tray. My wheelchair is quite big as it is, and the added length of the tray made it almost impossible for me to fit into normal sized lifts, and made manoeuvring quite difficult. The new ventilator is a lot smaller, and can hang off the back of my wheelchair, decreasing its length by almost a foot. This makes small things, just like being able to fit into this easily a lot easier, and I'd like to thank the RFL Benevolent Fund for agreeing to purchase this for me.

I have no major plans for the foreseeable future. I just intend concentrating on my Uni work for a few months and perhaps arranging a birthday bash for my 21st...

Now I've finally recovered from the marathon I thought I'd drop you a line to let you know what a crazy adventure it was!

The flight out was relatively uneventful, if we choose to forget the fact that they dropped my wheelchair off the plane when trying to get it off! Not too much damage was done, and I was able to get back into it after a couple of minutes of minor adjustments (using a hammer that is!)

New York is an amazing, if not crazy place. If you think everything is done at 100 miles an hour in the UK, double it and you're getting close to the pace things are done in New York! Our hotel was about two minutes from Central Park, and only five blocks from Times Square so we really were in the thick of things!

The marathon day itself was probably one of the most tiring days I've ever experienced. We had to be on the bus to the start line at 5:30 a.m. which meant at 3:30 a.m. start getting up. Everybody was at the start line by 8 a.m., which left a three hour delay before the start of the race. Thankfully the weather was on our side meaning we didn't get too cold, although the wait was becoming tediously boring towards the end.

As I had to have two people to care for me as I went around the course (thanks must go to my mum and dad who followed on bikes), the race organisers made our team start at the very back of the main pack. The race started at 10:10 a.m., however we didn't cross the line until nearer 11 o'clock, but we were soon overtaking runners and making our way through the field. Almost immediately however I began having problems with the batteries on my wheelchair. By the time we had crossed Staten Island Bridge (the first absolutely massive Bridge) my batteries had already lost a third of their power, which not only meant that my wheelchair was slowing down, but also that they wouldn't make it to the half distance mark where a wheelchair engineer was waiting to swap the batteries for a fresh set in what was effectively a pitstop. Unfortunately, things went worse than I expected, and by the time we hit the five-mile mark, my batteries had almost given up the ghost meaning I was limited to a snail's pace.

It was at this stage that I gave up all hope of completing the course, and stopped at the side of the road pleading with the other xiiiheroes runners to leave me. Annoyingly for me at the time (as I wanted to return to the hotel) the group of people I was with turned out to be the best team you could wish for, refusing to let me stop and supporting me to eventually reach the 11 mile mark where we planned to meet the wheelchair engineer with a fresh set of batteries! In order to reach this stage of the course, Matt James (the wheelchair engineer) literally took his life in his own hands! Firstly he had to locate a ‘rickshaw’ driver and persuade them to drive both Matt and the batteries halfway across New York in record time. The driver took this mission to heart and proceeded to risk both their lives by driving across an American football pitch whilst a match was in progress, and he did the same to a junior game of baseball! Anyway, he arrived at the 11 mile mark just in time to swap the batteries over...

We completed the first half of the marathon in just under four hours. This is compared to 2 hours 58 minutes which is the time it took the team of xiiiheroes to complete both of the past years BUPA Great North Run’s, which clearly indicates the problems we had!

By the time the new batteries were fitted, our team was plum last with only the police behind us who were there to bring up the back of the pack. This was where things started to pick up though, and as soon as my wheelchair was back up to speed we were soon flying back through the pack. The second half of the marathon made up for all the troubles we suffered at the start...

The crowds were absolutely amazing, and this definitely gave the whole team a boost. Despite the fact that it was getting cold and dark, by the time we entered Central Park we had made our way back past a substantial amount of the field and were still going strong. The final miles around the park proved to be a killer, and were by far the hardest I have experienced, but as a team we managed to cross the finish line in a time of 6 hours 40 minutes.

The crossing of the finish line signalled the onset of a few more problems however. Due to the prolonged time spent out in the cold, my temperature had dropped to a dangerously low 33.2°C rendering me seriously hypothermic and in need of a warm hotel room. In addition, the batteries on my ventilator had run out giving me only minimal time to get back to the hotel and get plugged into the mains!
A massive thanks must go to Chris Hawkins and Lesley Woodruff for organising the whole event, the team of runners from xiiiheroes who were awesome: Craig Drake; Paul O’Brien; Laura Harrison; Gina Coldrick; Helen Goldthorpe, my mum and dad for looking after me around the course, Balder UK for supplying all the background logistics involved in ensuring the wheelchair completed the distance,and last but not least the Anglo Irish bank who made the whole thing possible by donating a substantial five figure sum.

On 29th September, I competed in the BUPA Great North Run for the second year in succession.

The weekend was a long one, starting about 6:30 a.m. on the Saturday morning, and ending about 12:30 p.m. on Sunday night following the most horrendous journey back from Newcastle. On Saturday I set off from home at about 10 a.m, and made quite good time on the journey up there, arriving at the hotel at about 2:30 p.m. just in time for the start of the Wales V. Fiji Rugby Union World Cup match -- although I only saw the first 20 minutes before I fell asleep!

The rest of the day was spent meeting up with the rest of the team from ‘xiiiheroes’ who I was running the half marathon with, and I decided to turn in for an early night and some much-needed sleep at about 9 p.m.

I didn't have a great night's sleep, mainly due to nerves I think, so I started getting up at 5:30 a.m in order to be ready to leave the hotel at 8 a.m. Amazingly, I was actually ready on time which meant we got to the start line at about 8:45 a.m. The whole atmosphere surrounding the event was amazing, and although our start was delayed by an hour, I didn't mind as it meant I could mingle as best I could with some of the famous people milling around.

Luckily, the run itself went off without a hitch, and so for the second year running I avoided driving into any of the other runners and breaking their legs! Although I was aiming to beat last year's time of 2 hours 58 minutes by a considerable amount, it wasn't to be and in the end we beat it by just 10 seconds!

Despite all the training I have been putting in in preparation for the New York marathon, I wasn't able to complete the entire course without stopping for breaks. In total I had to stop twice, once because I could feel my neck beginning to cramp up, and the second just to give my neck and chin a bit of a break.

My training for New York is still in full swing, and I will be chuffed to bits if I can make it around the course with just a few breaks, but I will just have to see how I feel on the day.

Anyway, I had better get back to the copious amounts of Law reading I have to do for my seminars on Friday...