The National Spinal Injuries Centre (NSIC) at Stoke Mandeville Hospital received a generous donation of £49,449 from Willmott Dixon, the company behind the nearby Waterside Theatre.

The team after completing the Cyclotour du Léman challenge last year

The huge fundraising effort was undertaken by Group chief executive Rick Willmott and a senior management team who took part in the tough Cyclotour du Léman – a 180km cycle ride around Lake Geneva that must be completed in one day. The team was inspired to raise money for the NSIC after one of their colleagues suffered a serious spinal cord injury in a motor bike accident.

The spinal unit team show their appreciation for the donation

Rick said: “We are very proud to have donated such a sizeable sum to the spinal unit and very much look forward to it making a difference in helping to improve the lives of hundreds of people with major spinal injuries that rely on the care provided by the excellent team at the NSIC.”

Receiving the cheque on behalf of the NSIC, operations manager Claire Guy said: “On behalf of our staff and patients I would like to say a big thank you to Willmott Dixon. This is an incredibly generous donation and will be put to good use to develop new ways of using technology to improve our care for the many outpatients we see every year.”