Deaf Awareness Week takes place between 6 and 12 May and with this in mind we have chosen Mat Gilbert as our Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month.

Mat is a professional rugby union player currently playing for Hartpury College RFC.  Mat joined Hartpury from Worcester Warriors, having also played for Bath Rugby, the Scarlets and Modigliano (Italy).  

Apart from being an experienced player, Mat is unusual in that he has achieved all of this despite being severely deaf – he has played for the England Deaf team on numerous occasions and is tireless in his efforts to encourage more opportunities for deaf children to get involved in the sport.

Mat is a long-serving ambassador for the charity Action for Hearing Loss.  He supports many fundraising events across the UK and has been the guest speaker at the charity’s annual Christmas Carol Concert.

To find out more about Deaf Awareness Week see here

To find out more about Action for Hearing Loss