Claire Williams has launched the Frank Williams Academy which supports the Spinal Injuries Association vision of a fulfilled life for everyone affected by spinal cord injury.
Williams is spearheading an appeal to raise £1.5m to launch and establish the academy during its early years. Funding will be used to help educate and train those affected by spinal cord injuries and healthcare professionals to ensure safe, appropriate care is provided. Through research and development, the academy intends to champion best practice, raise national standards and build an evidence base to influence long-term transformational change.
The academy honours Sir Frank Williams' legacy and his achievements while living with a spinal cord injury. SIA's support following Sir Frank's car accident in 1986 was integral to his recovery and return to work, with the team he founded achieving a total of nine Formula One constructors' titles. The Spinal Injuries Association has been the Williams team's official charity since 2015, with Claire Williams being Vice President since 2016.
Williams Racing is supporting the launch of the academy which was launched on Wednesday at an SIA reception at Hoare Memorial Hall in Westminster, attended by the charity's patron HRH The Princess Royal, as well as Claire Williams, Vice President of SIA. Also in attendance were Williams Racing Board members Matthew Savage and James Matthews and Team Principal James Vowles.
During the upcoming 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Frank Williams Academy logo will run on the FW45's of both Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant.
"My father lived the most extraordinary life," said Claire Williams, "not least as one of the most successful team principals in the history of the sport and doing so from a wheelchair as a tetraplegic for the greater part of it.
"His tenacity in the face of this adversity was just one of the many things that made him such an inspiration to many while he was alive. Following his death, I wanted to do something to continue that legacy, and the Frank Williams Academy couldn't be a more fitting tribute. The work that the academy will do will provide potentially life changing care for spinal cord injured people, just as the SIA did for my dad. With that support, the bounds of possibility are endless."
"We're delighted to support the launch of the Frank Williams Academy," added Matthew Savage, Chairman of the Board, Williams Racing. "To honour Sir Frank's life by providing fundamental education, care and support to change the lives of people affected by spinal cord injuries is truly special. Everyone at Williams Racing is looking forward to helping the academy flourish."
"The launch of the Frank Williams Academy is momentous, not only for SIA but for spinal cord injured people across the UK," said Nik Hartley, CEO, Spinal Injuries Association. "Inspired by Sir Frank's success and motivated by the challenges he faced, the vision is to completely transform the availability of specialist expertise in health and care so that anyone anywhere has the best chance of a fulfilled life after injury. Sir Frank was the living example of such a life. We're so grateful to his daughter, our amazing Vice President, Claire Williams and to Williams Racing for backing this."
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