We are proud to announce our sponsorship of Yeovil Rugby Club for the 2025/26 season, a partnership rooted in a story that holds deep personal meaning for Clinic Director, Martin.

Long before he ever wore a clinic badge, Bermuda-born Martin was a physics student with his sights set on a very different future. But outside the classroom, rugby was where he came alive. 

Throughout his teens and early twenties, he played at representative level, and the sport shaped much of who he was.

Then came the tackle that changed everything. On the eve of flying out to his birthplace for a trial with Bermuda’s National Squad, a neck fracture brought his rugby years to an abrupt end.

“I was running very fast and dodged!” Martin said. “Unfortunately, another player stuck out his arm as I shot past him and his hand got stuck in the neck of my shirt. I flipped and landed on my head with my neck twisted underneath me and woke up in hospital!” 

What followed wasn’t just a bad few months, it took seven years for him to fully recover.

“The hardest part at first was emotional,” Martin explains. “Rugby had been such a big part of my identity. The consultant warned me that playing again could be fatal… but when you’re young, you think you’re indestructible. In the end it wasn’t medical advice that stopped me – it was my mum and my girlfriend telling me that if I played again, they would kill me!”

With the sport he loved out of reach, the physical side of the injury took over. Early treatment made things worse, leaving him with constant pain and a persistent tingling, numb hand. “It was depressing and exhausting,” he says. “I just wanted my life back.”

Everything changed when, somewhat reluctantly, he visited a chiropractor. The results were unexpectedly transformative.

“When the chiropractor actually got me better – and I really didn’t think they would – I was thrilled…but honestly, a bit cross too!” he says. “I’d been struggling for years, and to realise I could have been helped so much earlier was frustrating.”

The experience didn’t just restore his mobility, it set him on the path toward a completely different future. Inspired by the treatment that helped restore his health, he made the decision to retrain as a chiropractor so he could help others find hope in their own difficult moments.

Martin graduated from the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic in 1996 and joined Chiropractic Care Clinics (then Yeovil Chiropractic Clinic) in 1998. He oversaw the founding of our Crewkerne and Beaminster branches and is now clinical director for the group. For more than 30 years, our clinics have supported local families over multiple generations, and sportspersons ranging from enthusiastic amateurs to World Champions helping people stay well, stay active, and get back to doing what they love.

So when the chance came to sponsor Yeovil Rugby Club, it wasn’t just another partnership – it was deeply personal. Supporting the local rugby community now feels like closing a loop.

“Rugby gave me some of the best years of my youth,” Martin says. “Being able to support a local team – even if I can’t step on the pitch myself – means a great deal. It’s a way of giving back to a sport and a community that shaped me.”

Chiropractic Care Clinics continue to offer a full range of chiropractic and rehabilitation services, treating babies and children; grandfathers and grandmothers; overenthusiastic gardeners and…yes, committed rugby players presenting with classic rugby ‘knock’ and “I’ll be fine, honestly” injuries. In fact, Martin can usually guess the player’s position from the type of injury!

From the pitch, to the clinic, and now back to the sidelines, Martin’s story is a reminder of how sport can shape us, and how powerful it is when life comes full circle.