Lord Tebbit became chairman of the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre's (NOC) charitable trust after his wife was a patient at the NOC in Oxford after she had been injured in the IRA bombing of the Grand Hotel in Brighton.
It was a position he held for 14 years, during which time he helped the Trust raise significant funds to open a new orthotics building, now named the Tebbit Centre.
At the time he said: 'We, able-bodied folk, so easily take our freedom of movement for granted. It is often only when tragedy touches us that we begin to understand the problems faced by those whose movement is restricted.'
Once funds had been raised for the new hospital, Professor Graham Russell and Professor Carr had asked Lord Tebbit and the Trustees if they would fundraise for a new Research Centre on the hospital site. This Centre was to be named after Mr. Botnar a major benefactor and a friend of Lord Tebbit.
With their support the first phase of the Botnar Research Centre was opened in 2002 on the site of NOC in Headington. Two further wings were subsequently constructed - Botnar 2 opening in 2014 and Botnar 3 in 2022. Alongside their sister institute the Kennedy, they make the largest concentration of researchers investigating musculoskeletal conditions such as arthritis and osteoporosis globally.
Jeanette Franklin MBE, Appeal Director for the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre Charitable Trust said: 'We were honoured when the Marcela Botnar wing was officially Opened by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, now Her Majesty The Queen, in 2022.'
Andy Carr MBE FMedSci, former Head of Department and Director of the Botnar Institute says: 'Lord Tebbit was a truly remarkable supporter of both improving outcomes for patients with orthopaedic conditions and research into discovering new and more effective treatments. His friendship with the Botnar family enabled the establishment of a world leading research environment in Oxford pioneering new treatment for orthopaedic and rheumatological disorders.'