The television presenter and media personality (pictured top), who died last year at the age of 84, was a high-profile fundraiser for the hospital and donated more than £40 million ($64 million/€46 million) to its National Spinal Injuries Centre over several decades.

The contributions from the Jim'll Fix It star came after the hospital was originally put on the map by German neurologist Sir Ludwig Guttmann, who founded the National Spinal Injuries Centre in 1944 and then organised the first Stoke Mandeville Games in 1948 to help with the rehabilitation of injured patients.

The competition was the precursor to the first ever Paralympics in Rome in 1960.

But the hospital in Aylesbury has been rocked by allegations that Sir Jimmy sexually abused a number of children, including on the premises of the hospital, with former patients among many of the abuse victims across the United Kingdom that are now coming forward to the police.

Stoke Mandeville Hospital, the birthplace of the Paralympic Games, is “shocked” by the sexual abuse allegations against the late Sir Jimmy Savile

"We are shocked to hear of the serious allegations about Jimmy Savile," said a statement from Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

"At this stage in the proceedings it would not be appropriate for us to conduct our own internal investigation, however, we have been contacted by the police this week and are supporting them fully with their enquiries.

"If their findings suggest that we do need to take further action then we will do so.

"We have advised our staff that if they have any concerns or wish to raise anything relating to the allegations then they should contact their local police force."

The allegations have cast a huge shadow over Stoke Mandeville just weeks after the village was chosen as the venue where the London 2012 Paralympic Flame would be lit due to its huge contribution in creating the Paralympic Games.

It has also led to many who knew Sir Jimmy personally to express their huge disappointment, including Mike Mackenzie, the chairman of the Poppa Guttmann Trust, who has backed calls for the hospital cafe named after Sir Jimmy to instead commemorate Sir Ludwig Guttmann.

It is hoped that the cafe named after Sir Jimmy Savile at Stoke Mandeville Hospital will be renamed, possibly after the founder of the Paralympic Games Sir Ludwig Guttmann

"I have had people say the cafe should be called Poppa's [after Sir Ludwig Guttmann] instead of Jimmy's, which I would be very happy about," said Mackenzie, who knew Sir Jimmy for nearly 20 years.

"There's little doubt he got up to a lot of things he shouldn't have done.

"I have had people suggest that it [Jimmy's cafe sign] should be taken down and that maybe photographs should be taken down and I can see that.

"Whatever Stoke Mandeville chooses to do to disassociate itself from Jimmy, everybody will always know that it was him who raised the money to build it [the centre].

"But the money raised was from public donation, it was not his.

"People gave money on the basis of what it was for.

"But he used his profile to raise it.

"The difficulty is he didn't raise it on the back of being a paedophile, he raised it on the back of being a pop star.

"I can't see the NHS knocking down the building.

"I can't see the equipment being handed back."

The famous Stoke Mandeville Stadium, which lies adjacent to the hospital, is also understood to be sad about the situation but unlike the hospital, they had no dealings with Sir Jimmy.

"WheelPower, the national charity and disability sports organisation for wheelchair sport, owners of Stoke Mandeville Stadium can confirm that it has not had any previous association with the late Sir Jimmy Savile," it said in a statement to insidethegames.

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