Founder President and Trustee

Lord Snowdon – founder president and trustee

Lord Snowdon contracted polio at age 16 with his experiences since helping him understand the issues faced by disabled people. He went on to campaign strongly against discrimination towards them.

In the early 1970s he used his maiden speech in the House of Lords to highlight some the issues faced by disabled people and in 1974, he was asked to chair the Working Party on Integration of the Disabled.

The Snowdon Working Party report, published in 1976, was a landmark, being comprehensive, challenging and radical ­– and grounded in an understanding of disability as an equal opportunities, citizenship and rights issue. Education was one of seven areas explored in the report.

Identifying the critical link between post-16 qualifications, employment and socio economic integration, Lord Snowdon established The Snowdon Award Scheme in 1981, devising a scheme that help disabled young people gain an equal footing.

He set up The Snowdon Award Scheme in 1981, using £14,000 from fees he received for photographs of the royal family, accumulated in a trust fund while he was married to HRH Princess Margaret.

Vice Presidents

The Rt Hon The Lord Ashley of Stoke CH

Jack Ashley, the former Labour MP, commands enormous public respect for his vigorous campaigning for disabled rights and also, his personal with deafness. He was one of our founding trustees.

He became an MP in 1966 but two years later, at the age of 45, he lost his hearing after a routine ear operation. Nevertheless, he continued to serve as an MP until 1992 when he was made a life baron. 1993 saw him as one of the first people in the UK to have his hearing partially restored by a cochlea implant, an electronic device which stimulates the nerves in the inner ear.

Jack says: ‘The tremendous difficulties faced by young disabled people as they make their way in a highly competitive world are daunting. This makes the wonderful help and encouragement of Lord Snowdon’s award scheme all the more valuable. It provides practical assistance and new hope.’

The Rt Hon Baroness Masham of Ilton

Baroness Masham was one of the Snowdon Award Scheme’s first trustees and, in 2004 was made a Vice president.

In 1958, at the age of 23, she became disabled in a riding accident and subsequently became a champion for disability causes. She is still very actively involved, being chair of the Associate Parliamentary Health Group, a member of the All Party Disablement Committee, as well as being a crossbench member of the House of Lords, having joined the peerage in 1970.

The Rt Hon The Lord Morris of Manchester PC AO QSO

Lord Morris, aka Alf Morris, served as a MP for Manchester for 33 years until 1997 when he was elevated to the peerage as The Lord Morris of Manchester. He was a founding trustee and is now a Vice president as well as being deeply involved in parliamentary debates on disability issues.

In 1970 he piloted to the Statute Book the historic Chronically Sick & Disabled Persons Act and, in 1974, he became Britain’s (and the world’s) first Minister for Disabled People. In 1991 he drafted and promoted the landmark Civil Rights (Disabled Persons) Bill, making unfair discrimination against disabled people unlawful, which became the model for similar legislation across the world.

He is the only British citizen outside the Royal Household to have the Order of Australia (AO) and the Queen’s Service Order of New Zealand (QSO), both in recognition of his outstanding achievements on behalf of disabled people around the world.

Alf says: ‘I take pride in long association with The Snowdon Award Scheme. It has enabled thousands of young people with disabilities to triumph over daunting obstacles. Their achievements in further and higher education bear eloquent testimony to the humanity of Lord Snowdon’s vision and humanity in creating one of contemporary Britain’s foremost charities. Yet there is much more to do and the scheme richly deserves all the help everyone who supports its work can give.’

Trustee profiles

Stephen Bradshaw OBE

Stephen became a trustee of the Scheme in 2001. He had been a member of our selection panel since 1982 and he chaired the panel for 20 years from 1987 to 2007.

Previously executive director of the Spinal Injuries Association, he is now semi-retired. As he is tetraplegic, Stephen’s experience is particularly relevant for applicants with spinal injuries and other impairments involving mobility difficulties.

Robert J Edwards CBE

Bob Edwards was one of the Scheme's initial trustees in 1981, and still holds that title. Now retired and living the quiet life in Cornwall, Bob was previously one of Fleet Street’s most enduring and best known newspaper editors. He edited the Daily Express twice in the 1960s, subsequently becoming editor of The People and then the Sunday Mirror for a record 13 years.

Andrew Farquhar

Andrew was one of the first people involved in the Scheme. He helped Lord Snowdon set everything up in 1981, including legal arrangements and financial procedures. He went on to become our general secretary for over 20 years. We were delighted to retain his knowledge and expertise when he agreed to become a trustee following his retirement in 2005.

Baroness (Tanni) Grey-Thompson DBE

Tanni is perhaps best known as a Paralympian, winning a total of 11 gold medals in 5 Paralympic Games. Tanni retired from competition in 2007 but still plays an active role in the administration of sport.

Tanni was appointed as a working crossbench peer in 2010. She brings a knowledge of disability rights and a wealth of experience in charities and fundraising to the board of trustees.

Sir John Hannam

Sir John has been a trustee since the start and has been Chairman of our board of trustees since 1997.

He is currently the only honorary freeman of Exeter, having been MP for Exeter for 27 years (1970-1997). Sir John is well known for his extremely hard work in the area of disability and, in his parliamentary days, was co chair of the All Party Disablement Group.

Lady Frances von Hofmannsthal

Frances is Snowdon's daughter and is the director of his company Armstrong Jones. She is currently working on an online project bringing together the work he has done over his life time.

She has two young children Rex and Maud by her husband Rodolphe and they live in London near the British Museum.

Peter Holland MSc FRSA

Peter has been involved with us since 1995 as a selection panel member, and was appointed a trustee in 2003.

He is currently Chief Executive of The Disability Partnership incorporating The Prince of Wales’ Advisory Group on Disability. The organisation develops pan-disability initiatives which improve the quality of life for disabled people and enhance social inclusion and equality of opportunity. Successful developments have included Living Options, Learning Options, Health Education programmes, our Hospitality Sector Initiatives, Leadership Development across the Home Civil Service and most recently MOVE across Europe and the Middle East.

Previously he was CEO of Action for Blind People and has held senior positions with Barnados and MENCAP. He is married with one daughter and has an unseen disability.

He has held senior positions with MENCAP, Action for Blind People and Barnados and has an unseen disability

Sidney L Hunt

Sidney is managing director of Southern Demolition Co Ltd and he was a national council member of NFDC (National Federation of Demolition Contractors) for 25 years.

The NFDC has been a wonderful supporter of the Scheme for many years and, together with his father, Sidney has worked hard to develop and maintain the excellent relationship we have with them. He was appointed a trustee in 2004.

Anji Hunter

Until recently Anji was Director of Government and Social Affairs for Anglo American plc. Prior to that she was director of communications for BP and before that, she was one of Tony Blair’s closest advisers as Downing Street’s director of government relations.

Anji came into contact with the Scheme when arranging for Mr Blair to attend an event and always expressed a strong personal interest in our work. We were therefore delighted when, in 2004, she agreed to become a trustee.

Richard Lansdown PhD

Richard is a retired educational and clinical psychologist who worked for more than 30 years at Great Ormond Street Hospital and the Institute of Child Health. He has been a member of our selection panel since we started in 1981 and became a trustee in 2001. His skills are particularly appropriate for applicants with dyslexia, learning difficulties and autism.

Renny Leach DPhil

Renny has a strong personal interest and considerable expertise in many aspects of disability. He was previously director of research for Action Research and then for the Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond St Hospital. He is currently director of a number of healthcare companies, providing specialist support in the development of new medicines.

Renny became a trustee in 2001, bringing with him not only technical knowledge relating to disability, but also experience from involvement with several other charities.

David Linley

After many years studying and working with art and wood, David Linley Furniture Ltd, now LINLEY was set up. David has now written three books and has lectured around the world at prestigious venues, including the V&A Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NY), the Smithsonian Institute (Washington), and the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston).

David lives in London with his wife Serena, son Charles and daughter Margarita and has been a trustee of the Scheme since 2001.

Lord (Colin) Low of Dalston CBE

Colin was a member of the Judging Panel from the Scheme's inception in 1981 until 1994. He is blind and his experience was particularly helpful in dealing with applicants with a visual impairment. He has been a long time trustee of RNIB and was Chairman from 2000-2009. He was one of the founder members of the Disability Rights Commission and is President of the European Blind Union (2003-2011) and the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI) (from 2010). He was appointed to the House of Lords in 2006.

Dr Jane McLarty

Jane became involved in disability related work in 1993 when she started work for Bridget’s Trust, the hostel in Cambridge offering accommodation and 24 hour care for students with a disability. She went on to spend seven years as the University of Cambridge Disability Officer, and ended by successfully bidding for HEFCE funds to establish the University’s Disability Resource Centre. In 1999 she moved on to become Assistant Graduate Tutor and then Admissions Tutor for Lucy Cavendish College, and after ten years moved to Wolfson College as Senior Tutor, her current post. She remains involved with University trusts for students with a disability, and combines her administrative work with teaching and research in the area of early Christian studies.

Dan Norris

Dan Norris was Member of Parliament for Wansdyke from 1997 to 2010 and was previously a teacher and child protection officer. He has written and lectured extensively on the prevention and reduction of violence, and is an honorary university fellow.

With his personal knowledge and experience in education and a strong interest in disability issues, Dan was appointed a trustee in 2004.

Dr Wendy Piatt

Dr Wendy Piatt is the first director general of the Russell Group of universities, and was previously deputy director and head of public service reform at the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit where she led work on social mobility, local government, education and skills and digital inclusion. Prior to that, she was a senior advisor at the Department for education and skills and head of education policy at the Institute for Public Policy Research, specialising in higher and further education. Wendy’s strong interest in and knowledge of ensuring fair access to post-16 education led to her becoming a trustee in 2011.

Simon Preece

Simon became a trustee in 2011. He is Group Client Services Director of brand consultancy Elmwood and brings strategic marketing and brand experience to the team. Having worked in corporate marketing with ASDA, Simon has experience across FMCG, Corporate, and Retail sectors. These include Kimberly-Clark, Arla Foods, Reckitt Benckiser, McCain, and The FA. An Honorary Visiting Fellow in Marketing and Creativity at Bradford University’s School of Management, lecturing on MBA, MSC, and Undergraduate courses, he is working with the university to develop an MSC course in Creativity in Marketing. He is also a member of the Marketing Society. Outside work, Simon's passions centre around his family.

Things you may not know about Simon:

• He is a qualified FA coach, working in local community football.
• He regularly practices Reiki, T'ai Chi and Chi Kung.
• He is a long-suffering season ticket holder at Middlesbrough FC.

Amber Rudd MP

Amber was elected Member of Parliament for Hastings and Rye in May 2010. Since then she has joined the Department for Environment Food and Affairs Select Committee and spoken frequently in the House of Commons.

Before entering Parliament Amber’s career was in finance and recruitment.

Joining the scheme was one of the first commitments she made as a new MP, and commented, “I am delighted to join this scheme that provides such an important lifeline to disabled people. It’s all about fulfilling potential and I am so impressed that the Snowdon Awards help people in difficulties to do that.”

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