Spectacular 80th birthday party for Lord Snowdon

250 people attended a fabulous 80th birthday party for Lord Snowdon in London’s Porchester Hall on Friday 5th March. The party included a spectacular repertoire from the Royal Ballet and a performance by singer Maria Friedman.

To commemorate the 60th anniversary of Lord Snowdon coxing the winning Cambridge crew in the 1950 Boat Race, there was also an indoor rowing challenge between past and present members of the top 6 university rowing clubs to raise funds for the Scheme. World and Olympic champion rowers took part, including all four members of Great Britain’s gold-medal winning coxless four team from the Beijing Olympics!

Reading University Boat Club won and were presented with a fabulous glass rowing blade trophy.

The rowing race was to raise funds for Lord Snowdon’s charity, The Snowdon Award Scheme, which organised the whole event and provides funding to help disabled students in further and higher education.

Lord Snowdon was accompanied at the event by The Countess of Snowdon and his two daughters, Lady Sarah Chatto and Lady Frances Von Hofmannsthal. Other attendees included TV personality Esther Rantzen, entertainer Richard Stilgoe and many of the Scheme’s past and present beneficiaries as well as donors, other supporters and Trustees of the charity.

Pictures

Some of the photos taken on the day can be downloaded for free, here.

Click here for further photos by Peter Ruffle.

Additional photos of the whole event are available for the press, from Camera Press and pictures of the Rowing challenge available from top rowing photographer Peter Spurrier can be viewed here.