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Black-tie evening featuring rugby legends, 4-course dining, and a live auction.
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A held block of seats with a clear view of the day.
Dining across the day or evening.
The Nordoff Robbins Legends of Rugby Dinner sits at the intersection of two great British traditions: rugby union and charitable giving. Nordoff Robbins, the UK's largest music therapy charity, has been harnessing the power of sport to raise funds since the 1980s, and their rugby dinner has become one of the most anticipated events on the sporting calendar. Each year, some of the game's most celebrated figures gather for an evening of storytelling, auctions, and the kind of after-dinner speeches that only retired rugby players can deliver.
Music therapy has the power to transform lives. It reaches people in ways that nothing else can.
Music's reach extended where no other therapy could follow, and two pioneers in Worcestershire proved it.
American composer Paul Nordoff and special education teacher Clive Robbins begin their groundbreaking collaboration at Sunfield Children's Home in Worcestershire. Their work demonstrates that music can reach children whom other therapies cannot, laying the foundation for what will become the world's leading music therapy approach.
A single London charity, founded to train therapists and treat patients, quietly laid the groundwork for a fundraising movement spanning music, sport, and entertainment.
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Getting around
Public transport runs to the venue on the day. Your event manager sends the route and nearest station with the booking confirmation.
Black cabs and ride-share apps are available across the local area. Drop-offs on the day depend on road closures; the booking confirmation flags the nearest set-down point.
Chauffeured cars or coaches for larger parties can be arranged through your event manager. Pricing is case-by-case and varies with party size.
Rugby has always been about more than what happens on the pitch. It's about community, about looking after each other. That's why supporting Nordoff Robbins feels like a natural fit.
The Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy Centre is formally established as a registered charity in the United Kingdom. Based in London, the charity begins training music therapists and delivering sessions to children and adults with a range of needs. The formalisation marks the start of a sustained fundraising effort that will eventually draw in the worlds of music, sport, and entertainment.
Star power and philanthropy: the Silver Clef lunch proved in 1976 that celebrity glitz and serious charity fundraising are a natural fit.
Nordoff Robbins holds its first Silver Clef Awards lunch, establishing the template for high-profile charity occasions that combine celebrity, entertainment, and serious fundraising. The music industry rallies behind the cause, and the Silver Clef quickly becomes one of the most prestigious dates in the British music calendar. This model of pairing star power with philanthropy will later be extended to the world of sport.
Rugby's post-match culture of tall tales and generosity made it the perfect new home for Nordoff Robbins charity dinners.
Building on the success of its music industry celebrations, Nordoff Robbins begins organising charity dinners centred on sport. Rugby, with its strong tradition of post-match dinners and storytelling, proves a natural fit. The charity taps into the rugby community's generosity and its appetite for an evening where legends of the game share tales from the pitch.
World Cup winners, Lions, and international legends around one table; the anecdotes only improve with the courses.
The Legends of Rugby Dinner becomes a fixture in the Nordoff Robbins occasions calendar. Held at prestigious London venues, the evening brings together World Cup winners, British and Irish Lions, and international legends from across the rugby-playing nations. The format settles into a winning combination: a three-course dinner, live auction, and a panel of former players whose anecdotes grow more colourful as the evening progresses.
Wilkinson's boot made rugby unmissable; the Legends dinner felt the rush almost overnight.
England's Rugby World Cup victory in Sydney sends the sport's profile soaring. Jonny Wilkinson, Martin Johnson, and their teammates become household names, and the appetite for rugby-themed occasions grows enormously. Nordoff Robbins benefits directly, with demand for tables at the Legends of Rugby Dinner increasing sharply. The 2003 squad members become regular and much sought-after guests at the celebration in subsequent years.
Corporate tables gone before the ink dries; rugby royalty from four nations filling every seat.
By the 2010s, the Nordoff Robbins Legends of Rugby Dinner has established itself as one of the most prestigious charity sporting dinners in the UK. The guest list reads like a who's who of the game: former internationals from England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and the southern hemisphere nations. Corporate tables sell out well in advance, and the occasion regularly raises significant sums for music therapy programmes across the country.
Six decades of music therapy, and still the rugby legends keep coming back.
Now operating as Nordoff and Robbins, the charity celebrates more than six decades of delivering music therapy across the UK. The Legends of Rugby Dinner continues to thrive, drawing new generations of retired players alongside the established greats. The occasion remains a cornerstone of the charity's fundraising programme, with proceeds funding therapists who work in schools, hospitals, care homes, and community settings. For guests, it offers something rare: an evening where genuine rugby royalty speaks candidly, the cause is tangible, and the company is first-rate.
