Aspire was delighted to celebrate our 25th Sports Quiz Dinner and raise a fantastic £184,000 to help people with spinal cord injuries move from injury to independence. We returned to the Nursery Pavilion at Lord’s Cricket Ground on 30th April for a fantastic evening of entertainment, great food and friendly rivalry.

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A huge thank you to everyone who attended and supported our 25th Sports Quiz Dinner. 427 guests enjoyed a delicious menu with a cricket themed surprise and the legendary quiz compiled by Radio 5 Live's Rob Nothman and expertly hosted by Aspire President, John Inverdale.  We were proud to present Rob and John with their 25 Years Service awards and were also privileged to have two of the original Sports Quiz committee members join us, Angi and Nick Jones, and although Alan Bloom was unable to join us, we remembered his late wife Gilly who came up with the idea of holding a sports quiz to raise money for the charity.

Our Guest Speaker was the incredible tetraplegic artist, Natalie Bignell, who spoke about how her life changed for ever when she was a victim of gun crime in 2020.  An innocent bystander, she was shot through the neck sustaining a C4 spinal cord injury, leaving her paralysed from the chest down, with no use of her hands.  Whilst in the London Spinal Cord Injury Centre in Stanmore, Natalie was introduced to new assistive technology equipment by Aspire which transformed how she was able to communicate and create.  Working closely with Andrew, Aspire’s Assistive Technology Manager, she was able to access equipment such as a head mouse, enabling her to control her computer independently. This technology is now central to both her daily life and artistic practice, allowing her to reconnect with the world, communicate more freely and expand the ways she can make art.

Congratulations to the winners of the quiz, Bacchus Fine Wines who also generously donated a fantastic auction lot of Dom Pérignon champagne – thank you to Mark and the team for the incredible support.  We hope to see you next year to defend your title!

Aspire would like to thank: 

• John Inverdale, Rob Nothman, Natalie Bignell and all of our wonderful volunteers, without whom we simply couldn’t put on such a wonderful evening.

• To all who took tables: Akin Gump LLP, AlixPartners, Alvarez & Marsal Europe LLP, Ankura Consulting (Europe) Ltd, Aspire Law, Azets, Bacchus Fine Wines Ltd, BZ, Chase de Vere IFA Group Plc, Clarion Solicitors, Clifford Chance LLP, CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP, DC Advisory, DWF Law LLP, Endless LLP, Eversheds Sutherland LLP, Fletchers Solicitors, FTI Consulting, Grant Thornton UK Advisory and Tax LLP, Interpath, Jean-Baptiste Wautier, Kendra Sinclair, Linklaters, Mercer, Milbank LLP, Nick Flanagan, Oliver Wyman, Pinsent Masons LLP, PwC LLP, Quantuma, S & W, Teneo, Travers Smith, Troutman Pepper Locke UK, Watling Real Estate, Wells Fargo, White & Case LLP

• Auction donors: McKay Williamson; Bacchus Fine Wines, BrewDog and MCC

• Raffle prize donors: The Barbour Foundation, Gallagher Prem, T M Lewin, BrewDog, Foxhills, The Jockey Club, BAM Karaoke Box, Sipsmith, Boden, Bombay Sapphire, Slurp

Register your interest for the 2027 Sports Quiz Dinner

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