Rugby legends join William Grant for charity ball

Sporting stars joined William Grant & Sons at The Legends Ball last Friday (4 September) to toast the Rugby World Cup 2015 and raise money for The Lewis Moody Foundation.

Sporting stars gathered for a plush dinner at Jumeirah Carlton Tower to raise money for The Lewis Moody Foundation and toast the 2015 Rugby World Cup

Hosted at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower in London, the evening was a celebration of William Grant & Sons being chosen as the official spirits and Champagne provider at this year’s tournament.

Rugby legends attending the evening included

Tom Croft, Leicester Tigers player; David Sole, ex-Scottish player; Jim Hamilton, ex-Scottish player, Craig Chalmers, ex-Scottish player; Kenny Logan, ex-Scottish player; Rachael Burford, English player; and Danielle Waterman, English player.

Other sports personalities who showed their support at the event were John Barnes, ex-England footballer; Tony Currie, ex-England footballer; Audley Harrison, Olympic boxer; Charlotte Evans, Paralympic gold medal winning skier; Alex McLeish, ex-Scottish footballer and manager; Greg Searle, Olympic gold medal winning rower; Graham Bell, Olympic skier; Ian Robertson, the “voice of rugby”; and Mark Pitman, jockey, while Willie Thorne was the compare for the night.

An auction took place throughout the night to raise money for The Lewis Moody Foundation – a charity founded by rugby player Moody to support young families facing life threatening or serious illnesses and raise money for research through The Brain Tumour Charity.

Lewis Moody MBE, ex-English rugby player and part of the Rugby World Cup 2003 winning team, commented: “It was a great night of celebration as well as raising money for a worthy cause, and we’re thankful to William Grant & Sons UK for their support in hosting this successful event.”

William Grant & Sons has secured exclusive pouring rights for spirits and Champagne at all Rugby World Cup 2015 venues, as well as the chance to offer fans tickets to matches including the final through the #RaiseEmUp2015 campaign.

“For William Grant & Sons and our brands, this partnership is about uniting with the millions of rugby fans for the incredible tournament that will be Rugby World Cup 2015,” said Gary Keogh, marketing director, William Grant & Sons UK.

“We look forward to being a part of the celebrations, the memories, the moments that people will treasure for a lifetime.

“Our Legends Ball was the perfect kick-start and celebration of a very exciting time for us.”