The Leander Trust Library at the Leander Club in Henley-on-Thames is proud to present to you Sandy Nairne and Peter Williams co-authors of the book Titan of the Thames: The Life of Lord Desborough. The evening is wholly in aid of the Leander Trust. A finger buffet will be served in the beautiful club house.

Willy Grenfell, Lord Desborough, was celebrated in his lifetime as an astonishingly talented all-round sportsman and public servant. For many he was the epitome of the perfect English gentleman. Early feats included climbing the Matterhorn and four nearby peaks within days, taking part in the famous dead-heat Boat Race of 1877, swimming across the basin at the foot of Niagara Falls and rowing in an eight across the Channel, while later representing Great Britain in fencing.

Please purchase tickets direct from the organiser (not via Leander Club) by clicking here.

“William Grenfell is an inspiring figure, both as an oarsman and all-round sportsman and later as a great leader in sport. He was a long-standing Steward of Henley Royal Regatta and led the Thames Conservancy for more than thirty years. As Lord Desborough, he staged the first Olympics in London in 1908 at less than two years notice, including the special Olympic Regatta in Henley – a feat of organisational and diplomatic brilliance. He deserves to be celebrated very widely.”
Sir Steve Redgrave CBE DL

This wonderful book will restore Lord Desborough to the place he deserves in our collective memory, where his example can entertain and inspire, educate and enrich. His legacy has never felt more relevant and necessary than now.
Dame Katherine Grainger CBE, Chair UK Sport, 2023

His extraordinary athletic versatility has somewhat obscured the real contributions he has made not only to the welfare but also to the history of his country.
Sir Theodore Andrea Cooke, 1925

The Leander Trust is a registered charity (No. 284631) to advance the education of young people and their physical education by providing facilities – including grant awards – to enable and encourage rowing and sculling; and to help by providing facilities for recreation for those who need such facilities because of their youth, social or economic circumstances. A short presentation will be held to illustrate the benefit of the Trust.