Bristol Blazers Out in Full Force in Windsor

On Tuesday, 25th June, UBBC students and alumni gathered together at the Coldstream Guards Parade Ground in Windsor to celebrate the legacy of the 1919 Henley Peace Regatta and the King’s Cup exactly one century later.

The King’s Cup, orchestrated by UBBC Alumni Founder Chris Hartley, is a prestigious international rowing event for mixed-gender military crews. It commemorates the famous Henley Peace Regatta when military crews raced to build peace after World War I. In 2019, this legacy was revived with military crews from the original six nations—Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA – joined this time by Germany and the Netherlands.

UBBC celebrated the achievements of Alex Steventon, who rowed in the 7 seat in the UK Armed Forces King’s Cup crew as a Royal Navy Officer. Steventon has since completed the prestigious All Arms Commando Course and serves as a Doctor with the Royal Marines. He has racked up numerous appearances at Henley Royal Regatta, representing Bristol, Nonesuch, UKAF, the University of London, and most notably Molesey where he was a finalist in the Thames Cup.

The event was a vibrant celebration of both the rowing and Armed Forces communities. It recognised the contributions of athletes, rowing coaches, boatmen, and even the Bristol tailor who makes the famous striped blazers. UBBC Chairwoman Florence Ward, UBBC Head Coach Ed Bloomfield, and Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Palie Smart represented the University of Bristol, receiving medals for the University’s contribution to the event.

UBBC athletes were proud to form a ceremonial guard of honour as the Colour Party of the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards entered with the King’s Cup, leading the 240 distinguished guests in applause. These guests included Stewards of Henley Royal Regatta, former Prime Minister the Rt Hon Theresa May, Mrs Annamarie Phelps CBE, Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff Major General Julian Buczacki CBE, Ambassadors, Defence Attaches, and representatives from the Vice-Chancellor's Offices of the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Bristol.

Chris Hartley, Chair of The King's Cup, reflected on the day, "All those in black, red, and white blazers are either current Bristol students or alumni. The University of Bristol, alongside Oxford and Cambridge, had alumni in the UK Armed Forces crew and provided material assistance to the Allied crews in 2019. No other University organisation can publicly represent the University with the same blend of current students and alumni in such style and with such discipline. They are effective and memorable ambassadors for the University of which I am very proud."

The ceremony concluded with the Last Post and a hearty three cheers, followed by afternoon tea in the Officer's Mess. The University of Bristol Boat Club students and alumni's support and connection to this prestigious event exemplify the spirit, strength, and camaraderie that define and unite both the rowing and military communities across the world.

As the day wound down, UBBC stragglers found themselves at the pub for a surprise reunion with ex-Head Coach Cameron Kennedy, back in the UK and coaching a crew in the Princess Elizabeth Challenge at HRR next week.

Photo credit ©KingsCup.org Chris Hartley





The Nonesuch Rowing Foundation's 2023 Annual Report

Where do your donations go? Who benefits from your support? How are donations managed and spent? What's our fundraising strategy?

All this and more is answered in the Nonesuch Rowing Foundation's Annual Report! 



What's the Nonesuch Rowing Foundation?

The Nonesuch Rowing Foundation is the independent charity which supports participation in rowing at UBBC.
Our mission is simple; to widen access to rowing for students at Bristol. 
The charity raises funds primarily from donations is supported by over 135 regular donors. The charity's trustees are all UBBC alumni who work closely with the UBBC Alumni & Friends Committee and UBBC's students and coaches to decide how best to support the club. 


What's the Annual Report for? 


As a registered charity, every year the Nonesuch Rowing Foundation must write a report to the Charity Commission to share what it has been up to over the last 12 months. Aside from our obligations to the Charity Commission, we wanted to give all of our supporters and beneficiaries the opportunity to take a look behind the scenes of the running of the Nonesuch Rowing Foundation and find out what we've been doing to enable more students in Bristol to be involved in our sport. 


How can I support the Nonesuch Rowing Foundation?

It's easy to set up a regular donation to the Nonesuch Rowing Foundation via our website. It only takes a couple of minutes and works on both mobile and desktop devices.

As a thank you gift, each new 'Graduate' level donor will receive a Nonesuch flower pin badge, and all ‘1909 Club’ donors will receive a special enamelled Nonesuch MCMIX pin badge.


UBBC and Alumni Remember Sir Eric Thomas

“I’m fiercely proud of all our students. They make the university: they are its beating heart, and their values, talent and ambition are mesmerising” - Sir Eric Thomas

On Tuesday 30th April, UBBC were in attendance at the memorial of Sir Eric Thomas, a great supporter of UBBC over the years,who sadly died in November 2023. He was the former Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bristol from 2001 to 2015. UBBC showed up to show their respects by paying tribute with a guard of honour on the steps of Wills Memorial to greet guests, including Baroness Hale (Former Bristol University Chancellor and the first female President of the UK Supreme Court). Guests remarked that it was “really, really special” and “a memorable display of support” and Vice-Chancellor Evelyn Welch acknowledged UBBC during her speech about Sir Eric, praising the Club for its turnout. 

Sir Eric was extremely passionate about investing in students, to help them achieve their ambitions and pursue their talents. In 2014, UBBC were able to show their appreciation for his support when they named a new catamaran coaching launch after him.  

Sir Eric began his career in teaching as a Lecturer at the University of Sheffield and went on to lecture at the University of Newcastle and later University of Southampton as Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. He later became Dean at Southampton before he made the move to Bristol as Vice-Chancellor in September 2001. 

Sir Eric’s ethos centred around improving the quality of teaching and research at the University of Bristol, as well as enhancing the student experience. In honour of the advancements he made for the higher education, Sir Eric had received a knighthood in the 2013 Queen’s Birthday Honours for his two year tenure as the President of the Universities UK, and as a founder member of the Worldwide Universities Network. 

UBBC Alumni Founding Chair Chris Hartley said:

“This was a touching tribute to a fine man and a great friend of the Boat Club. The University, Club and Alumni brilliantly honoured Sir Eric’s outstanding contribution to Bristol, British Universities and medical science.” 

Nonesuch Boat Club Takes On The Tideway

The students weren't the only ones to take to the Tideway this winter. With post-Henley blues long forgotten, Nonesuch Boat Club awoke from its slumber a little earlier than usual to see what rowing racing may be found in the cold and dreary post-Christmas months. With our preferred racing location of Eton Dorney seemingly also still in hibernation, Nonesuch had no option but to explore the exotic and unknown lands east of Windsor in the pursuit of the famed ‘head race season’. AA Road atlas 2010 edition in hand, Nonesuch BC ventured to the Big Smoke to compete in the prestigious ‘Hammersmith Head’ and the ‘Head of the River Race’ as a means of testing if indeed ‘non-coastal rowing’ does exist beyond the serenity of Saltford. 

 Hammersmith Head
6th in Open Intermediate Eights

Cox: Simran Gill 
Stroke: Adam Rushon
7: Andy Turner
6: Jon Broadhurst
5: Rob Davies
4: Peter Randolph
3: Max Leflaive-Manley
2: John Allden
Bow: Will Stoner

Head Of the River
83rd Overall

Crew: Simran Gill (cox)
Stroke: Adam Rushon
7: Andy Turner
6: John Davies
5: Rob Davies
4: Alex Steventon
3: Peter Randolph
2: John Allden
Bow: Alex Morrison 

A big thank you to Quintin boat club for their excellent hosting and drinks. Congratulations are in order for all UBBC crews and UBBC alumni for their performances at WeHoRR, Head of the River and Vets Head.  Nonesuch BC will return for the commencement of fair-weather rowing season at Wallingford Regatta.

UBBC Alumna Ana Zigic Completes Atlantic Row

Congratulations to Ana Zigic (UBBC 2017-2020) & her team, There She Rows, on successfully rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean in a time of 39 days. The crew of four set out to inspire girls and women to take up sport, and to raise awareness to both the societal and practical barriers that girls face in sport. They competed in the World’s Toughest Row race, rowing a minimum of 12 hours per day (but often more) while they battled 30ft waves. 


Read more about Ana’s experience in Vogue here. 

Photo credit: World's Toughest Row

Nonesuch funds purchase of New Women's Eight for UBBC

We are delighted to share the news that on the 9th October UBBC took delivery of a Hudson Ultimate SHARK Predator (USP) eight for the women’s squad. This is the second Hudson USP eight donated by Nonesuch in the last two years and is the highest value equipment purchase supporters have ever made for UBBC at just shy of £40,000. The boat features carbon fibre wing-riggers and a hull and shoes specifically sized for female rowers. 


The model of boat is identical to the USP eight purchased for UBBC’s men’s squad, meaning UBBC has almost identical models and similar ages of boat for both its senior men's and women's squads in almost every boat class. 


Since the launch of our website and online donation platform, Nonesuch has spent over £122,000 on boats and equipment for UBBC, all raised entirely by your collective donations. These purchases simply wouldn't be possible without our community's collective generosity. Thank you. 


We look forward to the opportunity to thank our community at a boat naming ceremony at an event later in the year. 

One way the UBBC Alumni & Friends supports UBBC is through the Nonesuch Rowing Foundation; an independent charity which supports participation in rowing for students at the University of Bristol through the purchase of boats and equipment, and through individual grants for student rowers from low-income backgrounds. Find out more about the Nonesuch Rowing Foundation here.

How Nonesuch is helping UBBC's student rowers through the cost of living crisis

The cost of living crisis is affecting everyone up and down the country, including the student rowers of UBBC. 

Like many other rowing clubs UBBC is finding the costs of running the club increasing - these include fuel to get to training and races, race fees, spare parts and equipment, boat repairs, vehicle repairs, and kit. Rowing and living in Bristol has never been cheap, but students' budgets are now being squeezed more than ever! 

Thanks to the generous support of 150+ regular donors we've been able to support several students from lower income backgrounds train and race with UBBC this season by providing them with individual grants. These grants have helped them cover the costs of membership, attendance at national rowing events, and kit. In addition to this we've been raising funds destined for the purchase of new boats and equipment for the club to help them keep their membership costs as low as possible. 

This support has been provided through The Nonesuch Rowing Foundation; an independent charity founded by alumni of UBBC. We are currently the only charity in the UK which provides support of this kind to university student rowers. 

If you would like to find out more, or would like to support the work of the Nonesuch Rowing Foundation with a regular donation, please follow this link. Regular donors on a 'Graduate' plan or higher will receive a Nonesuch flower pin badge as a thank you gift. 

Nonesuch 2022 London Dinner

On 21st October we welcomed several generations of UBBC Alumni to a fantastic 2022 Nonesuch London Dinner.


The dinner was held in the Record Room of Caravan Fitzrovia, a space originally used by BBC Radio 1 as a recording studio for the Live Lounge. The room still had a record player which was put to good use later in the evening, with hits ranging from Fleetwood Mac to Nirvana. 


This was our fourth London dinner and we look forward to welcoming more London-based alumni to more dinners in years to come. Thanks to everyone who made it a brilliant evening!

Great Britain Glory for UBBC's Robbie Prosser

UBBC’s Robbie Prosser won gold in the U23 World Rowing Championships in Varese, Italy. Robbie (second from left) and his crew set a record-breaking time of 6.02.90 in the Coxed Four, a shade under the previous record of 6:03.01. 

“For the past four years it’s been a dream of mine to row in the under 23 GB team,” said Robbie, “When I came to Bristol Uni I was asked what I wanted to achieve in the next three years – I said I wanted to row in the top Bristol boat, but I also felt I could represent Great Britain in the World Championships. I never thought it would actually happen. Now it has, it really is like a dream come true.” 

Ed Bloomfield, Head Coach at UBBC, said: “Robbie's professionalism and determination is what sets him apart from other, he is one of the best athletes we’ve worked with and a talent to watch for the future.”  

“Credit must also go to Will Ruscombe-King, Head of strength and conditioning at Bristol, and other staff at Bristol for the amazing support they have given Robbie over the past three years”.