David Gilmour pays tribute to Nordoff and Robbins charity as he accepts O2 Silver Clef Award
David Gilmour, Rick Astley and Sophie Ellis-Bextor were among the winners at the O2 Silver Clef Awards in London on Wednesday night (03.07.25).
Pink Floyd legend David Gilmour received the prestigious O2 Silver Clef Award for his contribution to music in London on Wednesday night (03.07.25).
The 79-year-old rock icon accepted the accolade at the O2 Silver Clef Awards ceremony from Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood and during his speech, Gilmour praised “the wonderful Nordoff and Robbins music therapy charity" that the awards support every year.
He added: "My relationship with them goes back 50 years – thank you to them for this award and for the miraculous work they do, and have done since then.”
The star-studded ceremony, hosted by Edith Bowman and held at JW Marriott Grosvenor House hotel, brought together artists, industry leaders and celebrity supporters for an unforgettable evening of celebration, fundraising and reflection on the transformative power of music.
Other winners on the night included Sophie Ellis-Bextor who was crowned Best Female, receiving her statuette from songwriter Cathy Dennis, Mika, who picked up the Global Impact Award for his multilingual stardom and advocacy and The Last Dinner Party, who won the Best New Music prize.
Rick Astley, The Corrs, IDLES, Soul II Soul, Noah Kahan, AURORA, Tony Christie and Chase and Status also took home top honours.
The 49th annual O2 Silver Clef Awards, raised £715,000 and counting for Nordoff and Robbins, the UK’s largest music therapy charity.
Before the ceremony started, Sandra Schembri, CEO of Nordoff and Robbins, admitted she was looking forward to meeting one of her heroes in Wish You Were Here singer Gilmour.
Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz, Sandra said: "So as a prog rock child, the fact that David Gilmore is in the room, I’m going to try and be very professional, but I doubt I’ll be able to!"
Sandra also teased that there are already big plans happening to mark the event's 50th anniversary in 2026.
She said: "So next year is our 50th, we’ve been planning already. It’s going to be very big, and we are hoping to have all our recipients in the room, so watch the space!"
Emphasising the important work Nordoff and Robbins does with adults and children with various needs, Sandra added: "Music therapy, done by music therapists, it’s music in the hands of an expert, and what it is is when words fail, music speaks.
"Music therapists helps them access that. We work with children, special education needs, we work with people with dementia, we’ve had children speak for the first time in some of our therapy sessions, and we’ve had people with dementia who’ve been closed off for many, many, many years actually find themselves and recognise their family again for the first time in years in a session, so t’s very powerful.
"We find the musicians that connect with us, they see what else music can do. That what they that they feel, and they see their audience, that connection, that really exists. When they see that connection being used in this extra way, it’s an instant connection with the event, so for them, it gets in their hearts."
