Press Release 6^thOctober 2016

Laurie Marsh Reveals Plan To Save The Cinema Museum At The Philanthropist's Tale Book Launch

86-year-old Laurie Marsh, one of the UK's most active philanthropists, last night announced plans to save London's Cinema Museum - a vital treasure trove of British cinematic history - from imminent closure

London, United Kingdom, 6^thOctober 2016: On Tuesday 4^thOctober 2016, Laurie Marsh entertained 100 guests at London's Cinema Museum and made an important, exclusive announcement about his plans to make a formal offer to save the Museum.

Laurie regaled the audience with stories of helping Roman Polanski to get his first English language film (Repulsion) recognised by the cinema world, to entertaining Roger Moore on a yacht to "escape the noise of the Cannes Film Festival". Yet the most astonishing part of the evening was the official statement by Laurie regarding his plan to save the Museum from closure. Laurie has devised a strategy (based on tried and tested methods he has employed time and time again over the past decade) to not only save the Museum from closure/relocation, but also inject millions of pounds into the NHS.

Londoner Laurie Marsh, who was born in Lambeth within walking distance from the Cinema Museum, left his hugely successful corporate career in 1979, aged 49. He has dedicated the decades ever since to philanthropy: from saving theatres from bankruptcy to fundraising for local communities including the Cinema Museum.

The book launch for Laurie's life story - The Philanthropist's Tale (£16.99, Urbane Publications) - doubled up as a fundraiser for London's Cinema Museum and raised hundreds of pounds for the charity. But the charity needs much more long-term support to save it from closure when the lease on the building expires in March 2017. Standing on the site of the workhouse in which Charlie Chaplin spent some of his childhood years, it is clear that the property need a lot of attention to restore it to its former glory, and after years of waiting for the NHS trust responsible for the buildings to provide a Red Book Valuation, Laurie decided to get the place valued independently. Laurie will prepare a viability and make a formal proposal via his solicitor to the NHS Foundation (South London and Maudsley) in the next 14 days. The proposal will outline how he will offer to secure the freehold of the Cinema Museum, providing a permanent home for the incredibly important work that the Museum does for the local community and the wider British cinematic industry. Laurie also plans to build affordable and private housing on the site, restore the Cinema Museum to their former glory, and pay 100% of the balance of profits arising from the residential sales to the NHS. He said that no private developer could match his offer.

Martin Humphries, co-founder and manager of the Cinema Museum, said: "Laurie has been a long term supporter of the Cinema Museum and this is an amazing and wonderful solution to ensuring the long term survival of the museum. I wish to express my appreciation to Laurie for proposing this excellent scheme which will result in a win-win solution for South London and Maudsley, The Cinema Museum and the Boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark."

Laurie Marsh made the totally unexpected, surprise public announcement in front of the room full of guests to demonstrate his commitment to the Museum: "The Cinema Museum's future is in serious doubt. The building needs a lot of money spent on it. It presently provides facilities for children and the local community. The Museum has become an extremely important part of the community. I shall be making a public offer through my lawyers to acquire the whole site, to develop the area behind the Museum into residential property with a high proportion of affordable housing, donate 100% of the profits to the NHS, while the Cinema Museum gets its much-needed freehold status, essential for the long-term good of the Museum and the community. There is a need within the NHS for more money and more efficiency, and there is a need for the Cinema Museum."

Laurie works seven days a week, typically on at least 10 different projects, using his experience and influence to help as many good causes and charitable organisations as he can, from building community centres to advising the government on how to make the NHS self-sufficient. Laurie has ‘saved' more theatres than anyone is aware of (seven in London, one in Bath - Theatre Royal - and one in New York!) and is currently working on another project close to his heart, helping to save the ‘Mill at Sonning' theatre in Oxfordshire.

About the author

Laurie Marsh has almost 50 years of experience working with charities and in the private and public sectors. He was born in 1930 in London and spent the early years of his life living in a couple of rooms above the family haberdashers in Lambeth Walk. He now lives with his wife in St John's Wood, London. After the Second World War he began a plastics manufacturing business and secured a license to use the likeness of Disney characters. In the same period Laurie became a director of a family property company, which was set up in partnership with West End Travel Group, Wakefield Fortune. In 1961 Laurie oversaw his first £1 million project in central Derby (eventually creating the third largest public property company in the UK). By 1970, he quit the company and by 1979 he sold his conglomerate of 10 businesses to Lew Grade, so his philanthropy could begin apace!

Notes to editors

Images and video clips from the launch event can be accessed within the press folder alongside a PDF of the book, press releases, photos from Laurie's life story etc:http://bit.ly/2dei1pO.

Laurie Marsh and Martin Humphries (Manager of The Cinema Museum) are available for telephone and face-to-face (at the Museum) interviews to discuss this news story.

Copies of The Philanthropist's Tale are available for competition prizes and review consideration upon request.

Media contact: Helen Lewis or Diana Ashlee:helenlewis@literallypr.com/dianaashlee@literallypr.com/ +44 (0) 8709619069

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