The Trustees of the Michael Marks Charitable Trust are committed to supporting the work of charities that preserve and promote various aspects of culture and the natural environment.
The Trustees feel it is their duty to preserve as much of the past as possible so that our own and also future generations will be able to compare current social norms – what we do, how we engage with one another and how we live – with the modus vivendi and operandi of our ancestors at various periods. Ignorance of the past due to neglect or wilful destruction can lead to an impoverishment of our knowledge of the road we have travelled to become who we are.
It is with this in mind that we support various projects, such as museums and art galleries, exhibitions and exhibition catalogues, old churches of the Celtic and Anglo-Saxon periods, restore various historical artefacts, support orchestras which perform classical music and commission new compositions of classical music. We also support various research and conservation projects in universities and libraries. In 2009 we established the Michael Marks Awards for Pamphlet Poetry in the UK in our efforts to preserve and promote the art of poetry both in the English language but also in the Celtic languages that preceded the Anglo-Saxon invasions and are still spoken in parts of the UK. In these awards we also recognise quality and innovative publishing and illustration.
Needless to say, if we are to continue our existence on this earth, we need to survive as a species. That will not be possible if we pursue our reckless abuse of our fellow human beings and other living creatures and of the natural environment that provides the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and the beauty we can all experience. The Trustees regard preserving our natural environment and the various species inhabiting it as a sine-qua-non for our own survival. We support charities that are involved with the preservation and promotion of the environment and all the species living in it with a particular emphasis on forest preservation and tree – planting. We also support traditional crafts such as dry-stone walling.
Thank you for taking the trouble to read about our efforts. We hope to be able to honour our commitments to our civilisation and our environment for a long time to come.
Marina, Lady Marks PhD OMKM
Chairman, The Michael Marks Charitable Trust
Michael Marks Charitable Trust 