Macca fan pays £1600 for his idol’s self portrait in University of Leeds’ charity auction

A postcard drawn by Sir Paul McCartney raised nearly £1600 for music charities Nordoff Robbins and Live Music Now in an auction organised by the University of Leeds. 

The postcard was created to support the University of Leeds’ charity initiative ‘Piano Postcards’ which was launched on the back of the world famous Leeds International Piano Competition, of which the University is a long term supporter. Sir Paul’s postcard was auctioned alongside sketches from a host of other public figures including singer-songwriter Emeli Sandé, acclaimed writer Alan Bennett, Olympic hero Alistair Brownlee, classical musician Katherine Jenkins, percussionist Evelyn Glennie, Grammy award-winning opera singer Sir Thomas Allen and Sunday Times columnist India Knight.

The postcards, which were themed around pianos and music, have recently been on display as part of a unique exhibition hosted at the Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery.

“We’re absolutely delighted to have raised so much money for these worthy charities,” said Isabel Hunt, Communications Director at the University. 

ENDS

For further media information please contact Matthew Balmforth, Jo Taylor, Kate Mathews or Gill Alexander on uofl@lucre.co.uk or telephone 0113 243 1117

Or the University of Leeds press office on pressoffice@leeds.ac.uk or telephone 0113 343 4196

University of Leeds Note to Editors
The 2008 Research Assessment Exercise showed the University of Leeds to be the UK's eighth biggest research powerhouse. The University is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. The University's vision is to secure a place among the world's top 50 by 2015. www.leeds.ac.uk

Note to Editors: Nordoff Robbins

Visit: www.nordoff-robbins.org.uk

Nordoff Robbins is a national specialist music charity, delivering music therapy to a broad range of people in a broad range of places including schools, hospitals, care homes, and prisons across the UK.

Nordoff Robbins has a goal to bring music’s transforming power to as many children and adults as possible through the delivery of three main objectives:

1) Providing music therapy and other relevant music services of the highest quality for people who are the most in need

2) Training the future generations of Nordoff Robbins Music Therapists to master’s degree and PhD level and informing the public about music therapy via short courses and workshops

3) Research which demonstrates the effectiveness of music therapy and enriches the quality of their work together with the monitoring and evaluation of all their services in order to ensure a high standard of delivery

They help people who are limited or isolated by their condition including those suffering from autism, dementia, mental health problems including depression, brain injury including a stroke, learning difficulties and learning disabilities, and in some cases our clients have a life-threatening or terminal illness, such as cancer. All of these people have one uniting factor - music dramatically improves their quality of life.

Live Music Now

Visit: www.livemusicnow.org.uk

LMN is the largest provider of live music to the UK's welfare, educational, justice and health sectors, with a unique resource of specially trained musicians.

For over thirty years, LMN has been putting into practice the visionary ideals of its founders, Yehudi Menuhin and Ian Stoutzker; bringing the joy and inspiration of live music to those who have limited access to conventional music-making, and helping to develop the careers of young talented musicians.

LMN's music programmes (comprising over 3,000 events each year) deliver social, emotional, physical and educational benefits to participants of all ages and abilities through the promotion of:

• Active Engagement - supporting social cohesion, teamwork, participation;
• Life Skills - developing confidence, communication, transferable skills;
• Health and Wellbeing - effecting positive improvements in mental and physical health;

<>·Professional Development - training musicians and staff in the welfare, educational, justice and health sectors in delivery of music outreach.