Jeffrey Archer

SANTER’S STAR

Charitable Trust —

One more string in Archer’s Bow

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Best-selling author Lynn Santer interviews another best-selling author, and an old friend, novelist Jeffrey Archer about his charitable activities .

Photo by Paul Stua

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I remember, as though it was yesterday, sitting in the Presidential Suite of the Regent Hotel in Melbourne sharing a private cup of coffee with the man who was a literary legend in my eyes. The year was 1990, a time when I was a fledgling author talking about my dreams and aspirations to one of the most successful authors in the world, Jeffrey Archer. When Jeffrey told me he’d been rejected by 18 publishers his first time out, I was horrified. “But Jeffrey,” I gasped, “I don’t even know 18 publishers!” He looked down his nose at me, over his glasses, and responded with a deep and purposeful voice, “My dear... you will!” How right he was.

A Prisoner of Birth Jeffrey Archer has topped the bestseller lists around the world, with sales of over 130 million copies. Educated at Oxford, he gained an athletics Blue, was President of the University Athletics Club, and went on to run the 100 yards in 9.6 seconds for Great Britain in 1966. He has served five years in the House of Commons, and 16 years in the House of Lords. With 12 novels, five books of short stories, three plays, and three children’s books, he is published in 65 countries and more than 38 languages. He has also written two screenplays, Mallory: Walking off the Map, to be directed by Oscar-winning director, Bruce Beresford, and the screenplay to his novel, False Impression. His latest work, The Gospel According to Judas (one of my particular favourites) was written in collaboration with the eminent Australian theologian, Professor Francis J Moloney, and published in March. His next novel, A Prisoner of Birth, will be published in March 2008.

The Archer Charitable Trust The world was celebrating the birth of a new millennium when this prolific and versatile writer established ‘The Archer Charitable Trust’ to assist a vast range

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• EXTRAORDINARY LIVES

of worthy charities that touched his heart. The rationale behind forming a Trust to facilitate donations sprang from the fact that in the UK, legislation has been passed whereby charities receiving a donation from structures such as this are able to claim gift aid on top of the donation. Jeffrey and his wife Mary receive 50 or more requests a week from many worthwhile charities, organisations and individuals seeking support. They don’t select particular fields to support, as in any given week they might give to WhizzKidz one day and sponsor someone in a charity cycle ride for Cancer Research the next. When I asked Jeffrey if there was any rhyme or reason behind his decisionmaking process, he answered simply that there is no more logic or calculation behind his selections than merely the assessment of the request coming from a good and worthwhile cause.

Million Pound Giveaway Amazingly, Jeffrey told me he doesn’t even seek feedback from the donations he makes, although he is gratified when, occasionally, a charity or an individual writes to tell him how the project turned out.

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 11 2007

While he may not quantify the outcome from his Charitable Trust donations, he certainly can quantify this. Earlier this year, Jeffrey took part in a television programme called Fortune: Million Pound Giveaway where, along with four other panel members, they collectively gave away a million pounds (that’s pounds sterling in English currency, folks) of their own money to worthy causes. Jeffrey described the occasion as “a great experience, because we actually got to meet the individuals concerned and to follow up many of their stories.” He also acts as auctioneer at 30 to 40 charity functions a year. Just last month he conducted two such auctions, one for Dyspraxia Foundation and one for the National Sporting Club. This month he is auctioneering at the Rugby World Cup Captains’ Dinner, for the Royal London Society for the Blind and for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, to name just three.

A Wry Smile Not only do these auctions raise some £2,000,000 a year for charities, but Jeffrey says he enjoys the privilege of spending an evening with interesting people for a meaningful cause. I confess to a wry smile when this remarkable man told me he was no different from anyone else — but when he qualified the statement by saying he finds it very difficult to say no to any children’s charity, although he does aim to cover a wide cross-section of causes, I readily understood… and concurred. In a final word, Jeffrey has this advice for readers: please make a donation to your favourite charity today. How very “XLellent” of him! www.jeffreyarcher.com Best selling author and XL Life Member, Lynn Santer has been an advisor to the British Government, a PADI Scuba diver, a fixed wing light aircraft pilot, a conservationist, “Auntie Lynn” to children around the world benefiting from her “Magical Scarecrows” project, and a friend to the famous and fabulous. www.lynnsanter.com www.themagicalscarecrows.com [email protected]>