Prestigious Award for Lyric Donors
Dr Martin and Carmel Naughton have been awarded a prestigious Prince of Wales Medal for Arts Philanthropy in recognition of their substantial support for the Lyric Theatre’s redevelopment campaign. Representatives of the Lyric joined the Naughton family for the presentation ceremony at Clarence House in London, which was hosted by HRH The Prince of Wales. The other honourees included Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover KG and his wife Anya, Lady Sainsbury, CBE, who have also supported the Lyric’s capital project with an extremely generous grant through their Linbury Trust.
Speaking after the ceremony at Clarence House, Dr Naughton said:
“Carmel and I are deeply honoured to receive this Award from HRH the Prince of Wales. Cultural organisations like the Lyric Theatre have a vital role to play in building a vibrant and healthy economy, and we would like to take this opportunity to encourage others, who are in a position to do so, to follow our example and invest in the arts. For those of us who have been successful in life, rather than sitting back criticising others about what is not being done, we should be prepared to put our money where our mouth is and support visionary projects that will prepare our country for the challenges that lie ahead.”
In June 2007, the Naughtons made an outstanding leadership gift of £1 million pounds to Belfast’s Lyric Theatre, the largest personal donation ever made to an arts organisation in Northern Ireland. Their gift will fund a new studio theatre dedicated to nurturing and celebrating the creative talents of children and young people of all abilities and backgrounds. Their donation came at a critical time in the fundraising campaign and influenced others from the business community to also make substantial gifts to the project. To date the Lyric has raised 95% of the funding required to build its landmark new producing theatre. A further £1 million has to be raised to complete the target.
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