Financial Times - 31 January 2009
By Agnus Watson
Anna Hunter, 50, is founder and owner of Belgravia Gallery (www.belgraviagallery. com). The gallery's exhibitions frequently raise funds for charities. She is involved with many charities, most notably the Sebastian Hunter Memorial Trust, which builds and supplies schools in south India (www.sebsschool.org).
What is the first charity you can remember supporting?
The first one was the Prince's Charities Foundation. I suggested in about 1990 that his lovely watercolours, turned into lithographs, could raise money for his charities. He agreed, and their sale has since raised £4m for a variety of charities that reflect the Prince's interests, including architecture and international disaster appeals.
Which cause do you feel most passionately about?
I lost my son, Sebastian, aged 18 in 2002. In his memory we build schools in India. Shortly after Seb died, a friend was approached by an Indian villager who said that their 100-year-old school was falling down and the government wouldn't rebuild it. So we built them a lovely school, have gone on to build more, and we help other schools with facilities like science and IT labs. 5,500 children now go through Seb Hunter school facilities every year. Best of all is the Sebastian Hunter High School, in a poor area of Tamil Nadu.
Do you ensure that donations are used effectively?
We have friends who ensure that every penny goes to the right people; we don't go through any intermediaries, and I will often pay the builders directly. I go at least once a year to meet people and see where the money has gone. We also always try to see that the people who do the building work are looked after properly, particularly the female manual labourers.
What percentage of our income should we give to charity?
Ten per cent. This may not be possible for all, but even the smallest amount, if it's well directed, can make the most phenomenal difference.
What do you get out of your giving?
I love the area where we build schools in India, and I get to meet people I would never otherwise have met. I see people overcoming enormous adversity, and others who simply haven't got anything like the life choices that I've had. It helps me to reflect on my own life.
Why should the art world donate to charity?
I've always thought it was the right thing to do. The artists, we find, are all really generous. Perhaps there's a tender-heartedness about giving by artistic people.
Do people in the public eye have a duty to charity?
Generally, giving is best done without too much exhibition. However, maybe people in the public eye can show by example that there are opportunities to give.
Interview by Agnus Watson
howtogiveit@ft.com
