Julian Lloyd Webber and Rev Richard Coles back bid to save Sir Malcolm Arnold papers

Alarming news that legal papers and letters from a troubled period in the life of the late composer Sir Malcolm Arnold may be lost forever.
The papers relate to a period of seven years in the 1970s and 80s when Sir Malcolm was in Court of Protection care suffering from alcoholism and mental health issues.
However the Ministry of Justice has indicated that it has exhausted all possible options for preserving the archive and it is now feared that the papers may be destroyed, though it has been stressed there are no imminent plans for this at the moment.
Sir Malcolm’s daughter Katherine has mounted a bid to save the documents fearing they could be lost forever to future researchers and biographers.
In addition to being a prodigious classical composer Sir Malcolm is best known for his many film scores including Bridge on the River Kwai for which he won an Oscar. He died in 2006 aged 84.
Among those backing the move to have the collection stored in the National Archive is cellist Julian Lloyd-Webber.
Lloyd Webber, a sometime contributor to Clive Conway Productions, was among those who signed a letter to The Times from the Royal Academy of Music supporting Ms Arnold's campaign.
The move is also being backed by another prominent Clive Conway speaker, the broadcaster, cleric and former pop star Rev Richard Coles, who says that is vital that all details of Sir Malcolm’s life should be preserved as faithfully as possible.