We did it!

Dear supporter If you live in Bucharest, you are probably aware that last week the Lipatti house hit the news. The story of this petition was picked up by various newspapers and magazines, on radio and online On Thursday I had a personal message from Mr Adrian Buta, the Cabinet Director for Secretary of State Oana Bogdan. ‘We are overwhelmed by the support your petition to save Dinu Lipatti’s house has received,’ it began. In a follow-up message Mr Buta confirmed that Bucharest’s Directorate for Culture, under whose supervision the property falls, has been made fully aware of the situation, and the owners have been summoned to a meeting to ensure they understand their obligations. The house is no longer on the market, or up for auction. It would be naïve to think this is the end of the story, but Mr Buta assures me his administration is doing ‘everything in [its] power’ to protect the house. ‘Since there has been so much attention given to this case, the likelihood of the house being destroyed is very small, and we thank you for that.’ WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? The first and most important thing is for me to thank you for signing the petition. We don’t have a museum yet, but we have bought ourselves valuable time. My next step is to write to the Bucharest City Hall and the City Hall of Sector 1, both of which have pre-emption rights over the property and may be able fund its purchase. I am also setting out on the quest to find individual and corporate sponsors. This is where I would once again appreciate your help and advice. I’ve never done anything like this before (I’m a writer, not a fundraiser) but any suggestions? International banks and insurance companies with ‘cultural sponsorship’ budgets are a possibility, but all ideas are welcome – please email me at orlando.murrin@gmail.com. I promise all suggestions will be followed up.