Sir David Roderick Kirch, KBE (born 1936) is a British businessman, collector, and philanthropist. [1]
Sir David Roderick Kirch, KBE (born 1936) is a British businessman, collector, and philanthropist. [1]
Kirch has lived in Jersey since 1973. [2]
Over his lifetime Kirch built up and subsequently sold what was probably the world's largest collection of Zeppelin memorabilia, [3] and a collection of provincial bank notes said to be "the most extensive selection of iconic and historical notes of this series ever assembled" by Barnaby Faull, Head of Spink's Banknotes department. [4]
In recent years, he has been selling off items from his various collections and donating the funds to his charitable trust. [5]
In 2006, Kirch celebrated his 70th birthday by announcing his plans to give everyone in Jersey, aged 70 or over, £100 in vouchers to spend in the island's Co-op supermarkets. [6] He has continued to give away around £1m, along the same lines, each year since 2006.
In 2012, Kirch announced his plans to leave his fortune, of approximately £100m, to the David Kirch Charitable Trust. [7]
In 2013, he appeared at the top of The Sunday Times Giving List, [7] and was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the 2013 Birthday Honours for "services as a philanthropist to senior citizens of Jersey". [8] [9]
