Dutch courage

Businessman and benefactor Mike Holland talks to Latest Homes about his charitable work and the reopening of The Engineerium

Mike Holland is a businessman, landlord and property developer with a huge presence here in Brighton and Hove. But beyond his empire he is also a force to be reckoned with in the field of charity fundraising. In recent years he has bought and sold Newlands School in Seaford, rescued The Engineerium in Hove, and raised Stanmer House from near dereliction to new glories. Now, Mike is once again moving on: Stanmer House is on the market, he is rationalising his property investments across the board, and sinking all his efforts into the Engineerium project and his charitable work.

What drives you to get involved in charitable work?
The measure of a man’s success is, at the end of the day, how many people will miss you when are no longer there. How many people knew that you were there and that you were of any use? You have to ask these questions early in life, and not when you are on your last knockings.

How old were you?
I was in my 40s, I had lost my son Brian in 1979 when I was 32. He had cancer at the age of 13. I drifted emotionally for a number of years, trying to block out the pain. Then I realised I had to come to terms with it, my way was to get involved in charitable entities – in my view, in the name of my son, to feel that something good had come out of his life.

What was the first charity you became involved in?
Brian had saved some money over the years and I got involved with giving money to the Malcolm Sargent Cancer Fund for Children. Since then I have been involved with a lot of drug rehabilitation work and children’s charities.

What percentage of your time do you dedicate to your charitable interests?
An awful lot, I have done a lot over the years with drug rehab. If you get involved with one addict, it can take up a lot of your time. My biggest success has been to see a 14 year heroin addict turn around to become an admissions officer in a drug rehab centre in Hertfordshire.

Is it difficult not to get personally involved?
No, it’s absolutely impossible to not get personally involved. It can also be terribly draining and demoralising when you see people return to their habit.

When did you get involved with Chestnut Tree House Children’s Hospice?
Ambrose Harcourt introduced me to it and I thought what a worthwhile organisation it was. It reminded me of the traumatic time my family had had in 1979. How much easier it would have been to have respite care, counselling and palliative care. With counselling it might not have taken me 13 years to come to terms with my loss.

What will your involvement be with Chestnut Tree House?
Through The Engineerium we are aiming for a five million pound turnover, and we will allocate funding for the hospice from that. The Engineerium is going to be an interactive museum and a legacy for the city and for the Chestnut Tree House.

Is money important to you?
Yes, but I plan to leave the majority of it to charity. I’m not interested in boats or golf or properties abroad. I’m not leaving my money to the kids and they know that.

How advanced is the Engineerium project now?
The Engineerium was due to open soon, but we have now decided to open it in phases. The Engineerium, as we know it, will open towards the end of 2010. I am happy to wait to get the rest of the project done and done properly. It’s a massive scheme involving constantly changing exhibits, film experiences and the history of film here in Hove. We plan to have re-enactment weekends, staff in period costumes, a kids’ think tank, an interactive centre, workshops, an exhibition area, excellent catering, facilities for events, banquets, balls – anything that we do that doesn’t work will go, but out plans are very exciting. It’s a 3.5 acre site, and we plan to get the very best out of it. This will be a family attraction to challenge the likes of Legoland, and we will be creating jobs too. I want to make this the funnest place to be and to visit again and again. And I want it to be a one price ticket so that once you are in you are not being mugged over and over for extra money. Great value, great education and great entertainment. I’ve done the sums; I know that what I want to be able to give Chestnut Tree House will be a valuable and ongoing legacy.