Andrew Lloyd Webber - Lloyd Webber Donates Thousands To U.k. Theatres

The generous donation will help launch the Theatres Protection Fund to improve the "physical condition, accessibility and operational viability" of local venues run by charities and non-profit organisations.

Owners can apply for $8,000 (£5,000) grants from the trust to help fix "urgent and longer term capital needs".

The theatre impresario's wife Madeleine Lloyd Webber says, "Our theatres and their heritage must be cherished. I sincerely hope that others, especially those who have been lucky and successful in the theatre, will be encouraged to match the Foundation's funding and allow the Theatres Protection Fund to widen its support in the future."

Lloyd Webber recently urged successful theatre producers and writers to give financial support to small theatres, telling Britain's The Guardian, "I'm thinking of people who have made a decent living that can actually give something back. These buildings are crumbling. We don't want them ending up as lapdancing clubs or being pulled down."