Gorbachev to Honour 'People Who Have Changed the World' With a Unique Award

LONDON, February 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Mikhail Gorbachev, the man who ended the Cold War and united East and West, the former President of the USSR and Nobel Peace Prize winner, will mark his 80th birthday by honouring people who have 'changed the world', his family announced today.

The first recipients of the Gorbachev Award will be outstanding people of today, whose contribution to the development of the world community should be valued on its merits. Their achievements in creating new technologies, revolutionary ideas in science and culture and their contribution to social endeavours have already changed and keep changing the world for the better.

The Members Committee for the "Mikhail Gorbachev - the Man Who Changed The World" charitable ceremony have shown their support and have proposed that Mr Gorbachev participates in the presentation of such an award, one that is more modern and open to all than existing awards. Members of the committee include Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jose Carreras, Hugh Grant, Elizabeth Hurley, Bianca Jagger and Sir David Tang.

"Our aim is to honour the outstanding people of today, each of whom has changed the world for the better through their achievements in life," Mr Gorbachev said.

"Each and every one of us is capable of changing this world to better and the winners of the award, I am sure, will be an example for all of us."

The exclusive awards will be presented on March 30 2011 on stage of the Royal Albert Hall in London, as the climax of a charitable ceremony and gala concert "Mikhail Gorbachev - The Man Who Changed The World," that will mark his 80th birthday.

Among the stars who will perform at this gala are Bryan Ferry, Paul Anka, Katherine Jenkins, Shirley Bassey, Lara Fabian, Melanie C, the Scorpions, London Symphony Orchestra and Valery Gergiev, leading dancers from Bolshoi Ballet and Mariinsky Opera and Ballet,Igor Krutoi,Andrey Makarevich and "Mashina Vremeni," Dmitri Hvorostovsky-and this are only some of the names.

The gala will be hosted by Sharon Stone and Kevin Spacey.

Special guests of the ceremony include German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the President of State of Israel Shimon Peres, Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, former British Prime Minister John Major, former Secretary of State of the United States George Shultz and former governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nobel Prize winners (from different years)and many others.

Proceeds from the gala event will go to Raisa Gorbachev Children's Institute for Transplantology and Haematology in Saint-Petersburg, Russia as well as the UK's leading cancer care charity Macmillan Cancer Support, who provide vital cancer support and campaign for improved cancer services in the UK.

Names of the nominees for this unique award will be announced shortly.

For more information about the Gorby 80 event and fundraising campaign please visit http://www.gorby80.com

    Notes to Editors
    About the Gala Concert

    - The event will take place on the 30th March 2011 at The
      Royal Albert Hall

    - Stars from East and West will unite to perform duets, both
      classical and pop

    - The event will be attended by VIP guests, heads of state and
      celebrities. There are also tickets available for the public

    - Tickets are on sale from the Royal Albert Hall Box Office
      and online at http://www.royalalberthall.com and
      http://www.gorby80.com

    - Tickets are priced between GBP35 and GBP100,000 for one of
      the 33 exclusive boxes

About The Gorbachev Foundation

The International Foundation for Socio-Economic and Political Studies (The Gorbachev Foundation) was established by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1992 to promote democratic values around the world and to raise money for humanitarian causes. It has raised more than US $10 million for good causes. Since 1999 the main beneficiary of its fund-raising efforts has been two centres dedicated to fighting cancer in Russia. For more information visit http://www.gorby.ru/en/.

About Macmillan Cancer Support

Macmillan Cancer Support improves the lives of people affected by cancer, providing practical, medical, emotional and financial support. Working alongside people affected by cancer, Macmillan works to improve cancer care. One in three of us will get cancer. Two million of us are living with it. If you are affected by cancer Macmillan can help.

For more information, visit http://www.macmillan.org.uk or freephone +44(0)808-808-0000 for an information pack.

SOURCE www.gorby80.com