MP Calls on Billionaire to Fund Local Charity
Labour MP Helena Dollimore has written to Lubov Chernukhin, co-director of the company behind the Owens entertainment centre which went bankrupt last year owing over £5 million, urging her to help Mencap Hastings and Rother renovate a building in St Leonards “as a way to make amends to the people of Hastings”.
Mrs Chernukhin, a former investment banker, is married to Vladimir Chernukhin, an oligarch who served as Deputy Finance Minister in President Putin’s administration. The couple share significant wealth and were named in the ‘Pandora Papers’– a leak by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in 2021– linking them to a network of offshore multi-million-pound investments. Mrs Chernukhin also holds the title of largest female political donor in British history, having contributed over £2 million to the Conservative Party.
As a director of C&O Entertainments Ltd, the company that operated Owens before filing for bankruptcy in 2024 with losses exceeding £5 million, Mrs Chernukhin benefited from significant public investment in the failed project. This included £150,000 from the then Conservative Government’s Levelling Up funds meant to improve Hastings town centre.
It is this Levelling Up funding that Ms Dollimore is specifically addressing. In her letter, she states: “I’m sure you understand there has been significant concern among my constituents about how the Owens venture was managed, with contractors left unpaid, staff laid off, and Hastings town centre left with an eyesore.”
She continues: “I understand you may wish to make amends to the people of Hastings after this failed project, and for this reason, I want to highlight a local charity initiative I recently visited. Mencap Hastings and Rother works to improve the lives and opportunities of local people with learning disabilities, their families, and carers. They are renovating their building on London Road, St Leonards which, once completed, will be a fantastic venue, supporting local families for years to come.”
Mencap still faces a £150,000 funding gap needed to complete its project. Ms Dollimore suggests that supporting the charity would be “a great way of making amends to the people of Hastings”. She adds: “If you were willing to consider such a gesture, I would be happy to introduce you to CEO Pauline Fletcher.”
She concludes: “I’m sure that the people of Hastings would be pleased to hear about you making an active effort to make amends.”
Hastings awaits her response.
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