Peter Murcott remembered for decades of service to Maidenhead charities

Family and friends have paid tributes to valuable member of the Louis Baylis Trust, who has passed away aged 82.

Peter Murcott wore many hats – he was a part of the Maidenhead business scene for decades, a trustee of the Trust since the mid-1990s, a Freemason, a Rotarian, a member of the Chamber of Commerce and more.

His ‘balanced and sensible’ approach to money was much appreciated by the community, as Mr Murcott was generous with his time in helping charitable causes of various kinds.

As a chartered accountant with a sound financial mind, he was well-equipped to advise on the subjects of grants and investments and was ‘the go-to person for tax advice.’

Mr Murcott worked as a senior partner at Craufurd Hale before retiring and carried on as a consultant after this.

Among his work, he assisted Maidenhead Golf Club during the ‘troubled last few years’ transitioning off its course to make way for 1,500 homes.

He also offered his expertise for free as a treasurer or auditor for ‘many grateful organisations’.

He was ‘a doer’ who contributed extensively to whatever he put his mind to.

Mr Murcott’s wife, Irmgard, described him as ‘a very kind man, friendly to everybody.’

“He was quite sincere at times, always [caring about] what’s right and wrong, how to behave towards people and never to take the mickey out of them.

“He was always keen to make contact with people, especially when they had a financial problem.

“A lot of the letters I’ve received have praised his helpfulness in whatever he did, and his good advice.”

Friend and fellow trustee, Peter Sands, noted how involved he was in the community.

“I used to see his name pop up all over the place,” he said. “His knowledge and contribution to the charity community locally was immense.

“When asked [for help], if he had the time, he’d do it. We’ll miss that because there [aren’t many] people like that – or at least, not of the Peter Murcott ilk.”

Mr Murcott joined the trust to give back to the community and became passionate about its work.

He was with the trust through some of its most challenging eras and oversaw or contributed to some of its major changes, such as helping with Baylis Media’s acquisition of the Henley Standard.

Even though he was Henley born, he didn’t jump in with both feet, noted Mr Sands – but remained, true to his character, a questioning voice.

“He was very probing in a lot of the conversations we had in the early stages, which was very valuable because it was a big decision,” said Mr Sands.

The trust must make decisions about where to invest money in order to thrive, and Mr Murcott’s guidance helped greatly with that.

“We’ve earned enough money to distribute millions to the local community over the years,” said Mr Sands.

“It’s set us in great stead for the following decades, allowing us to continue the good work. On behalf of the trust, we’ll be forever grateful to him for his wise counsel.”

Having come to Maidenhead when he got married in 1970, Mr Murcott liked to reminisce about ‘the old Maidenhead’ and the characters from those days – he was well-connected and had ‘extensive’ knowledge of its goings-on.

“There was always something to discuss,” said Mr Sands. “He was very good company and had a very good sense of humour, a dry wit,” said Mr Sands. “[His death] is very sad.”