Jim was a consistent supporter of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore, where he had been treated for tuberculosis as a child. Marshall Amplification, meanwhile, was one of the first shirt sponsors of Milton Keynes Dons football team – and you can still find our logo on the MK Dons Women’s team shirts today. Endeavours like the latter, local to the Marshall Factory in Bletchley, would eventually lead to Jim being awarded the Freedom of the Borough of Milton Keynes in 2009, which commemorated his impressive work in the community.

While his wider contributions and support of musical institutions were well-regarded throughout his life, it was a substantial donation to Macmillan Cancer Care and Willen Hospice that saw Jim Marshall recognised by the Queen as an individual in 2003. He was summoned to Buckingham Palace that year, where he received an OBE for “services to the music industry and to charity”.

Marshall remains committed to making a difference and ensuring that those less fortunate continue to have access to the opportunities that music can provide – just as Jim did in his youth. Alongside organisations like our own Jim Marshall Charitable Trust (active since 1989), we work with a range of music charities and non-profit organisations. These include great causes like Nordoff Robbins – the UK’s largest independent music therapy charity, Women In Music – a non-profit organisation advancing opportunities for women in the musical arts, and Youth Music – which invests in projects to help young people develop socially and musically.