What will you leave behind as your legacy?

We’re more aware than ever, that life changing events can happen when you least expect them. Having a Will means you are prepared for the unexpected, removing any uncertainty about what you want in the event of your death, taking the pressure off your family and friends. Also, if you have a cause close to your heart that you regularly support, leaving a gift in your Will extends this support beyond your lifetime, leaving a legacy of care for your chosen cause. “My legacy will be ensuring Farleigh care continues helping future generations.”

Leaving a special gift in your Will makes a huge difference to charities. For Farleigh, legacies provide care for one in five of our patients. As it costs £21,271 a day for us to provide our services, we rely on fundraising and donations to enable us to do what we do, and gifts left in Wills form a large proportion of our donations.

In 2020 Farleigh received 29 gifts in Wills, for which we are incredibly grateful. One of these special gifts came from Helen Giles. Helen left the residue of her estate to Farleigh Hospice. Helen's twin sister, Daphne Savage, tells us about her sister and her legacy:

"Helen and I grew up in Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland. We were the youngest girls in our family of seven children. When we grew up, we went to live in different parts of the world. Helen enjoyed travelling and lived in various places, settling in Chelmsford in the 1970's. She spent several years teaching young children. Her heart was always kind, she was generous and was very community minded. Helen was always a church goer after her Church of Ireland upbringing. Much of her time was spent joining in church activities, as well as befriending and helping neighbours, friends, acquaintances as well as visiting the sick, which included her visits to Farleigh Hospice. She was a keen supporter of the hospice's coffee mornings and fundraising events. So, it was of no great surprise to me, that Helen's estate was to be left to Farleigh Hospice. We were delighted to see her memorial bench in your memory garden recently.

“Helen passed away in February 2018, in a nursing home near our home in West Yorkshire. After her family centred cremation up north, her thanksgiving service took place at her old church at Central Baptist Church, Chelmsford. It is heart-warming to know that my sister has continued to care after her death. Helen always had a good sense of humour, and was often affectionately referred to as 'The Rose of Tralee!”

Helen made this special decision when writing her will in 2013 and her gift is helping others in 2021.

Pauline Harvey-Jones, Commercial Director at Farleigh Hospice explains: “Quite simply, we couldn’t do what we do without legacy donations. These essential gifts enable our care to continue. As we approach our 40th anniversary, remembering the legacy of those who built Farleigh to what it is today, we ask our current supporters to consider supporting Farleigh when they write their own Will to secure care for others in the future.”

How do I leave a legacy gift?

Simply let your solicitor know your intentions. This amazing act of giving is like a delayed donation; the money isn’t donated until the will is executed. If you are considering remembering Farleigh Hospice in your Will please call Allison Jones on 01245 457346, email legacies@farleighhospice.org or visit www.farleighhospice.org/donate/legacies.

Making a Will

Several local solicitors will write your Will for a donation to Farleigh Hospice during September, so if you are taking that step to update or make a Will, please visit www.farleighhospice.org/will.

*According to a report by the Kings Court trust