Over £9 million raised by FJG’s Charitable Will Campaign in 2020

FJG would like to say a massive thank you to all our wonderful clients who participated in our Charitable Will Campaign in 2020.

As a result of the generosity of our clients, a magnificent £9.2 million was pledged either via legacies or a percentage of their residuary estate after the payment of the usual testamentary expenses to charity.

Under the scheme, Wills were prepared for our clients free of charge in return for a donation to charity. The choice of charity and the amount pledged was left entirely at the discretion of our clients.

The Top Ten Local Charities to benefit under the scheme were:

1. St Helena Hospice.
2. Essex & Herts Air Ambulance.
3. East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices.
4. Farleigh Hospice.
5. Havens Hospices.
6. St Luke’s Hospice.
7. RNLI Clacton.
8. Redwings Horse Sanctuary.
9. Suffolk Wildlife Trust.
10. Colchester Night Shelter.

The Top Ten National Charities to benefit under the scheme were:

1. Cancer Research UK.
2. British Heart Foundation.
3. Macmillan Cancer Support.
4. RNLI.
5. Alzheimer’s UK.
6. Great Ormond Street Hospital.
7. Royal Horticultural Society.
8. Dementia UK.
9. The Cinnamon Trust.
10. Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

How can these donations help?

According to Smee & Ford who are the UK’s leading provider of legacy data around one-third of a charity’s voluntary income is made up of gifts in Wills.

A little really can go a long way for example:

1. £50 could provide the care and support a family in crisis needs in the depth of the night with a visit from a clinical nurse specialist in their home from St Helena Hospice.
2. £15 to Cancer Research UK could help tackle early diagnosis and prevention by covering the cost of a visitor seeking health information on one of their mobile awareness units.
3. £1527 will cover the cost to train a lifeboat crew member over the course of a year.
4. A donation of £30 to the National Animal Welfare Trust will feed a homeless animal for a month.
5. A donation of £100 will help contribute towards the £16,500 daily running costs to provide services to Farleigh Hospice.

If making a Will or updating an existing Will is one of your New Year’s Resolutions please contact a member of our Wills, Life Planning, and Probate team – call us on 01206 700113 or email [email protected] for more information.