Use your will power

An initiative to highlight how vital legacies are for many charities is taking place this month
Nobody likes thinking about death, particularly their own. But there's a more inspiring way to approach this taboo subject: how people will remember us and the legacy we can leave behind. This year's Remember a Charity Week, from 9-15 September, is themed on the funny moments, interesting hobbies and quirks for which each of us will be remembered by our loved ones.
But Remember a Charity - a consortium of more than 200 organisations that rely on donations in wills to continue their work - also wants to highlight how you can deepen those memories with a legacy.

It has teamed up with Countdown star Susie Dent to explore the power of language, and has come up with the word 'willanthropy' to inspire us to leave a gift to charity, after we have first looked after our family and friends. Research commissioned by the charity found that almost 35% of people associate wills with money.
It also revealed that more than a third of us avoid conversations about them because we don't like to think about death. Yet nearly two-thirds agreed it is important to have these conversations with loved ones.
The survey also confirmed that most people believe words can transform hearts and minds. By adopting the term willanthropy, Remember a Charity hopes to reduce the stigma around wills and to help us see them as hopeful and inspirational.
UK charities have become increasingly reliant on gifts in wills, which generate about £4 billion a year in vital funding. Remember a Charity's partnering charities, such as the British Heart Foundation and Dogs Trust, say that at least 50% of their funding comes from legacies. The NSPCC receives an average of £20 million a year from wills.
'Willanthropy aims to bring positivity into an area that can be a source of anxiety for many,' says Dent. 'We want to move the conversation instead towards one of inspiration and hope.'
Lucinda Frostick, director of Remember a Charity, confirms this is working. 'The willanthropy movement is growing, with around 100 people a day across the UK now choosing to leave a gift to charity in their will. It's wonderful to see how many people want to leave the world a better place. We all have different touchpoints with charities throughout our lives, and a gift in your will - no matter how small - can make a vital difference.'
Many people will choose a charity with which they have a particular connection. Sisters Nicola and Karen decided to leave gifts in their wills to Dementia UK to thank the charity for helping them to care for their father. 'Mum and Dad were married for 60 years, and my sister and I always lived at home - we were unusually close and thought of ourselves as the Four Musketeers,' says Karen
'Dad had vascular dementia, and was doing quite well until about ten months before he passed away. He had a number of falls and was in hospital, so we were advised to contact Sue, a local Admiral specialist nurse, through Dementia UK. She was calming and able to put us at ease. 'After Dad passed away she was a tremendous support, and even came to his funeral. After his death we took part in a Time for a Cuppa event for Dementia UK, which raised over £1,000. Through my work as a dance teacher I also organised a show to raise money for the charity.
'My sister, my mum and I have all decided to leave gifts in our wills to Dementia UK. We have so many wonderful memories to look back on. Leaving gifts in our wills is just one way in which Dad's memory will live on.'

◆ rememberacharity.org.uk Picture: Adobe Stock