Becky,  can you share with us what the best part of your role is? 

My favourite part of the role has to be supporting all of the wonderful people that have pledged to leave a gift in their Will and those that have supported the Trust in memory of a loved one. I get to meet some incredible individuals and arrange various events and wildlife experiences to thank them for their kindness.

That sounds so rewarding. We know you speak to so many of our supporters and take the time to get to know them. Lizzy, do you have a favourite story or moment since working in this area? 

I have two: the bonding of our team when we are clearing someone’s house out when acting as executors and ensuring that everything finds a new home and, secondly, seeing the joy on one of our pledgers faces on a recent tour we took him to see the beaver enclosure.

That must be a big job, sorting through all those things. It's great to hear you and the team give someone's items a new life and it all supports wildlife conservation. Do you think there are any misconceptions about Wills, Becky? 

I've heard many people say that writing a Will doesn’t need to be done until you’re much older. Anyone over the age of 18 can make a Will and you can update it as circumstances change throughout your life. It’s probably one of the most important pieces of life admin you can do to look after your loved ones and the causes that mean the most to you. You can write a Will in as little as 15-20 minutes using our free Wills service through Octopus Legacy.

I've heard many people say that writing a Will doesn’t need to be done until you’re much older [...] but it’s probably one of the most important pieces of life admin you can do to look after your loved ones and the causes that mean the most to you.

 

How did it feel to be recently announced as an award-winning Legacy Team, Lizzy?

It really was a surprise given that we were up against some stiff competition amongst fellow shortlisted charities. It feels fantastic to have all our hard work and collaborative efforts recognised. I’m so glad that we were able to use our existing knowledge to help our colleagues out at fellow Wildlife Trusts across the country and at other charities.

We heard you had an event recently at Hanningfield to see the beautiful bluebells, Becky. Can you tell us a bit more about this? 

This was our in memory guided walk to thank those that have donated in memory of a loved one, funded a memorial or plaque on our Tree of Life or are the family of one of our legators. We run our in-memory events twice a year, where we head out on a guided walk of a reserve with one of our brilliant conservation colleagues and then have a cuppa and some biscuits. These special events allow us to say thank you and also offer the opportunity to bring families and friends together to remember their loved one.

How can people get in contact with you if they would like advice or an informal chat on leaving a gift in their Will, setting up a Will or making an in-memory donation? 

For gifts in Wills we can either have a chat over the phone (01621 735233), meet you at your local Nature Discovery Centre or we can pop in to see you at home. With regards to leaving an in-memory donation, you can speak to either Becky or Sharon, who has recently joined the Trust, who can assist you. Find out more about our services on our dedicated webpage. 

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