Will power in Oxfordshire 

Round & About

Three Oxfordshire hospices have joined forces to increase vital Gifts in Wills donations 

Sobell House, Helen & Douglas House, and Katharine House say that legacy fundraising – when a person leaves money to a charity in their Will – is an increasingly vital source of revenue and they are now reliant on it to form a significant portion of their overall fundraising income. 

The nature of giving to charity via your Will means people can make a crucial difference to hospice care in Oxfordshire without it impacting finances now, when many households and families are financially stretched and making charitable contributions can be difficult. 

Beth Marsh, Sobell House Hospice Charity’s Director of Fundraising said: “Income from regular donations is increasingly unpredictable. Legacy gifts are an alternative way to give and are vital as demand for hospice services continues to grow. Even the most modest of gifts makes a significant impact. It’s not only financial donations – physical items, land, shares and many other assets can be left to a charity in a Will” 

About 25% of Sobell House’s fundraised income, currently comes from gifts in Wills. Trustee, Greg Birdseye, made the decision to update his will to include the charity after his wife passed away at the hospice. Greg said: 

“My wife Penny was referred to Sobell House after a number of treatments in hospital for lung cancer. After Penny died, I was more than happy to update my Will to include a legacy to the charity. I would encourage anyone to consider doing the same. I’ve seen first-hand the difference it makes.” 

At Katharine House Hospice, legacy gifts currently support 1 in 10 of the patients they care for but they’re urging people to help them increase this number. 

Stephanie Lawless, Director of Fundraising & Marketing at Katharine House said: “A growing demand for our specialist services, combined with rising costs, means Katharine House is spending more than it can raise. Gifts in Wills are a vital part of the solution and will make a real impact across Oxfordshire. 

“The compassionate care provided at Katharine House Hospice, like other hospices, is not just for the patients but also for their family members too. One of our patients, Cat, was able to use our cuddle bed (funded by donors) so she could spend precious time with her son Archie. Hospice care isn’t just about specialist clinical support, but also about making every moment matter for the whole family.” 

At Helen & Douglas House Children’s Hospice, legacy gifts fund vital services such as bereavement counselling and specialist paediatric palliative care for children. 

Joanna Swindells Carr has chosen to leave a Gift in her Will to Helen & Douglas House after the hospice supported their family with respite and expert medical care for daughter Beatrice for six years, before she passed away in the hospice. 

Joanna said: “‘I have chosen to leave a gift in my Will as a thank you for the superlative care, physical, emotional and respite, that Helen & Douglas House gave to our daughter, Beatrice, and our family for six years. I hope that a gift to Helen & Douglas House will help them to continue giving their incomparable and compassionate care to other life-limited children and their families.” 

Alex Hegenbarth at Helen & Douglas House said: Helen & Douglas House cares for 580 children, parents and siblings a year and the gifts received from Wills go a long way to helping us provide the care and support these local families need.” 

The three Oxfordshire hospices will all be part of Hospice UK’s National TV campaign in September which encourages people to leave a gift in their Will to their local hospice.