The Charity Pages Issue 16

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Charitable thoughts...

The first issue of the year of any publication is always a prime opportunity to reflect on the past year and look ahead to the one just started, and this publication is no different.

These Charity Pages began life as a series of articles on the burgeoning issue of charitable gifts in wills – legacies. We have returned to that theme for a large part of this issue, beginning with just such a look ahead to the coming year. A number of luminaries share their thoughts.

• The coming year will inevitably see some changes, together with some things staying the same. The muchheralded hike in probate fees has finally arrived, albeit not as drastic as the MoJ originally proposed. That partial climbdown can in some measure be attributed to a combination of indignation on the part of the mainstream press and steady campaigning by lawyers.

• Actually getting probate granted has been a major exercise of late; and again sterling work by lawyers and other campaigners has resulted in the delays being addressed and progress made – alongside, it has to be said, a genuine desire on the part of the government department involved to solve the problems. Rob Cope of Remember A Charity gives an update from the charity viewpoint.

• A feature of will writing that will remain the same is the electronic witnessing scheme for people who are selfisolating for whatever reason. The scheme will stay in place until 2024 and may be incorporated into law. The Law Society’s idea for judges to be able to interpret what people want to happen after their deaths instead of having a will witnessed in person is unlikely to figure.

• Away from the subject of legacies, the role of charities post-pandemic has been under discussion, together with an assessment of what the past year brought. The position is surprisingly optimistic, with most charities either maintaining or increasing income during this most uncertain of periods.

COVID is still with us, however; a fact recognised by the Charity Commission, which has updated its guidance regarding governance.

• The other BIG THING for charities – and one that predates, will post-date and is independent of pandemics and political crises – is the increasing digitisation of charities’ activities, particular fundraising. With Generation Z now becoming the dominant force in charity fundraising, the virtual world is coming more and more to the fore. With it comes threats, and they HAVE been exacerbated by the pandemic.

In this issue...

CONTENTS 9

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Experts reveal their aspirations for the future of legacies

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Law Society accepts single probate fee principle, but decries increase

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Video will witnessing provision to be extended

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National Will Register rebrands with new state-of-the-art website

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Probate delays’ impact on legacies explained

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Entries open for Legacy Futures Awards

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Interacting with lay executors is subject of research

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Custom products help promote in-memory giving

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New research takes the Pulse of UK charities

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Commission updates COVID guidance

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NCVO’s report sets out the road ahead

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Digital transformation is the theme of the week

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Cyber expert outlines threats for 2022

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Charities look to broaden diversity of boards, research finds

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In-person events resume with impact measurement seminar

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Every day we make good things happen, but we can only do it with your help The photograph on the right of border collie Nipper was taken on the same day that he’d been taken to a vet’s to be put to sleep.

Purchased as a ‘surprise’ gift, he was unwanted. The beautiful puppy was just eight weeks old and is just one of over 9,500 animals rescued

by Friends of the Animals.

There was a happy ending as – now renamed Stanley – he was rehomed with one of the charity’s voluntary drivers, who adores him.

Friends of the Animals began in March 1990 and had very humble beginnings. Veterinary treatment is invariably the charity’s biggest outgoing and to date they have spayed or neutered 42,200 animals.

Thousands more have been wormed and inoculated – often for the first time in their lives!

Founder Helen Sinclair MBE, who was honoured for Services to Animal Welfare in 2014, takes up the story: “There have been many memorable cases, where we’ve saved animals’ lives against all the odds. Animals such as the puppy who slipped under the railings of a balcony – luckily bouncing off the conservatory roof which broke her fall. Then there was the dog who fell down a manhole in the road after someone had removed the cover, and poor Marshall, who had three broken legs and a severed ear.

“Susie, a Labrador/Staffy cross (pictured above), was badly burnt in a house fire, but made a good recovery; and the dear little cat on the right had everything wrong with him, but survived and thrived.”

Pictured below is the hook that 11-month-old Spaniel/Dachshund cross Darcy swallowed

while walking on the beach.

The fisherman who carelessly discarded it could have had absolutely no idea of the immense suffering – or money – his actions that day cost. An X-ray revealed the hook was dangerously lodged in her oesophagus and the first vet she went to couldn’t remove it, so Darcy was referred to a specialist vet. Their first attempt – at a cost of £4,000 – failed to reach it, but the second attempt was successful and happily she made a complete recovery.

Gifts in wills fund more than one in three veterinary treatments and so legacies are an absolute lifeline to the rescue and spaying/neutering work carried out

by Friends of the Animals.

Helen continued: “Friends of the Animals has a policy of non-destruction, unless an animal is sick or injured with no hope of recovery, and we keep admin costs to a minimum.

Very importantly, around 98% of our staff are volunteers, which ensures as much of your gift as possible is spent on saving animals.”

Pitted against that constant battle to save animals was the action of the person who set fire to the front of the charity’s building on the Isle of Wight.

“But, happily,” said Helen, “we're a resilient team and together with the help of supporters, we barely skipped a beat and just kept on going.

“We truly appreciate that people have many choices regarding charities to support, but no one appreciates it more, or tries harder than we do, to get the very best possible use from every penny donated. Thank you for your consideration.”

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Experts reveal their aspirations for the future of legacies

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IN JANUARY this year Legacy Futures – the leading legacy consultancy – published its predictions for the legacy market for 2022.

This year of all years is likely to be a significant one for legacies and the Legacy Futures’ 2022 Vision: What can we expect from legacies this year? is more relevant than ever.

The document carries the views of four leading figures in the organisation on what charities need to do to maximise legacy income in a growing market, and what are seen as major stand-outs for the year ahead.

Its CEO Ashley Rowthorn cited investment in people as being the biggest issue for the coming year. Charities have to ensure they have the human resources to deal with what could be a major ‘surge in generosity’.

“We know from research, including our legacy marketing benchmarks project, that charities that invest more in stewardship convert more supporters into legacy donors, and at a higher value,” he wrote. “But while there is undoubtedly more investment going into acquisition marketing campaigns, there is little evidence that charities are investing the necessary time and resource to steward all these new prospects over time.”

He referenced the challenges facing probate, among others, as areas where stewardship is crucial. “Do this badly,” he said, “and we can cause significant reputational and financial risk to our charities. But do this wonderfully and we can create life-long relationships that may even turn into more legacy giving in the future.”

The continued uncertainty surrounding probate is the key issue picked out by Jon Franklin, an economist at Legacy Foresight – one of the constituent parts of Legacy Futures.

He referred to a complicated ‘ecosystem’ surrounding estate administration, adding that “the need for many different organisations and systems to work together has become more prominent as we’ve waited for the much-anticipated legacy surge.”

He pointed to the fact that, just as one part of the system seems to be recovering, another part sprouts problems. The devolved legal systems of the UK nations add to the headache for charities, he observed.

“Whilst we hope that the system continues to recover as we move into 2022 and that bequests continue to flow to charities,” he wrote, “it seems inevitable that the sector will need to be prepared for uncertainty – uncertainty over when donations will arrive, the volume of work from one month to the next, and what pressure this will put on legacy administration teams.”

A rise in the importance of universities as players in the legacy

market is the key theme for 2022, according to Caroline Waters, programme and client services manager at Legacy Foresight. She pointed out that, in a market that has seen specialist causes gain ground in the past year, universities are among the fastest growers of all, with an average bequest of £76,500 compared to £29,000 in the broader sector. That rising importance will be mirrored in increases in investment in legacy marketing and, crucially, specialist staff.

“Universities shape lives and people are deeply connected to them and subsequently they will already be receiving significant inmemory gifts, even if those gifts are unrecognised,” she stated. “The future potential is huge.”

She also pointed to the importance of good stewardship to avoid alienation. “With the in-memory market potentially being worth as much as £2.2bn, universities could be missing out if they don’t have the right skills, training and experience.”

Lucy Lowthian, a consultant at Legacy Voice – another part of Legacy Futures – tapped into a trend seen by a number of sources in the sector: the weakening of the taboo surrounding talking about death. The pandemic and its pervasiveness have led to a greater openness in tackling the issue, accompanied by a further increase in people making wills.

Prompted by having had the conversation herself with her family, she wrote: “Now, at the start of 2022, we have a real opportunity to encourage more people to consider leaving a charitable gift in their will. The tragedy of the pandemic is that mortality is all too front of mind. But at the same time, people are becoming more comfortable in talking about it, and making end-of-life plans. We need to build on this momentum to normalise talking about death and helping people to think about their final wishes – and that includes encouraging people to think about the charitable causes that are important to them.”

She made a plea for legacy giving to be recognised for the contribution it makes, echoing the other contributors in stressing the need for good stewardship.

Alongside the publication of the predictions of the four experts, Legacy Futures held its first webinar of the year on 27 January.

Everything Legacy: What’s ahead for 2022 featured representatives from across the Legacy Futures group sharing their hopes and predictions for legacy and in-memory in the months ahead.

The recording can be viewed on the organisation’s website at legacyfutures.com/blog/. q

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Helping the forgotten people of Zimbabwe [

ZANE: ZIMBABWE A NATIONAL EMERGENCY is a UK registered charity working to help the most destitute, vulnerable and impoverished people in Zimbabwe. It is the largest supplier of financial aid to elderly people in Zimbabwe who lost their life savings and pensions in the economic collapse and subsequent hyper-inflation.

This includes around 560 frail veterans and their widows who fought for the Crown. ZANE assists with rent, medical bills and food – and, crucially, also provides comfort, advice and support.

In addition, ZANE funds a clubfoot correction programme, successfully treating over 4,220 children to date. It funds the provision of prosthetic limbs for victims of landmine explosions and assists people with hearing loss. ZANE also funds education programmes including the provision of pop-up classrooms in highdensity townships for children who would otherwise not receive an education. It runs creative therapy workshops for women living in extreme poverty who are victims of political violence and trauma.

Zimbabwe remains in a state of crisis. The economy teeters on the brink of collapse. Fuel shortages are commonplace and with food prices escalating, ZANE’s aid is needed more than ever by the most destitute people in Zimbabwe. q • To find out more about the work of ZANE visit www.zane.uk.com

Until clefts are preventable, help is available worldwide [TODAY, ONE IN 700 BABIES in

the UK are born with a cleft lip and palate, the most common form of birth defect.

The impact on a child’s life as they grow is profound. It may affect not only the way they look, but also their speech, hearing and dental development. And it can leave deep psychological scars.

In the developing world, patients with clefts are frequently not operated on until later in life, if at all. As a result, they may be malnourished and unable to talk well or hear properly. Often, they will be social outcasts.

At CLEFT, our vision is of a future where clefts are preventable. Until we get there, we want to improve the lives of those born with cleft lip and palate – in the UK and in poorer countries around the world.

Join the research effort

By funding research, we continue to make headway into understanding why clefts occur and to deliver pioneering new treatments that deliver kinder, more effective and more efficient care for children with cleft lip and palate.

By supporting the development of cleft centres in low and middleincome countries we aim to give children born with clefts in these poorer countries the same opportunities available to children in the UK. Each donation takes us a step closer to reaching our goal. All gifts could have a direct impact on changing the lives of many hundreds of thousands of babies and children around the world.

Please join us and help us prevent clefts for future generations. q

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Law Society accepts single probate fee principle, but decries increase [

THE Law Society of England and Wales has reacted with caution to the announcement by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) that all users of the probate service will now pay a single, flat rate fee of £273 from 26 January.

The previous fees were £155 for professional users and £215 for non-professional users.

The society acknowledges that a single fee is desirable, but challenges the need for an increase in times of hardship.

Its president I Stephanie Boyce commented: “We support the MoJ’s aim to make a simpler, more streamlined process for users of the probate service, and we understand funds are needed to help this change and development. However, we query why the UK government has decided to increase fees at this time, particularly as the probate service is still facing delays. In 2020 people had to wait 12 to 14 weeks on average to receive their grant. This is unacceptable, the service must be timely and allow executors to settle a loved one’s estate.”

The society reported that, in October, HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) received 14,834 digital probate applications and

5,502 paper applications. That same month, 20,128 grants of probate were issued, and the timeliness for all applications was 9.3 weeks.

I Stephanie Boyce added: “The government believes there’s no longer a justification for maintaining a lower fee for professional applicants, while a single probate fee will align with its managing public money principles: where the same fee should be charged for all users of the same service.

“The MoJ acknowledges our key concerns that any increase should be reflected in new and tangible improvements to the service.

It’s reassuring to see they’ve been making further advances to address these. They expect improvements to the service will remain consistent and will continue to progress in the future. We will be monitoring the situation closely for our members and their clients.

“We suggested users should be offered reimbursement for delays.

The MoJ acknowledged this but did not confirm if it’s something they’ll incorporate. We will continue to speak with HMCTS at the monthly user group meetings, which have been in place since before the pandemic.” q

This sanctuary helps donkeys from Britain, Europe and beyond [ESTABLISHED IN 1990, NEDDI offers care and safety to donkeys –

and to a lesser degree, ponies – in Britain and Europe who have suffered neglect, cruelty or maltreatment or who are at risk of such treatment.

In addition to rescuing such animals from undesirable situations, within the financial and practical constraints prevailing at the time, they work to try to change attitudes and to educate donkey owners into better practices. For example, since 2016 they have been assisting associates in Kenya to achieve those aims for the working animals there.

Since its establishment in Cornwall, NEDDI has operated a sanctuary specifically for distressed donkeys. In 2001 the sanctuary moved to just the other side of the channel, where the resident donkeys enjoy more space and pasture than would otherwise have been possible.

Its policy is to try to offer actual, hands-on help to the animals in need, and to restore them to the maximum possible degree of fitness.

Once brought back to full health, new homes are sometimes sought for the fit animals.

Where full health cannot be achieved a safe home is offered to the donkey for the duration of its life.

NEDDI is a comparatively small organisation with limited resources, and relies heavily on support from animal-lovers. A bequest will enable more donkeys to be freed from pain and misery. q

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Make surgery your legacy [

ALMOST 5 MILLION surgical patients are admitted to hospital every year in England alone, so choosing to leave the Royal College of Surgeons of England a gift in your will can have a direct impact on the future of surgery and in maintaining and supporting the enhancement of surgical care for patients.

Legacy gifts: supporting the educational training of surgeons

Miss Phyllis Ann George FRCS (1925–2017) was a consultant general surgeon at the Royal Free Hospital in London and she was the first woman to be elected vice-president of RCS England.

During her career, she recognised that surgery was a team effort and that, for best results, fully trained teams of theatre and ward nursing staff were as important as the surgeons themselves.

Miss George’s legacy for the educational training of surgeons echoes her commitment to the importance of teaching and her skill for it during her career. Her gift is supporting an e-learning project that takes the Future of Surgery team on a journey to explore the impact of technology on roles, the surgical team and the surgical environment.

Sharing your vision

Legacies can support any area of the college’s work; unrestricted contributions can be used wherever the need is greatest and many are in support of an individual project or surgical specialty.

Ultimately, RCS England want to understand what their supporters would like their gift to achieve. To get in touch, you can email fundraising@rcseng.ac.uk or if you would like an informal chat, please call Nicola on 020 7869 6086. q

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Video will witnessing provision to be extended [

VULNERABLE PEOPLE across England and Wales will continue to be able to have their wills witnessed via video link up until 2024, under legislation laid on 11 January to extend measures brought in during the pandemic.

The change will extend the facility for those who are forced to isolate either with COVID or from another vulnerability, reassuring those who need to use the provision that their final wishes are legally recognised.

Witnesses previously had to be physically present.

The Ministry of Justice quoted Law Society research, which found that around 14% of legal professionals who had been involved in making a will since the change in 2020 had used software such as Zoom or FaceTime for witnessing wills. To protect people against undue influence and fraud, two witnesses are still required and virtual witnessing is only recognised if the quality of the sound and video is sufficient to see and hear what is happening.

Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Dominic Raab, said: “I want people to be able to use technology safely and securely to ensure they can record their final wishes no matter the circumstances. This is a common-sense measure that will give vulnerable people peace of mind that their wills are recognised if they are forced to have them witnessed via video due to isolation.”

The extension will last until 31 January 2024 while the Law Commission considers potential reforms to the law around wills, including whether to make the changes permanent.

The MoJ stressed that the use of video technology should remain a last resort and people must continue to arrange physical witnessing of wills where it is safe to do so. Wills witnessed through windows are already considered legitimate in case law provided they have clear sight of the person signing it.

Law Society of England and Wales president I Stephanie Boyce said: “Solicitors have bent over backwards to ensure their clients have been able to make valid wills despite the restrictions during the pandemic. Those who have used video witnessing have told the Law Society it has been a useful option to have to help vulnerable people

set their affairs in order when making a will if the physical presence of witnesses is not possible.

“The Law Society continues to take the view that the most effective reform of the law would be to give judges powers to recognise the deceased’s intentions even where their will may not have been witnessed, in line with the Wills Act. We look forward to the forthcoming Law Commission report on wills reform which we hope will expand on this and other issues to improve will making in England and Wales.”

Professional organisations such as STEP, which represents legal professionals and others who help families plan for the future, have also welcomed the extension.

STEP’s technical counsel and head of government relations Emily Deane said: “We welcome this announcement because it gives clarity to everyone involved in the process of witnessing wills. While we agree that video technology should remain a last resort, it is vital that anyone who is required to isolate can arrange their will and has peace of mind that it is legally valid.” q

Help for those with failing sight

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FAILING EYESIGHT is nothing short of a personal catastrophe.

Do you have a family member, friend or neighbour who is gradually losing their sight?

Reading, recognising friends and living skills are all affected as your sight is going – and it’s much harder if you live alone.

The National Federation of the Blind of the UK (NFBUK) keeps its members in touch with general information, help and updates on what’s going on.

The charity produces bi-monthly news magazines and circulars in audio, braille or electronically, which members can read independently. It also encourages blind and partially sighted people to play a fuller part in society. q • For further information contact NFBUK on 01924 291313, email admin@nfbuk.org or visit www.nfbuk.org.

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Trust works to save iconic working horses [

THE SUFFOLK PUNCH TRUST is a registered charity, whose aim is to ensure the survival of the famous horse breed. It was founded in 2002 to save the historic Hollesley Bay Colony Stud.

That stud brought a rich legacy of equine and agricultural history which deserves to be saved for future generations to enjoy. The trust aims to achieve that through a successful breeding programme, supported by funding, education and the outreach facility of its visitor centre.

The Suffolk Punch is the oldest English breed of working horse, dating from the 16th century. Every Suffolk horse can be traced back to a stallion, known as Crisp’s Horse of Ufford, foaled in 1768. The Suffolk horse was developed for farm work and gained popularity during the early 20th century. As agriculture became mechanised, however, the numbers fell and the breed almost disappeared completely.

The aim of the trust is to help save the iconic breed from extinction through its established breeding programme. It is working towards increasing the numbers of horses through normal breeding processes and an artificial insemination programme.

It also works to raise public awareness and is training a new generation of professionals to work with and understand the needs of the breed. The Suffolk Punch is incredibly versatile and is now often employed in forestry and ridden work.

The Suffolk Punch Trust can only continue its work with the help of donations and legacies. As David Clarke, one of the trust’s directors, explained: “Your legacy, large or small, will make a huge difference to the work we carry out, enabling us to care for our horses and continue the breeding programme to secure this wonderful breed.” q

Legacies – the gift of life [

ANIMAL CHARITY Wild Futures rescues and offers sanctuary to monkeys who have suffered abuse and neglect. They are dedicated to protecting primates and their habitats worldwide – primates are endangered due to climate change, habitat destruction and the bush-meat and pet trades.

For some species, it is too late. The future of all that remains lies in our hands, so leaving a legacy to Wild Futures is the gift of life and a future for primates and our wonderful planet.

Wild Futures’ holistic approach makes them unique – providing sanctuary to rescued

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monkeys, supporting projects overseas, campaigning for primate welfare, educating to protect primates worldwide and promoting a sustainability and ethical ethos.

They receive no government funding, so the generosity of those that remember Wild Futures is essential to enable them to continue their work. A legacy can be the gift of a life worth living and a wild and safe future for all. q • For more information call 01503 262532, email giving@wildfutures.org or visit the webiste at www.wildfutures.org.

National Will Register rebrands with new state-of-the-art website [

THE NATIONAL WILL REGISTER has unveiled its new online platform for will registration and will search services. Used by the legal profession, will writers, PI insurers, government agencies, charities and the public, the new National Will Register – previously Certainty – is the UK's established and trusted provider of will registration and will searches, with over 9.4 million will records in the system.

The National Will Register is a highly resourced platform for members of the public seeking advice, support and assistance when faced with a bereavement and battling a possibly contentious situation or organising end-of-life administrative activities such as writing a will. The new online platform evolves the National Will Register's online presence as a central and integral source of information for wills and probate.

A will search checks the register and performs a nationwide, geographically-targeted search for wills that are not registered. In 2020, one in five estates searched against had an unknown will attached to them.

Operations director Karan Liddar spoke about the reasons behind the development of the new website and its rebranding as The National Will

Register: “We wanted to make it as simple and intuitive as possible for all our users, while demonstrating the importance of registering your will so that it can be acted upon and your wishes respected when it is needed, and [also while] searching for a will when faced with a bereavement, to ensure the last will is recognised.

“Our new site is designed with this in mind, offering quick and easy step-by-step navigation to register and search for wills as well as a wide range of useful resources for all our users to better navigate the wills and probate industry.

“With over 9.4 million will records in the system and one in five located wills changing the way in which an estate is administered, we found that The National Will Register was a name that carries the confidence our users have in us as the provider of will registration and will search services in the UK, used by the legal profession, will writers, PI insurers, government agencies, charities and the public.”

The National Will Register celebrated its new-look website by offering free will registration for members of the public until the end of January. q • For more information visit the website at www.nationalwillregister.co.uk

Probate delays’ impact on legacies explained [

THE DELAY IN GRANTS of probate over the past two years has received a great deal of coverage; but how has it impacted on charities for whom legacies are a lifeline – particularly in these uncertain times?

Writing on the blog of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising in January, Remember A Charity’s Rob Cope offered an update.

Said Rob: “For many charities, legacies are their largest source of income – highly treasured donations from supporters who choose to remember them in their will. By their very nature, legacies aren’t always predictable, but they are becoming increasingly prevalent. In fact, according to the latest NCVO Almanac, legacies now bring in around £1 in every £6 raised by charities across the UK.” It follows, then, that delays in making bequests available can have an effect on charities’ frontline services.

“And particularly when it comes to the largest bequests, a considerable delay can heavily influence cash flow and project timelines,” said Rob. “That income will

still filter through, but in the most extreme circumstances it can be the difference between an organisation staying afloat or having to close its doors.”

Despite HMCTS making real progress in reducing the delays into 2020, when COVID hit the service struggled to keep pace with rising applications brought on by soaring death rates and delays rose once again.

So, what is the position now? Rob takes up the story: “Since then, HMCTS has expanded the probate team with another 50 recruits, upscaled staff with training and introduced new digital processes. This has seen the backlog come back down to between three and four weeks with further improvements and reductions expected in the coming months. It’s too soon to be entirely confident that progress will be smooth.

Much will depend on the level of deaths and applications in the coming months.

“Overall, the service does appear to be becoming more resilient with better trained teams focusing on dealing with longerrunning ‘stopped’ cases and providing

better telephone support to executors experiencing issues with their applications.

In order to reduce the backlog, the team at HMCTS have reduced the number of ‘stopped’ cases by 8,000 and are working closely with HMRC to ensure that Inheritance Tax issues are minimised.”

Looking forward into this year, Rob is optimistic: “All being well, the probate team aims to have the backlog down at prepandemic levels in the next couple of weeks with further reductions by this spring. Still, there’s a long way to go before HMCTS halves the current amount of probate cases in its system to reach its target of around 15,000. And this all comes with the caveat that if winter brings another devastating spike in deaths and probate cases, it would inevitably slow things down once more.

“Our hope is that the uplift in capacity and considerable improvements made will be sufficient not only to accelerate the probate system in 2022, but to strengthen capacity for the ‘legacy boom’ years that lie ahead.” q

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Entries open for Legacy Futures Awards [ IN JANUARY entries opened

for the Legacy Futures Awards 2022. The awards, launched last year, comprise three separate categories: The Crispin Ellison Bursary Award, The Legacy Future Leader Award and The Legacy Futures Innovation Award.

Announcing the opening of applications, Legacy Futures said: “We want to see charities around the world harness the transformative power of legacy giving. As part of our commitment, we have set up the Legacy Futures Awards, aiming to invest in the future talent that will take our sector forward.”

The three award categories will be judged by a panel of senior figures from across the legacy and in-memory sector, with at least two judges assessing each scheme. The identity of the judges will not be disclosed until after the award winners have been announced.

The Crispin Ellison Bursary Award has been in existence since 2016. It is named in memory of former Legacy Link director Crispin Ellison, whose career was dedicated to advancing professional knowledge in the legacy sector. The bursary is open to applicants from the UK, who are looking to further their professional development in the area of legacy administration and management.

Two winners will receive a training package from the Institute of

Holidays help boost confidence of young cancer patients

“

It’s a great experience to meet other people who have been through similar experiences in such a positive and upbeat setting, away from hospitals and cancer centres.

[

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Legacy Management. It will cover the cost of attaining the Certificate in Charity Legacy Administration, worth £1000, or £500 towards other ILM training.

The Legacy Futures Innovation Award is open to any organisation that is looking to innovate in the area of legacy or inmemory giving and create a big impact. They may be looking to solve a particular challenge, reach a new audience or develop a new product.

The award winner will receive consultancy support from Legacy Voice, who will deliver a design thinking workshop to bring the idea to life. The judges will be looking for ideas that not only benefit the organisation itself, but also the wider sector, and Legacy Futures will work together to share the results.

The award is open to any charity or not-for-profit organisation in the UK, Europe, North America and Australia.

The Legacy Future Leader Award is designed to invest in a future legacy leader through Legacy Futures’ exclusive mentoring programme. Applicants must be new to a legacy or in-memory giving role – within the past 36 months – and looking to develop their passion into a career.

Three people will be awarded the opportunity to engage with experts from Legacy Futures over a period of six months through group mentoring. Applications are welcomed from the UK, Europe, North America and Australia.

Application forms are available on the Legacy Futures website at legacyfutures.com/legacy-futures-awards-2022/. They must be received by 5pm on 31 March. q

THIS QUOTE FROM Kate sums up the value of the work undertaken by the Youth Cancer Trust. The organisation provides free therapeutic activity holidays for teenagers and young adults – those aged between 14 and 30 – from the UK and Ireland who are suffering from cancer.

Cancer can tear a patient’s world apart, and at an age where everyone else seems to be moving on with their lives – with university, relationships and careers – the diagnosis of cancer can bring all of that to a halt.

The Youth Cancer Trust helps reduce the sense of loneliness, which often accompanies long stays in hospital and time off school. Long term friendships are formed and families are given a much deserved break, knowing their child is having fun and being looked after.

The charity receives no government funding and relies entirely on donations, such as those from legacies, to help support the needs of young cancer patients like Kate. q • For more information visit www.youthcancertrust.org.

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Sending out an SOS for the owls [ESTABLISHED IN 2001, the Suffolk

Owl Sanctuary – known, appropriately, as S.O.S. – operates a comprehensive facility for the rescue, care and rehabilitation of owls across East Anglia. It also promotes the need for the conservation of endangered owl species throughout the UK with its Saving Britain's Owls initiative.

The S.O.S. owl and raptor hospital at Stonham Aspal is unique in the region.

It is specially equipped for the care and treatment of the many injured wild owls and other birds of prey it receives every year as a result of road traffic accidents, mishaps, starvation, trauma, disease, poisoning and sometimes even shooting or trapping.

Many of the birds can be given a recuperative, short-term pick-me-up before being re-released into the wild. Those that are more seriously injured but stand a chance of recovery are given medical aid and/or surgery, as determined by their vet. The birds are then allowed space and time to fully recuperate in one of the secluded recovery aviaries, before being carefully returned to the wild.

S.O.S. is regenerating its wild owl nest box scheme that includes building, locating and curating long-lasting, environmentally-friendly nest boxes in appropriate locations to replace the gradual erosion of natural nesting sites.

S.O.S. is funded purely by donations, and as a small charity the legacies it receives play an important role in enabling it to continue developing its resources in the interests of conserving owl and other bird of prey wildlife in the UK. q

If you Will, we will [LEGACIES MEAN SO much to the team at Last Chance

Animal Rescue. These wonderful gifts have helped them to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home so many abandoned, abused and unwanted dogs, puppies, cats, kittens, rabbits and guinea pigs who otherwise would have had no future.

The charity understand the wishes of its kind benefactors who have considered them in their Wills. A spokesperson said: “We know they want their generous gift to us to be used directly to save lives, provide the very best of care and to find loving homes.

“Legacies really do provide the gift of life and Last Chance Animal Rescue can now, after much planning and prudent use of funds, offer our life saving services to so many more needy pets. We are delighted to announce we now have a second rescue and re-homing centre in Kent, giving hope and a true A new friend for Alan last chance to so many.

“Sadly we cannot thank those who have enabled this wonderful achievement but are extremely grateful to all those who are currently considering helping us now and in the future to continue our work.” q

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Interacting with lay executors is subject of research [

THE CHALLENGE of how to steward lay executors is a subject that is rising up the agenda for many of the clients of analysts Legacy Foresight, according to its latest news release. That, they say, is why they have launched a new research project to explore how charities can manage those crucial relationships for the benefit of all parties: the family, the charity and, of course, the legacy donor.

“We will gain important insights into the decision-making process and into lay executors’ interactions with professional executors and other family members,” the Legacy Foresight team says. “Finally, we will consider the implications for legacy managers, legacy fundraisers and the wider charity team.”

Over the first six months of this year they are exploring the prevalence and process of lay executorship overall, and how interactions with charities fit into the picture.

Writing at the launch of the programme, Legacy Foresight’s director Meg Abdy said: “As charities, there are four good reasons to manage lay executors to the utmost

standards: Firstly – and this is fundamental for all charities – delivering on your values by safeguarding the interests of bereaved people, providing both practical guidance and emotional support at a difficult time.

“Secondly, on a more practical level, smoothing the estate management process – ensuring that charitable estates are settled quickly, with fewer errors and less aggravation for both parties.

“In an increasingly fractious climate, reputation management is also an important consideration – at worst avoiding negative publicity, and at best creating positive word of mouth.

“And last but not least, good supporter stewardship. As every legacy manager knows, if you build strong relationships with family and friends while administering the estate, in turn they may become donors, advocates or even legators in their own right.”

The project is being funded by 27 leading legacy charities, and the results will be presented in late June.

Later in the year, in the autumn, Legacy Foresight will be working with the Institute of Legacy Management to disseminate headline findings and recommendations to the legacy sector through workshops, training programmes and best practice guidelines. q

Charity carries on the work of its founder [

FOR OVER 30 YEARS the famous animal hospital known as Tiggywinkles has been working to rescue, treat and rehabilitate sick, injured and orphaned British wildlife. Over that time they have proved beyond doubt that most wild animal and bird casualties can be saved and returned to the wild.

Although they specialise in hedgehogs – indeed, they derive their name from St Tiggywinkles, the name of their specialist hedgehog ward, inspired by the animal character created by Beatrix Potter – their wealth of expertise in the care of a wide range of species can now be passed on to others.

In addition, their commitment to practical education plays a vital part in the conservation of wildlife. As an accredited centre, opportunities are available for students aged 16 and over to gain a City and Guildsapproved qualification via their Apprenticeship in Animal Care scheme.

Tiggywinkles was founded by Les Stocker, who sadly passed away in July 2016. In a tribute, Les was described as ‘…a steadfast ambassador, achieving his goal to turn wildlife rehabilitation into a profession’. In another he was referred to as the ‘the spiritual heart of Britain’. He was awarded an MBE by The Queen and given the title Laureate in the 1990 International Rolex Awards for Enterprise, for his work in wildlife conservation and establishing Europe’s first wildlife teaching hospital. More recently, he gained the prestigious Honorary Associateship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

The charity is happy to commemorate all who generously remember the Wildlife Hospital Trust in their will by inscribing their name on a plaque in its Remembrance Garden. Gifts are also welcome in the form of a donation or by becoming a Friend of Tiggywinkles. q

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Practical support helps to alleviate the impact of sight loss [

THERE ARE TWO MILLION people in the UK living with sight loss and by 2050 the figure is set to double. Being diagnosed with any form of sight loss is lifechanging and devastating for both the individuals concerned and their families.

The Partially Sighted Society is a national charity that understands this; it has been providing help and support to anybody living with sight loss for over 50 years.

The society’s range of services includes the design, printing and provision of bespoke school exercise books for children, a specialist low-vision and sight test service, and the provision of aids and equipment to assist those living with sight loss to continue to live full and independent lives.

They are there to offer support for both the practical and the emotional impact of sight loss, by phone and in person. They also offer a range of social and support activities to alleviate the social isolation that comes with sight loss.

Leaving a gift in a will is a meaningful way of helping The Partially Sighted Society to help others. Legacies leave a lasting impact on transforming the lives of those living with sight loss. q

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Custom products help promote in-memory giving [RECENT YEARS HAVE SEEN an increase in the number of

fundraisers set up in someone’s memory, as a tribute to them and a way of helping others affected at the same time by raising funds for charitable causes. In its 2020 Facebook Fundraising Benchmarks Report, GivePanel found that the stand-out area for increases in the amounts raised by Facebook fundraisers compared to the previous year was in-memory and tribute fundraising, which saw the mean average increase by nearly 84%, from $400 in 2019 to $735 in 2020.

And when combining fundraisers from all charities in 2019 or 2020, in-memory and tribute fundraisers raised both the highest mean average and median monetary value. In-memory/tribute fundraising is incredibly powerful on Facebook as people are already connected to friends and family. If a charity does not have Facebook Giving Tools activated they may be missing out on that income – people can’t set up a fundraiser on Facebook if the charity is not present.

Charity Digital’s Laura Stanley commented: “This shows the power that in-memoriam fundraising can have: combined with legacy giving, it is expected to be worth £10bn to charities by 2045. Organisations such as WWF and FareShare have already seen the strength it can have and have set up pages on their own sites where supporters can donate specifically in memory of a loved one.

“But social media adds another level to this type of fundraising, especially on Facebook, where personal networks are established, users are already connected to friends and family, and the appetite

for fundraising is strong. By fundraising in a person’s memory on Facebook, fundraisers can pay tribute to someone while putting action behind their words; it gives them the chance to do something good for someone they love.”

She outlined ways in which charities can help supporters to set up in-memory pages.

“For charities, it is important that they help their supporters raise money for them as easily as possible during this trying time,” she wrote. “They can do this firstly by having Facebook Fundraising turned on. Once activated, charities will then be searchable for people looking to fundraise for them – they can’t set up a fundraiser for you on Facebook if you’re not on it.

“Charities can also help fundraisers set up their pages more easily using tools like GivePanel, providing supporters with customisable fundraisers, with the option to upload images of those they’ve lost and set the title as ‘In Memory Of’ or ‘In Tribute Of’, depending on preference. GivePanel have recently launched a brand-new feature on their platform which will allow people for the first time ever to be able to set up an In-Memory fundraiser on Facebook.”

Research has also shown that those who donate to charities in memory of another are also three times more likely to leave money to that charity in their will. With fundraising on Facebook increasing year-on-year, charities need to take every opportunity and help their fundraisers donate to them as easily as possible, whenever they’re able. q

A small charity with a huge heart [

KIDNEY KIDS SCOTLAND, a very small charity with a huge heart, has for the last 22 years supported Scottish children with renal and urology conditions. The main aim of the charity has always been to enable these children to receive treatment as close to home as possible and minimise disruption to the family unit.

In addition the charity helps hospitals all over Scotland, supplying them with much needed equipment and funding posts recognised as being essential. Chronic Kidney disease is a condition that has no cure and that children and their families must learn to live with.

IMAGINE your child only being able to drink 400mls in one day. That’s less than two cartons of juice – a can of juice is 500mls.

IMAGINE being a parent where you must be home before 8pm every single night to ensure your child gets their daily home dialysis.

IMAGINE not being able to take your family abroad or too far away from the hospital because your child cannot go without their dialysis. This HAS to happen in hospital 3 or 4 times EVERY week.

IMAGINE your child missing out on school education, social activities, family members’ birthday celebrations, a sibling’s sports day or a family wedding because you need to make sure they receive their life saving dialysis treatment.

IMAGINE your child spending their birthday and/or Christmas Day in hospital and not being able to see their friends from week to week. q IMAGINE LIVING WITH KIDNEY DISEASE For more information about Kidney Kids Scotland please visit our website at www.kidneykids.org.uk, call 01324 555843 or email office@kidneykids.org.uk Kidney Kids Scotland can help in many ways

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Caring for cancer without animal experiments is this trust’s aim [

ANIMAL-FREE CANCER RESEARCH is the ethos of the Caring Cancer Trust (CCT), which funds groundbreaking, ethical, animalfree research into cancer, its non-invasive treatment, cure and prevention.

CCT has its own ‘Stopcancer’ laboratory research programme that does not use live animals or embryonic stem cells. Over the past 20 years CCT-funded oncology researchers have discovered potential new causes of children’s cancer, developed new treatments for early-stage cervical cancer and are now advancing knowledge for the prevention of cancer.

Cancer prevention

Cancer treatment and cure are obviously good, but cancer prevention is best, since it avoids the stress of the dreaded cancer diagnosis and the debilitating treatments which follow.

CCT believes that one way to prevent cancer is to correct the damage caused by environmental pollution. It is very clear that the world we live in is now polluted with toxic chemicals in the home, in the air we breathe and in the land on which we stand. Indeed, environmental pollution from industrial farming has produced drastic changes in the microbes found in the soil in which our food is grown.

That results in loss of microbial diversity, which produces ‘sick soil’.

The types of microbes found in our gut come from the soil and they are essential for our health and wellbeing. It is very simple: sick soil produces sick humans, sick animals and plants, and correcting that should reduce the incidence of cancer. Our polluted world actively encourages cancer and CCT funds an integrated approach to cancer research which aims to identify cancer risk factors in our lifestyle, and the environment we live in.

Cancer support

CCT also provides special ‘Youth2Go’ Healing Holidays of creative adventure for children recovering from cancer, enabling them to regain their self-confidence and reignite their passion for life after the trauma of their illness and lengthy treatment. In addition,

they provide financial support for adult cancer sufferers to ameliorate their sickness, improve their quality of life, limit their stress and, where possible, help their recovery.

A cancer-free future

CCT-funded research aims to increase understanding of how silent infections, lifestyle, diet, genetic predisposition and environmental pollution lead to different types of cancer in children and adults.

Indeed they have identified simple changes in lifestyle and diet which, combined with avoidance of exposure to environmental contaminants, will reduce the incidence of cancer in all age groups.

The CCT aims to identify and understand hitherto-unknown cause-and-effect relationships to either limit exposure to such carcinogenic factors or devise therapies which suppress their effects before a cancer has developed.

Funding

Caring Cancer Trust’s Stopcancer programme is entirely managed and run by unpaid volunteers and financed by legacies and donations. A gift to them funds animalfree research into cancer treatment and prevention as well as Youth2Go creative adventure holidays for children recovering from cancer.

In short, they aim to create a cancer-free tomorrow for the children of today. q

Prevention now saves treatment later The CCT research mission for cancer prevention involves: • New lifesaving cancer prevention • medicines • New therapies for cancers in their early • stages • Analysis of the role of microbes in • causing cancer • New therapies for later-life cancers • Heightened cancer awareness by GPs • and public • Lifestyle, diet and environmental • changes for cancer avoidance • Dissemination of trial results relating to • cancer treatment and prevention

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Charity campaigns against environmental abuse [

INVESTIGATING AND CAMPAIGNING against environmental crime and abuse is the 35-year struggle of charity Environmental Investigation Agency UK. Its undercover investigations expose transnational wildlife crime – with a focus on elephants, pangolins and tigers – and forest crimes such as illegal logging and deforestation for cash crops such as palm oil. The charity works to safeguard global marine ecosystems by addressing the threats posed by plastic pollution, by catch and commercial exploitation of whales, dolphins and porpoises.

More generally, they help to reduce the impact of climate change by campaigning to eliminate powerful refrigerant greenhouse gases, exposing related illicit trade and improving energy efficiency in the coolant sector.

The findings of their investigations are used in hard-hitting reports to campaign for improved governance and more effective law enforcement – such as its latest Running Out of Time report, which examines the fast-growing role of Vietnam as a hub for illegal wildlife trade and the country's failure to respond to the crisis.

Their field experience is used to provide guidance to enforcement agencies and they form partnerships with local groups and activists to support their work through hands-on training.

The scale of the problems they face can be disheartening and the truths they uncover can be shocking. Their programmes of work build on decades of campaign successes and nail-biting undercover investigations by a small group of tenacious activists, from documenting

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the slaughter of pilot whales in the Faroe Islands, to securing a global ivory trade ban at CITES, contributing to the Montreal Protocol on climate change and the adoption of the EU Timber Regulation to protect forests.

A gift to EIA in your will is an investment in wildlife and habitat conservation. They have already achieved so much, with your help they will continue to keep the pressure on for generations to come. q • For further information tel 0207 354 7960 or visit the website at eia-international.org

New research takes the Pulse of UK charities [ENTHUSE, the charity digital partner, has

launched a new annual research programme: Charity Pulse. The inaugural report of the programme was issued in January and follows Enthuse’s successful quarterly Donor Pulse reports.

Introducing the new project, Enthuse stated: “Over the course of the pandemic it’s been great to see the interest in our Donor Pulse findings, which look at donor trends and behaviours on a quarterly basis. We’re glad Donor Pulse has proved to be a valuable piece of research for the sector and now we hope this new annual study, based on the insights of decision makers in UK charities, can do exactly the same.”

The inaugural Charity Pulse examines how the pandemic has varied in its impact on small, medium and large charities, the prospects and challenges charities see for fundraising in 2022, and how far along charities are on their digital journeys.

The research found that, even with increasing demand on their services and limited fundraising routes, an ‘impressive’ 61% of charities either maintained or increased income during the 18 months to the end of 2021. A further 26% stated that they had lower income than usual and 12% described the position as very volatile.

Large charities had the most stability through the pandemic, with 69% declaring similar or rising levels of income. Medium and smaller charities found things more challenging, with 45% and 44% respectively reporting lower or very volatile income in the past year.

On the issue of working from home, in the next six months charities expect the split between working in the office and working from home to be around 67/33. That more flexible approach to working may be one of the contributors to strong staff morale, with

84% ranking it as either good or excellent.

Looking to the future, charities of all sizes are feeling optimistic about 2022, with four out of five (79%) stating they are either very or fairly optimistic about the year ahead. Income growth is seen as coming from all areas and after a difficult two years, the sector as a whole thinks it has turned the corner.

A clear majority (60%) of charities surveyed say they are starting to see supporters re-engage with fundraising events and see that as an important reason to be looking forward to 2022. Fundraising events and activities are seen as the fastest growing source of income, with 56% of charities predicting a rise in this area.

A majority of charities are seeing more support from younger demographics, mirroring a shift in how people give to digital giving. While that was once seen as a ‘niceto-have’, the researchers say, it is now a ‘must-have’, and investment in the area is critical for future success.

Despite the accelerated digital transformation in the sector, only 12% of charities would consider themselves

‘advanced’ – meaning they have an integrated approach to digital fundraising and events, with personalised journeys and established digital platforms.

Chester Mojay-Sinclare, the CEO and founder of Enthuse, explained: “Charities have had to work incredibly hard during the last 20 months to try and bridge the gap in their income and have continually had to pivot fundraising to ensure it is both safe and viable for their supporters. This has been a uniquely challenging time.

“In spite of this, the sector’s natural optimism has shone through and morale has remained high. I’ve also been struck by how the sector is taking the few positives the pandemic has brought and is building those into future fundraising – for example the accelerated development of virtual events and digital transformation. With these foundations in place, there is a great opportunity for the sector, as supporters now have more choice around how to engage with and fundraise for their favourite charities.”

The report is available to download from enthuse.com/insights/. q

Saving lives one sniff at a time [HYPO HOUNDS provide a

viable health care alternative for children and their families by training a Diabetic Alert Dog to detect the subtle changes in the child’s blood sugar levels.

The dogs are trained to alert parents when the child’s sugar levels drop dangerously low or rise too high. This not only impacts on the child but also on the family’s ability to function as a unit, with the registered carer becoming the dog.

Hypo Hounds work is becoming nationally recognised and is literally saving the lives of children – one sniff at a time. q

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Research aims to combat secondary cancer [

ONE IN SEVEN WOMEN develop breast cancer, making it the most common cancer in the UK. It doesn’t just affect women, though: around 400 men a year are also diagnosed with breast cancer.

Against Breast Cancer is a charity dedicated to funding pioneering research to improve detection and treatment, and increase survival after breast cancer diagnosis.

Improvements in diagnostic tools and treatment have extended the lives of many patients; however, secondary spread breast cancer still claims the lives of nearly 12,000 people a year in the UK – that’s around 1,000 people a month!

Secondary spread breast cancers – called metastases – occur when cancer cells break off from the original tumour and travel around the body to establish new tumours. These can arise in other places in the body, such as the lungs, bone, liver and brain; sometimes years after the primary tumour has been treated.

Kelly Gibson, head of fundraising at Against Breast Cancer explained: “The focus of our research is preventing secondary spread, which is the main cause of breast cancer-related deaths. By working with expert scientists located in world-class universities throughout the UK, our ultimate goal is to stop secondary breast cancer from claiming lives; and our unique approach is to do this by focusing our research on prevention, detection and therapies.”

Prevention: To understand how diet and lifestyle may increase or reduce the risk of secondary breast cancer developing, to provide evidence-based advice Detection: Designing better tools for the earlier detection and diagnosis of secondary breast cancer Therapies: How the body’s immune system can be harnessed for the development of more effective treatments and ultimately a vaccine against breast cancer

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The funds that supporters have raised has enabled the creation of a diet and lifestyle ‘biobank’, which contains biological samples and questionnaire data from over 3,000 women with breast cancer, who were monitored over a five-year period after diagnosis. It provides a vital resource to investigate why some people develop secondary breast cancers and some do not.

Current research projects include ABC Discover, which aims to identify biomarkers that could be used for earlier detection of secondary spread, and the long-term Therapeutic Antibody Programme, which is designing new therapies to help our immune system kill cancer cells more effectively.

Kelly continued: “In the future, we hope to support new research projects that will increase our understanding and treatment of secondary spread breast cancer. Can you pledge to leave a gift in your will to continue our research? Let’s look to the future and find a vaccine for future generations.” q • For more information email Kelly Gibson, head of fundraising, at kelly@againstbreastcancer.org.uk; or visit the website at againstbreastcancer.org.uk/legacy.

Commission updates COVID guidance [IN JANUARY the Charity Commission

updated its guidance for charities operating in the COVID pandemic. The guidance recognises that it should now be possible for charities to move to back to face-to-face meetings and hold any outstanding AGMs or other meetings.

However, the commission says, the coronavirus continues to have an impact on charity events and trustees may still need to consider how and if they can hold meetings.

For instance, trustees should check if their charity’s governing document allows them to hold meetings online, by telephone or on a hybrid basis – with some people meeting face to face and others joining virtually. If the governing document does not allow online, telephone or hybrid meetings they should consider if there is any power they can use to amend the rules to allow those types of meetings.

For some charities, trustees may consider that holding a virtual or hybrid AGM or other required meeting is not a viable solution. It may also not be possible for them to move immediately back to face-to-face meetings.

In these circumstances trustees may consider they have no choice but to cancel or postpone. If they do consider such a decision is necessary, they should follow any rules in

the charity’s governing document that allow for postponement or cancellation.

The guidance states: “If your governing document does not allow you to postpone or cancel meetings you should use any power (usually in your governing document) to amend the rules to ensure you can hold meetings in a valid format. You should update the governing document and approve any previous decisions as soon as possible.”

Trustees should regularly consider the wider risks and implications of holding meetings remotely or postponing or cancelling meetings if this is not allowed by the charity’s rules, and if they plan to do something that is not in accordance with the rules in the charity’s governing document, the Charity Commission may be able to give advice or authorise the

trustees’ actions. They should contact the commission about their plans as soon as they reasonably can.

The commission states: “Since the start of the pandemic we have generally been understanding and taken a proportionate approach if trustees have decided to hold meetings on a remote or hybrid basis or postpone or cancel a required meeting where: • There are no rules allowing this in your • governing document • The circumstances meant the trustees • could not reasonably make prior changes • to the governing document to allow this • The trustees can show that they have • considered all relevant factors and • possible alternatives – such as, if • postponing or cancelling, holding the • meeting on a remote or hybrid basis • The trustees follow all the other rules on • meeting governance “We will continue to take this approach in the short term as restrictions are lifted, provided that trustees can show their decision is in the best interests of the charity having taken all the circumstances into account.

However, others affected by those decisions may take a different approach, so you should take advice and fully understand the implications of any decisions you make.” q

Legacies provide a lifeline at Oak Tree

[LEGACIES ARE VITAL to the animals of Oak Tree Animals’ Charity:

they would not have been able to move to their current home at Oak Tree Farm, Carlisle in 1982 without generous gifts through wills. All donations, regardless of size, provide a lifeline to the animals at Oak Tree. More than half of the work carried out there is paid for by legacy gifts, and they couldn’t help the number of animals they do without them.

Choosing to leave a gift in a will is an exceptionally personal way to help. One supporter who chose to leave a legacy to Oak Tree explained her decision: “My lifelong love for animals and the knowledge that my gift will help support and rehome unwanted animals at Oak Tree Animals' Charity in the future gives me a great sense of happiness. I wish more people would support animal charities like Oak Tree and be part of their incredible work. I want to help Oak Tree Animals' Charity continue its wonderful work for many years to come. It is comforting knowing that I will still be able to support animals long after I am gone.”

To find out more about Oak Tree Animals’ Charity, or to enquire about leaving a gift in your will, visit www.oaktreeanimals.org.uk or email fundraising@oaktreeanimals.org.uk. q

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The dream continues to offer sanctuary to abandoned animals [

THE YEAR IS 1983 and it is the coldest winter for 20 years. Many stories about horses and ponies being abandoned by their owners on Rainham Marshes in Essex were hitting the headlines.

Paula Clark, who was involved in raising money for a number of sanctuaries, was sitting at home in tears after reading the story of those poor horses. When her husband Ernie returned home from work, Paula showed him what was happening and they vowed to take action and help the animals that needed them.

Some of the horses were already dead and others were starving when the couple got to the marshes. They weren’t having their basic needs met; they had no water or food. Paula and Ernie took tanks of water to them and bales of hay and feed. They even got a vet to examine some of them. No-one was looking after the horses’ basic needs – let alone enriching their lives.

Paula and Ernie embarked on fulfilling their dream and the story of Hopefield Animal Sanctuary began. They began taking horses with the intention of fostering. They would bring them back to health and then find them nice homes.

The first horse they fostered out was Pye. Soon after they heard that the fosterers were trying to sell him, so Ernie took them to court at a cost of £4,000. Ernie finally got Pye back in a terrible state, so both Paula and Ernie promised they would never rehome again – the animals had a home for life.

As Paula and Ernie found fostering animals didn’t work out they decided to provide homes for life to their animals. One beneficiary is Juliette, a thoroughbred horse who arrived in a terrible condition.

Because of her home for life at Hopefield, and the daily care and attention she receives, she is now physically transformed.

Paula and Ernie have both now sadly passed away. Since their passing the work has been taken over by new trustees and a dedicated team of staff and volunteers look after the resident animals, old and new. Many animals arrive in a terrible condition and are completely transformed by living at the sanctuary.

The sanctuary has now been running for 35 years – it has over 50 regular volunteers, a huge amount of local and loyal support and over 20,000 followers on Facebook.

CEO Dave Schlaich explained: “We have continued to rescue horses and farm animals, but have found that over the years the type of animals we are having to help has greatly changed, with people getting more and more into exotic species through the pet trade.”

The sanctuary is now open the public from Friday to Monday each week. It has become a visitor attraction with a small tea room. All activities generate funds that go directly to the animals, making the future more secure.

Said David: “You can support us by becoming a regular donor, visit us, sponsor an animal or leave us a legacy in your will, knowing that your donation goes towards providing a home for life for one of our animals.” q

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NCVO’s report sets out the road ahead [

THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR will have to accept a level of constant uncertainty in 2022, but should still be optimistic about its ability to provide dignity, purpose and hope for society: that is the take-out from NCVO’s Road Ahead 2022 report.

The annual analysis of the operating environment and trends affecting the sector in the coming year says that charities can play a vital role in bridging divides in a society gripped by the socalled ‘culture wars’. They should feel confident about speaking up on key issues but may need to upskill to play their part in achieving net zero; and will have opportunities to contribute to the ‘levelling up’ agenda.

As in previous years, the report was developed using a PESTEL analysis to highlight the key drivers shaping the sector in six areas: political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal.

Key political drivers include the continuation of the culture war. It also notes that charities and social enterprises may find ‘significant opportunities’ to contribute to ‘levelling up’.

Economic considerations include high inflation and rising living costs, as well as a labour market in flux, putting increased pressure on the finances of both households and charities. The emergence and exacerbation of inequalities is also a key social trend.

The section on technology reflects on questions about which services should continue to be delivered digitally; the importance of charities having the right cybersecurity and remote working arrangements; and the opportunities for charities that embrace artificial intelligence, machine learning, 5G and other new technologies.

The environmental chapter highlights the fact that responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have provided some valuable lessons in how to

respond to crises such as climate change, and also the sustainable practices already introduced by many charities.

The researchers used a wide range of information sources – from official statistics and research to the latest economic forecasts and futures analysis – as well as calling on the expertise of colleagues at NCVO, external stakeholders and members. They mainly focus on general trends and drivers likely to impact a broad range of organisations in the sector.

The report begins with a commentary from Alex Farrow, NCVO’s head of networks and influencing. He reflects on the six areas as a whole and how they might work together to shape the future of voluntary organisations and voluntary action.

The issues highlighted in the publication present opportunities and challenges for voluntary organisations. Trustees and leaders can benefit from using the analysis to explore the effects of these issues for their organisations when planning for the short and medium-term.

Alex Farrow commented: “As we start 2022, we’re once again in the grip of uncertainty as the pandemic continues to twist and turn. But though it might feel like it, the start of 2022 is not the same as January 2021. A new practicality is emerging across charities and communities, bolstered by confidence created by the speed of the scientific response to the pandemic.

“Despite everything, there are decisions and choices to make. All those running charities still have agency and power – both in what they do and how they do it. Our analysis is here to help leaders, trustees and communities make informed decisions about their future and find that new practicality.” q

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Giving hope to the

[ONE IN SIX PEOPLE in the UK has a neurological disorder: that

amounts to 16.5 million mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, friends and colleagues – more than those affected by coronary heart disease, cancer and diabetes combined. It might be there from birth, be due to a slowly developing illness or the result of a brain injury.

The charity dedicated to raising funds to advance treatments and research at the National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery and the Institute of Neurology – together known as Queen Square – is The National Brain Appeal.

The driving force behind the charity’s work is the aim to improve the outcome and quality of life for everyone affected by a neurological condition. They include brain tumours, stroke, epilepsy, dementias, MS, motor neurone disease and Parkinson’s disease: all of which have no cure as yet. They look to achieve that vision by funding state-of-the-art equipment, major building programmes and life-saving research – over and above what the NHS can provide.

Legacies represent up to one quarter of The National Brain Appeal’s annual income.

“They are crucial to the fundraising work we do,” said chief executive Theresa Dauncey. “We’re extremely grateful for every legacy left to us. Leaving just 1% of your estate can make a very real difference and is an investment in the future.

The more money we receive, the more support we can give to the National Hospital, The National Brain Appeal’s chief executive Theresa Dauncey which in turn improves the

prospects for those affected by neurological disorders.”

Penelope was diagnosed with multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) in 2004 at the National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery and attends a day care clinic run by a team of specialist nurses.

“My own personal journey with MMN makes me want to give back in whatever way I can,” she said. “That is why I have left a gift in my will to The National Brain Appeal. I want to help to fund crucial research into all neurological conditions going forward.”

Meta is a former National Hospital patient. She had successful surgery for a benign brain tumour there in 1988.

Since then both her husband and sister were diagnosed with Penelope attends a day care clinic neurological conditions. run by a team of specialist nurses

one in six

She explained: “My husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s and sadly passed away just a few months ago. My sister has multiple sclerosis – she’s been living with it for more than 25 years now. These are cruel diseases for which there is no cure and little hope.”

With that in mind Meta has made The National Brain Appeal a major beneficiary in her will.

“The lack of a cure for so many debilitating neurological conditions is a strong motivator Meta has made The National Brain for me to want to help,” she Appeal a major beneficiary in her will continued, “and by leaving a legacy I can be part of something that will provide hope for others.”

You choose

Now more than ever, benefactors to The National Brain Appeal can control where they would like their money to go. There are six specific funding areas for which individuals can make a legacy pledge: • Neurology: funding initiatives to improve diagnosis and treatment, and • provide facilities for those with on-going neurological conditions • Neurodegeneration: supporting projects which help people with • conditions where there is progressive degeneration • Neurosurgery: providing state-of-the-art equipment and facilities for the • UK’s largest neurosurgery unit • Technology and innovation: supporting projects which translate • groundbreaking ideas into better results for patients • Education and staff development: investment to provide the best • opportunities and attract the best people in the field • Queen Square: new facilities and staff-led projects at the National • Hospital and the Institute of Neurology For those who do not specify a funding area, their gift can be put towards an area with the most urgent need. Without the generosity and foresight of those who leave a legacy, the charity simply could not support the number of vital projects that it is currently able to. q • For more information about legacies and the National Brain Appeal, contact info@nationalbrainappeal.org or view the legacy section of the website at nationalbrainappeal.org/legacy.

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Rescues reach a new crisis level [LIKE SO MANY

other rescues, Hope Rescue in South Wales reached crisis point in 2021. The beginning of the pandemic saw a sharp rise in the demand for dogs as people spent more time at home.

The demographic of dogs coming in postpandemic restrictions has changed. Nearly all the dogs entering the charity’s care either have health or behavioural issues, and more often both. These are not the type of dogs that can be quickly rehomed, and they need the time and space to be supported and to set them up for success. The charity’s vet bill is about to reach the highest it has ever been and is predicted to reach £30,000 per month.

Since January 2021 they have received a record 8,500 applications for adoptions and have rehomed 304 dogs. The centre is inundated with applications and follow up emails, messages and calls and they are really struggling. Most of these applications understandably want family ready dogs which they just don’t have now.

Due to the huge number of dogs purchased during the pandemic this won’t be a short-term issue and it’s a huge concern. Read more about the current crisis and how you can help at www.hoperescue.org.uk q

Heartbeat horses on the move

[IN 2019, following the retirement of managing trustee Colin

Cooper, some of the Heartbeat horses moved to a new home at Sink Farm in Woodbridge, Suffolk.

Colin was very pleased to announce that the charity’s headquarters had moved to Hollesley where the current horses will live and be cared for alongside the wonderful Suffolk Punch horses.

Sink Farm is the colony stud for the Suffolk Punch Trust charity, who continue their important and essential work in preserving this unique breed. q • For more information on either charity please contact Tracey Pettitt, stud manager or David Clarke, finance director, on 01394 775495.

Heartbeat Homes for Horses, Sink Farm, St David’s Lane, Hollesley, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 3JR

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Digital transformation Rescue centre offers a lifeline to injured wildlife is the theme of the week

[CHARITY DIGITAL has designated the week beginning 12 March

as Digital Transformation Week: a week of free, live and on-demand content for charities. Over the course of five days, the third-sector digital promotional agency will be releasing a variety of content, including webinars, podcasts and articles inside its hub. Each day will follow a different theme and content will come in a wide array of formats, allowing virtual visitors to interact with the content as they prefer.

In its preamble to the week, Charity Digital posted: “Over this week of content, we’ll be examining the challenges, trends and actions needed to achieve digital transformation in 2022. With a different theme each day those attending can pick and choose the parts of digital transformation that matches their needs most, engaging various content types and other like-minded charities along the way.

“We’ve always believed that digital transformation is what drives charities forward. Digital transformation isn’t about huge overhauls or buying the most expensive software; it’s just about being more digital in every way you can, no matter where you are with digital or what your journey looks like. This will be different for every charity, and during this week we want to discuss the challenges charities may face, where they’ve found success and how they can set themselves up to excel with digital going forward.”

Each day of Digital Transformation Week will focus on one of five key themes: Digital Strategy, Digital Challenges, Leadership and Culture, Digital Fundraising, and Small Charities. Digital Transformation Week provides a space where charities can access useful tools and resources and share their own stories and challenges – as well as learn from others.

The Charity Digital preamble continued: “Digital Transformation Week has been tailored specifically with the sector’s most pressing concerns in mind. Each day caters to a different area of digital transformation and you can engage with whichever content suits your needs.

“The week will offer content to suit all incomes, charity sizes and job functions, honing in on the most important digital areas for charities right now. A mix of live and on-demand content will be available to help you gain the knowledge and build the skills you need to move forward with digital confidence. By signing up, you’ll get access to all the activities happening throughout the week. And what’s more, you can dip in and out as you wish and engage with the content that’s most relevant to your organisation.”

A detailed agenda is due to be released in the coming weeks, as well as more information on each theme.

Interested parties can sign up at charitydigital.org.uk or follow proceeding at #DigitalTransformationWeek. q

[

HESSILHEAD WILDLIFE RESCUE TRUST is situated near Beith, in North Ayrshire. It was set up as a charity in 1986, although its founders Andy and Gay had been caring for injured and orphaned wildlife since 1970, when they rescued a fox cub from a gamekeeper and his dogs. As the number of casualties increased year on year, Andy and Gay needed financial and practical help.

Once the trust was set up, new aviaries and enclosures were built. A membership scheme proved popular and many volunteers were recruited. The centre now occupies a 20-acre site, including woodland, marsh and open water. That gives a variety of release sites for its patients.

Approximately 3,500 wildlife casualties are now treated each year, with the aim of returning them to the wild. Among the many hedgehogs, foxes and familiar garden birds there are deer, otters, badgers and seals. All have been rescued and are rehabilitated. In addition, swans are treated regularly, along with buzzards, peregrines, herons and sea birds.

The centre operates a 24-hour rescue service and there are more than 60 enclosures and aviaries, a hedgehog hospital, a seal/swan unit and intensive care facility. It also offers training courses on the handling, care and treatment of wildlife casualties.

Spring and summer are especially busy, with hundreds of nestling birds being hand reared. Care is taken to rear all youngsters with minimum human contact. That prevents wild birds and mammals becoming too used to people, so giving them a good chance of survival in the wild.

Hessilhead is primarily a voluntary organisation. Its volunteers help in many ways: fundraising, building and maintenance, driving patients to the centre and daily cleaning and feeding. q

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They rescue animals – at home and abroad [

MAYBE YOU LOVE ANIMALS: maybe you have given a loving home to dogs or cats in need. Perhaps the suffering of animals through neglect, abuse or abandonment causes you pain. If you would like to help create a world that is kinder to all creatures, remembering Paws2Rescue in your will means you will help to alleviate the suffering of animals for years to come.

The mission Of Paws2Rescue is simple: to help animals in need wherever they are. As they are entirely staffed by volunteers, every penny they raise enables them to fulfil that mission over and over again.

Paws2Rescue’s Alison Standbridge explained: “Although we are a UK- based charity, we recognise that too many animals overseas suffer appalling neglect and cruelty. That’s why, as well as finding loving UK homes for unwanted dogs and cats, we undertake a variety of international projects to reduce the suffering of animals, with a particular focus on Romania and Moldova – countries where animals continue to suffer the most distressing abuses.

“We aim to alleviate the day-to-day misery of these unfortunate animals by meeting their basic needs – food, medical treatment and sanctuary – and by supporting shelters in rural areas where resources are desperately needed.”

But the key to truly ending the misery is to tackle its root causes. Therefore, Bobi before and after being rescued Paws2Rescue also provide free neutering programme uses purpose-made educational materials to foster services for both stray and owned animals, encouraging owners to compassion, teaching children to love and respect all living things. take responsibility for their pets’ health by preventing unwanted litters “So, although our current aim may be to help animals in need of kittens and puppies. Their Veterinary Scholarship Programme funds wherever they are, our dream is to create a world where no more young people through their university studies to encourage more local animals need our help. vets to work in rural areas in Romania where the need is greatest.

“By leaving a legacy to Paws2Rescue, no matter how small, you can Alison continued: “Education is crucial to our mission: if future rest assured every penny of your kind donation will be helping dogs, generations are brought up to hold the same antiquated, cruel attitudes cats and other animals in desperate circumstances both now and in the towards animals as many of their elders, then the horrible abuses future. Thank you.” q will continue. To break this negative cycle, our successful schools

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Cyber expert outlines threats for 2022 [CYBERCRIME CONTINUES to be a huge problem for charities

around the world, and since the pandemic struck at the beginning of 2020, many cyber criminals have changed the way that they operate.

According to Charity Digital’s cybersecurity expert Paul Rubens, that is because the change in working practices, such as the move to home working, has presented many security vulnerabilities that the criminals have been quick to exploit.

Paul has predicted that this year the cybersecurity landscape will continue to evolve, as many organisations return to pre-pandemic work practices, while still retaining some of the flexible working arrangements they adopted in 2020.

That means it’s important to understand what the top cyber security risks of 2022 are likely to be, and what your charity can do to mitigate the risks.

Paul’s list of the main threats for 2022 include: • Phishing for SaaS credentials • Ransomware double trouble • Covert crypto-mining According to Paul: “More than 75% of targeted cyberattacks start with someone at an organisation opening a malicious email. What’s changed over the past 18 months is that many employees working from home have become used to using applications running in the cloud – known as software-as-a-service or SaaS apps – instead of programs running on their charity’s own computers. Many of these SaaS apps contain confidential data about service users or donors.

“The after-effects of the pandemic, such as the shift towards hybrid working environments, make it much more likely that these attacks will succeed because employees have become used to interacting with colleagues over email, when previously they may have talked in person.”

On the subject of ransomware, he explains: “The first half of 2021 saw a 102% increase in ransomware attacks compared to the beginning of 2020, so it’s a security problem that’s only getting more prevalent. To make matters worse, ransomware groups are increasingly adopting an even more troubling approach to their criminal activities: doubling down on the threat that they pose. Not only do they encrypt their victims’ data and demand a ransom payment to regain access to it, but now they often add extra pressure by threatening to publish all the data online if the ransom is not paid.”

The third threat is ‘covert crypto-mining’. Paul explains: “A single Bitcoin is worth substantially more today than it was in 2018, so it’s likely that there will be a rise in malware that silently installs Bitcoin mining software onto victims’ computers. This software hijacks the computer’s processing power and puts it to work to generate Bitcoins, consuming electricity and slowing down the computer as it does so.

Once the Bitcoin mining software is running on the computer, it may also install other malware such as keyloggers to try to steal passwords and other confidential data.”

To read the full article, which also contains Paul’s advice on countering the threat, visit charitydigital.org.uk. q

Former police horses are among those given sanctuary [SINCE 1976 Devon Horse

and Pony Sanctuary have rescued, rehabilitated and cared for many horses, ponies and donkeys – including local Dartmoor ponies. Since 1993 they have also taken in, when asked, retired police horses from the Metropolitan Police or the Avon and Somerset force. Those horses have come to the end of their working lives for one reason or another and the sanctuary provides them with a safe and ‘forever’ future.

The police don’t have the resources to look after their retired horses, so all funds to keep those animals have to be raised by supporters of Devon Horse and Pony Sanctuary. They are away from the stresses of police life in a wonderful location on the edge of Dartmoor.

Every animal can give something back to help alleviate the stresses of life, so in reality helping them can also help us.

Said the sanctuary’s Chris Hills: “This amazing place provides a haven of tranquillity, and we welcome visitors who may also need a little help and support to come and enjoy time with our horses and ponies.

“Your legacy gift will help us to give the very best care and attention to our rescued horses, ponies and donkeys, both in the physical and emotional sense. We would like more people in need to spend time with these amazing animals and benefit as we and our amazing band of volunteers do every day and gain a little respite from the rigours of daily life.” q • For further information visit www.dhaps.org.uk.

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Their project is to reintroduce foxes to the wild [

IT WOULD BE TEMPTING to try to explain all that is The Fox Project, but that would look a little like a shopping list: wildlife information bureau, humane fox deterrence consultancy, wildlife ambulance service, wildlife hospital etc.

Instead, it would be more straightforward to concentrate on what’s going on right now, as we enter the annual UK red fox breeding season, with an expectation of anything up to 300 sick, injured and orphaned fox cubs being received by The Fox Project. How does that work?

Wynn was one of the first cubs the project received in 2021. He is pictured gazing thoughtfully out of his pen at the setting sun, perhaps quietly wondering how he can get out into the big, wide world and do what he wants, rather than what we want.

Founder of The Fox Project Trevor Williams takes up the story: “Wynn was picked up next to a dead sibling by a passing dog walker and we assumed they had crawled out of the den in search of a mother that, for whatever reason, had failed to return. He was a keen bottle feeder, and because baby animals need the company and warmth of others, he was grouped with Wendell, Wilfred, Calvin and Bertie.

“Cubs grow fast and a brooder will only hold them for so long before their accommodation needs to be upgraded to steel vet cages. And they, too, are soon inadequate for curious, active youngsters who are developing speed and agility – albeit wobbly speed and agility!

“The next step was day release in a two-storey chicken run and back in the warm at night for a bedtime bottle and a bowl of dog food. They loved that! And then they were moved to a larger foster pen, where muscles could develop and they could feel the weather.

“As soon as Wynn and Co were weaned off the bottle, the bond with their feeder was broken and they were transferred to one of our team of fosterers. These volunteers have pens in their gardens where they can look after the needs of a litter of cubs without getting directly involved with them.

“And that is where the serious work begins in encouraging cubs to revert to wild in preparation for late summer release. Given all the changes, our cubs should be growing suspicious of people in general; and their first instinct when a fosterer approaches is to run into the hutch provided. If they begin to get ‘waggy’ with the fosterer, we move them to another. And we keep doing that right through the summer.

“From mid-June, we start to move them onto pre-arranged rehab sites – no more than five cubs per site. Those are predominantly rural: often farms and smallholdings.”

The cubs are now the responsibility of the rehabber that owns the property. Their job is to feed, water and clean out the pen and never to speak. A cautious cub is a cub that will live the longest: if you’ve made a cub tame, you’ve undermined their potential for a safe and long life.

After four to six weeks on site the cubs are used to the sights, sounds and smells of every other animal in the area and vice versa. That means they can safely be released without danger of attack. Come the night of release, the rehabber simply leaves the door open and walks away.

Trevor continued: “Timing for this final part of the procedure is governed by nature.

Just as the breeding season fluctuates a little every year, so does natural dispersal, when wild-raised cubs – by now around five months old – will fan out from their home territory to locate their own: a vital process to avoid in-breeding and necessary if they’re ultimately to find a mate. Release of our cubs is timed to coincide with that point.”

Wynn and his chums were released from a smallholding in East Sussex. Initially, they all returned for support feeding, but it’s seldom needed for long. As they begin to use the instincts nature provided them with, the cubs return less and less frequently.

“When they no longer return,” said Trevor, “we must hope they’re doing well.

And we generally know they are, because we often see them around for months, or even years. Not that it’s any of our business.

We’ve given them that all-important second chance and whatever befalls them, good or bad, is down to them.” q

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Bili from Bulgaria

[BILI WOULD HAVE BEEN wild caught as a baby and then smuggled in on the

black market and somehow ending up in Bulgaria. He spent the first 15 years of his life in a circus performing for the public and doing what his owner told him to do.

He then spent 15 years on his own in a small concrete enclosure. He didn’t have anything more than a blanket and a stone platform for his bed.

Jan Garen from Wales Ape & Monkey Sanctuary takes up the story: “Bili is now 40 years old and in Sept 2011 we made the 4,000-mile round trip in our ambulance to rescue him from Bulgaria. The long journey, although tiring, went well. When we arrived back at the sanctuary Bili was as bright as a button and very intrigued to say the least!

“Considering what he has been through, he doesn’t let it bother him. He is in an enclosure with four other chimps – Ronnie, Twmi, Fergus and female Nakima. He gets on well with them all and has a particular bond with Fergus. You often see them grooming each other which is a delight to see. Bili is truly remarkable.” q • For further information call 01639 730276, email info@ape-monkey-rescue.org.uk or visit the website www.ape-monkey-rescue.org.uk

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Charities look to broaden diversity of boards, research finds [TWO THIRDS OF CHARITIES say they are actively looking to

recruit trustees from more diverse backgrounds, a new survey from specialist charity insurer Ecclesiastical has found. The company carried out the research ahead of Trustee Week at the beginning of November and found that, while trustee referrals are still the most popular method of recruitment, charities are increasingly using social media to reach a wider audience.

Over two fifths (44%) of charities are using social media to advertise vacancies on their boards, almost as popular as using their own website (46%). LinkedIn (67%), Twitter (58%) and Facebook (55%) are the most commonly used recruitment platforms, but 18% are making use of TikTok to appeal to a younger audience with their advertisements.

Three out of five (60%) of charities using social media said that they use paid-for or sponsored advertisements to target specific audiences.

Understanding of the needs of the charity’s beneficiaries (45%) and bringing new skills to the board (44%) ranked as the most important attributes when recruiting trustees, followed by professional qualifications (35%), network of contacts (34%) and status in the community (31%).

Charities have faced a challenging 18 months with increased demand and reduced budgets, and half of respondents said they found it more difficult to recruit trustees in that time. Over two fifths (44%) said that one way of encouraging trustees from a wider range

of ages, backgrounds and communities was to promote the benefits of being a trustee more widely, while 44% suggested encouraging more flexibility around board meetings. Two in five (40%) said that training for charity boards promoting the benefits of diversity could also be of benefit.

Faith Kitchen, customer segment director at Ecclesiastical, commented: “Trustee Week is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the amazing work charity trustees across the country do. It’s also an opportunity to encourage new people to get involved and it’s clear from this survey that charities are already working hard to reach new audiences and to improve the diversity on their boards.

“By encouraging trustees from a wider range of ages, backgrounds and communities, charities can bring in new ideas, identify different opportunities and safeguard against potential risks they’re not currently sighted on.”

Penny Wilson, CEO of Getting on Board, which campaigns for greater diversity among charity trustees, said: “That two thirds of charities say they are actively looking to recruit trustees from more diverse backgrounds feels like a real step forward towards diverse boards becoming the sector standard. However, it’s not just about getting people onto boards; we need to make sure that our board policies and procedures, and ultimately board culture, is supportive of people who have been previously under-represented so that they are able to fully utilise their skills, experience and knowledge once in the role.” q

Re-homing is their mission [THE MISSION of Three Counties Dog Rescue is to accept, care for

and find homes for unwanted, lost and stray dogs and cats and to ensure their wellbeing afterwards. The charity was founded in 1971 and since then they have improved the lives of 7,500 dogs and cats.

Before rehoming, all animals are vet checked, neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and kept in suitable conditions. Rehabilitation costs are a major part of the charity’s annual expenditure of over £200,000.

Healthy animals are never put down. As part of that non-destruction policy, several elderly dogs are kept in long term foster care. However, this means that the charity can incur large veterinary costs to maintain a dog’s health while they await a new permanent home. They now provide boarding and cremation services with profits supporting the Rescue.

Every penny raised goes to improving the lives of dogs and cats. Three Counties Dog Rescue is run entirely by voluntary and unpaid helpers, who also meet their own expenses. q

Caring for chelonia [THE BRITISH CHELONIA GROUP publishes six newsletters

a year containing details of meetings, short articles, news items and veterinary notes. Their journal Testudo is published annually and contains original articles and reviews on all aspects of turtles, terrapins and tortoises – their biology, conservation, welfare, veterinary care and husbandry. The group also organises symposia.

As well as the yearly appeals in aid of specific international causes in chelonia research and survival, the BCG assists other worthy causes in support of its aims with grants. They invite grant applications from organisations and individuals engaged on the work of chelonia conservation – such as zoos, universities, zoologists and students in this country and overseas. q

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In-person events resume with impact measurement seminar [

THIRD SECTOR think tank NPC will resume in-person meeting with a seminar on the issue of Impact measurement for trustees. The event takes place at Clothworkers’ Company Hall on London’s Mincing Lane on 4 April.

In its preamble to the seminar, NPC explains: “Impact measurement helps charities to understand their performance and improve their work. But it’s important to have clear expectations about what kinds of data are feasible to collect and how often.

Long-term outcomes can be hard to track, but there are other types of data that can inform decisionmaking and help a charity increase its impact.

“As the pandemic has shown, regularly collected user, engagement, quality and feedback data can often be more useful in informing charities’ work – particularly when it comes to helping charities to learn and adapt to a changing landscape in real-time.”

The free seminar, which is being run in partnership with the Clothworker’s Company, will explore the kinds of questions trustees should be asking their charities in order to inform decision making; what expectations are proportionate when it comes to impact measurement; and the kinds of challenges charities commonly come across when planning their impact measurement.

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Practical examples will be used to think through how charities can approach questions like: • Did we make a difference?

• What was our contribution; what • change would have happened anyway?

• What worked particularly well about our • approach?

The Clothworkers’ Company is one of the Great Twelve Livery Companies of the City of London. Part of its mission is to promote trusteeship among members and improve charity governance across the UK. Founded in 1528 to promote the craft of clothworking, the Company’s members help to fulfil civic duties to the City of London and the Company itself has focused one area of its grant-making on championing good governance, trusteeship, and fostering a more resilient non-profit sector in the UK. In keeping with that focus, for the past 11 years the Clothworkers’ Company has partnered with NPC on its trusteeship events series, with the aim of exploring the key issues affecting charity governance in the UK. Bookings for the 4 April seminar – which begins at 4pm following 3.30pm registration and is followed by a drinks reception – can be made at www.thinknpc.org/events-and-training/ where information on other NPC events can also be found. q

The range of charities which depend on legacies to carry out their valuable work is a broad one. Those that are represented in this publication are listed below, grouped according to the area of activity in which they operate.

ANIMAL WELFARE

INDEX

MEDICAL RESEARCH

Humane Slaughter Association 2

Prostate Cancer Research 1

Universities Federation for Animal Welfare 2

CLEFT 8

Friends of the Animals 4/5

Royal College of Surgeons of England 10

The New European Distressed Donkey Initiative Ltd 9

Pain Relief Foundation 10

The Suffolk Owl Sanctuary 12

Caring Cancer Trust 20/21

Wild Futures 12

Against Breast Cancer 24

The Suffolk Punch Trust 16

The National Brain Appeal 28/29

Last Chance Animal Rescue 16

Cancer Prevention Research Trust 38

Tiggywinkles 17

FRAME 40

Environmental Investigation Agency 22 Oak Tree Animals’ Charity 25 Hopefield Animal Sanctuary 26 Pet Rescue Welfare Association 27 Hope Rescue 30 Heartbeat Home for Horses 30 Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue 31 Paws2Rescue 32

CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE Youth Cancer Trust 15 Kidney Kids Scotland 19 Hypo Hounds 23

The Devon Horse and Pony Sanctuary 33 The Fox Project 34/35 Wales Ape & Monkey Sanctuary 36 Three Counties Dog Rescue 37 British Chelonia Group 37

HEALTH & DISABILITY Multiple Sclerosis Trust 6 National Federation of the Blind of the United Kingdom 11 The Respite Association 14

OVERSEAS AID

The Partially Sighted Society 18 Blood Pressure UK 18

ZANE: Zimbabwe A National Emergency 8

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