Legacies update

When should you make a will? you make a will?

To make a will you must be 18 years or older, be of sound mind and acting of your own free will. Your will must be in writing and must be signed by two witnesses for it to be valid. There are a number of key events in the course of a lifetime that act as a trigger to make a will. These include:

• When you get married • If you are going abroad • If you get divorced or separated • When you buy/inherit a house or become the owner of property or cash • When you start a family • Upon retirement, getting older or if suffering from an illness

Remember, you can change your will at any time and as often as you like. In fact, it is highly recommended that you regularly review your will, especially if your circumstances have changed.

Legacy Wording Here is some useful information for a person leaving a legacy gift to charity.

It is very important to include the following information. Your charity can provide this or please consult the Charities Regulator’s website for the list of registered charities. • Full name of charity • Registered address of charity • CHY number • Charity registration number

Precedent clause for a Will I GIVE the sum of €xx (sum in words) to [name of charity] [charity registration number] of [registered address of the charity]* for the general purposes** of the said charity and I direct that a receipt by the treasurer or other proper officer of the said charity shall be sufficient discharge for my executors in the payment of this legacy.

If, at the date of my death, the said charity has ceased to exist or has amalgamated or become incorporated with another charity or has changed its name, then this legacy shall not fail, but my executors shall pay the legacy to such charity as they consider most nearly fulfils the objects of that which I intended to benefit.***

Notes: * A testator (person making Will) may wish to leave a gift to a particular branch of a charity and in which case the branch address should be inserted.

** If testator wants to leave a gift to a charity specifically for research and development, ensure that the charity has a research and development function.

*** If a charity changes its name or becomes amalgamated into another charity, this provision allows the executors to leave the gift to a kindred charity.

You can Press Play for a seriously ill child.

Childhood stops for seriously ill children. At Barretstown we Press Play

Be part of Paul Newman’s legacy for future generations of children living with serious illness in Ireland. One of the most powerful and lasting ways a person can support Barretstown is by considering leaving a gift in their will. Barretstown receives just 2% funding, and must raise the remaining 98% from the public.

All legacy gifts left to Barretstown, no matter the amount, are combined into the Magic Fund. This Fund is a vital source of income for Barretstown, allowing even more campers to experience the magic of Barretstown and allowing Barretstown to invest in vital capital projects, they would not otherwise be in a position to undertake.

When a child is seriously ill, their life becomes about everything they can’t do anymore, and they can stop feeling like a regular child. Even when they physically start to get better, the psychological scars of their illness, or that of their siblings, can remain: eroding confidence, diminishing self-esteem and coping skills.

Barretstown empowers and encourages each child to step out of their comfort zone and re-build their confidence through medically endorsed therapeutic camps and programmes. They start to discover the magic of being a child again. Hospitals treat the illness. Barretstown treats the child. The Barretstown programme is endorsed by leading medical professionals and has become internationally recognised as having a profound and lasting impact on the lives of children living with serious illness.

Elsie with Richella

You can be part of the magic. You can Press Play on childhood. “Barretstown has become a magic word in our house. It means joy, it means happiness. But the biggest impact Barretstown has had is to enable us to know that there was something else outside of cancer and treatment. Something brighter to look forward to. I’m so grateful that there is a Barretstown. And I’m very grateful to kind people who make it possible for families like mine to go there.”

Irish Blue Cross Appeal – Help Us Help Patients Like Coco

This is Coco, a five-year-old Staffie, and a much-loved family pet. Coco came to see our team at the Inchicore Clinic. She had a large tumour on the left side of her body. The tumour kept getting bigger, causing Coco huge pain and discomfort.

The tumour grew out into the space behind her leg, which made it extremely painful for Coco to walk. It soon became ulcerated and infected, a heavy lump in her side.

Without treatment, the tumour would take away Coco’s ability to walk. She would have to be put to sleep. Coco needed emergency surgery. So, after treating her infection with antibiotics, our veterinary team took Coco into the operating room.

For over three hours, the surgeon worked to remove Coco’s life-threatening tumour. We soon discovered there were two more tumours hiding behind the first, giant growth.

Thanks to our vets’ expertise and care, the operation was a success. Then, as her surgery was so extensive, we kept her under observation for a week.

Our vets and nurses gave Coco all the aftercare she needed – including the occasional tickle to her tummy, causing her tail to wag with happiness. Coco was a wonderful patient and although we were sad to see her leave, we were delighted to send her home having made such a wonderful recovery. We put her on a course of antibiotics and painkillers to help her heal after the operation. Her owners then took over, looking after Coco with kindness, keeping her comfortable, and yes, tickles.

“We can't thank The Irish Blue Cross enough for saving Coco’s life. She's been spoilt rotten since the operation. She is full of life and energy now, and is a totally different dog. We really appreciate all of the help and support we received from all the vets and nurses.”

– Coco’s owner.

Luckily for Coco and her family, the Irish Blue Cross team were there when they needed us. Today, she’s come through her ordeal, and is thriving. To support the lifesaving work that we do, you can donate online at www.bluecross.ie, or call us on 01-4163032 .

Have you considered leaving a legacy?

Remembering the Irish Blue Cross in your will is a kind and generous gesture. It costs you nothing in your lifetime but your kindness makes a difference forever. Once loved ones are looked after in your will, consider how else you can help. Let your love for pets live on as part of your legacy, and help safeguard the future of the Irish Blue Cross. To find out more, speak in strictest confidence with Paul at the Irish Blue Cross, on (01) 4163032 or email legacy@bluecross.ie.

15A Goldenbridge Industrial Estate, Inchicore, Dublin 8 T:+353 1 4163032 E: fundraising@bluecross.ie www.bluecross.ie

Eight months pregnant and fleeing conflict in Tigray, Ethiopia: Zaid’s Story

Zaid Mehari is eight months pregnant. She has been forced to flee her home in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, due to the outbreak of conflict. Away from her husband and family she is scared and traumatised, awaiting the birth of her first born.

Thanks to GOAL, Zaid is being supported and feels safe. She is one of millions of people r eached by the humanitarian aid agency every year in 14 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.

In Tigray, northern Ethiopia, Zaid told GOAL her tragic story and how she had no choice but to flee her safe and warm home in Adigrat, the second biggest city in the region, and venture into the unknown.

Leaving her mother, husband and brother behind she is one of thousands of displaced people who have been forced to escape conflict in Tigray.

Before the conflict Zaid was a successful and respected retailer, and her husband a government employee. The couple were e xcited, counting days to the birth of their firstborn.

Forced to flee by conflict. But the conflict started, and she fled to a nearby small town. She begged her elderly mother to go with her. But her mother refused saying she would r ather die in a place she had lived in all her life.