Remembering a charity this week

From 17^th – 23^rd September, United Response will join more than 140 charities representing a wide range of causes to take part in Remember a Charity week.

Now in it’s fourth year, Remember a Charity week involves charities working together to encourage people to think about including a good cause in their Will, once they have looked after family and friends.   During last year’s event, legendary British stuntman Rocky Taylor smashed through glass, jumped off a burning building and broke a Guinness World Record to remind people that life is unpredictable and raise awareness of the importance of both making a Will and of leaving a gift to a charity.

This year, weatherman Michael Fish launched Remember a Charity Week whilst marking the 25th anniversary of the 1987 storms by encouraging more people to plan for the unexpected and make sure they have a Will. Joining Michael in lending their support are a host of other celebrities including Dame Judi Dench and Jeremy Irons.

United Response is proud to be part of the Remember a Charity consortium, and to be working with some of the biggest charities in the UK to pool resources and raise awareness of the importance of making a Will and of leaving a gift to your chosen charity.  Three quarters of Britons regularly give to charity in their lifetimes, yet only 7% currently include a charity when writing a Will.  Nevertheless, gifts in Wills are the foundation of many ofBritain’s charities, creating almost £2 billion each year, the equivalent of 19 Comic Reliefs. Without this income, many charities would simply not exist and others would have to cut crucial services.

For example, during the last year, gifts left to United Response have funded projects such as ‘Time for You’ – a Suffolk-based initiative supporting people who provide unpaid care and support to family members or friends who have illnesses, health conditions, addictions, disabilities or mental health issues; a supported employment project in Cornwall providing training, job coaching and work experience to help people with disabilities enter or re-enter the world of work; and Winfield, which provides accredited IT training and support to people with mental health needs in the West Kent Area.

Without this invaluable source of support, many of the projects and activities that really make a difference to the lives of disabled people would not take place.  We do, of course, understand that family and loved ones will always come first and remembering a charity in your Will doesn’t mean excluding others – even a small gift can make a real difference.

By leaving a gift to United Response in your Will, you will be helping to ensure that we are able to continue our work supporting people with learning disabilities, mental health needs and physical disabilities to take control of their lives for many years into the future. 

If you would like more information on how to leave a gift to United Response in your Will and how your gift would make a real difference to the lives of people we support, please see the Gift in your Will section of our website.

The Remember a Charity website also contains lots of information and guidance for those thinking about leaving a gift to charity in their Will, including an easy-to-use downloadable Will Writing Guide and a comprehensive directory of Wills and probate solicitors.

Martyn Weeds – Fundraising Manager