Vincents honoured for helping to secure vital funds for Cancer Research UK
Vincents Solicitors in Lytham has been recogised by Cancer Research UK after facilitating more than £905,000 worth of gifts from people choosing to leave a legacy to the charity in their will.
Chris Mathews, Zoe Fleming and Donna Matthews from Vincents were presented with a silver certificate to acknowledge the firm's ongoing support. Vincents has been offering the Free Will Service to people over 55 in Lytham for a number of years, giving advice and support for those wishing to write a will or update an existing one.
As part of this service, the Vincents team also provides guidance for those wishing to leave a legacy gift for Cancer Research UK.
The charity receives no government funding for its research and relies heavily on the generosity of donors, including people leaving gifts in their wills. Over a third of its research into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer is funded through supporters leaving this type of 'legacy' to the charity.
Zoe Fleming from Vincents said: "We are thrilled to receive this commendation and quite humbled to discover this office has helped the charity to raise more than £900,000 to fund its vital work. The Free Will Service is a wonderful initiative which not only encourages people to make a will, but also helps to raise awareness of the concept of legacy giving, and allows people to show their support to the charity in an incredibly meaningful way. We are very proud to be a part of this scheme here in Lytham and delighted to continue providing our support to Cancer Research UK."
A legacy gift refers to a donation provided via a will, traditionally financial but it could be anything with monetary value. The donor can even determine which part of the Cancer Research mission they want to support, be it research into a specific cancer type or within a local geographic area, if they so choose.
Clare Moore, Director of Legacies at Cancer Research UK, explained: "We all reach a stage at some point in our lives where we start to look ahead and consider what will happen to our financial affairs in the future, when we may no longer be around.
"At Cancer Research UK we work with a number of local solicitors, including Vincents, to offer people over 55 the chance to make an all-important first will or to update an existing one. The service has grown in popularity over the past couple of years and, while it is provided free of any obligation, the majority of people choose to kindly leave a gift to the charity.
"By offering Cancer Research UK's Free Will Service, Vincents has become well informed about our work and the team are very supportive of our life-saving research. Whenever their clients express a desire to support us, their team act with great sensitivity as they explain the various options and allow individuals or families to make the right choice in their own good time.
"It's quite astonishing to think that by simply combining enthusiasm with the highest professional standards, Vincents has helped secure over £900,000 worth of legacy gifts, which will go a long way towards helping our scientists, doctors and nurses to beat cancer sooner."
Cancer survival in the UK has doubled since the early 1970s and Cancer Research UK's work has been at the heart of that progress. Every step taken by its doctors, nurses and scientists relies on donations from the public and the kindness of supporters who choose to leave a gift in their will.
The Free Will Service has been running successfully for over 20 years across a network of solicitors in the UK. Anyone who wishes to use the service is asked to consider leaving a legacy gift to Cancer Research UK but is under no obligation to do so.”
For more information about leaving a legacy gift and Cancer Research UK's free will service, visit www.cruk.org/freewillservice or call Vincents Solicitors on 01253 773 377.