A LEGACY OF CARE AND COMPASSION: WHY VEE OWERS CHAMPIONS LEAVING GIFTS IN WILLS TO ELLENOR

Introducing Verity Owers – or, as she prefers to be known, simply ‘Vee’ – ellenor’s dedicated Legacy Giving Manager.  

Legacies – in other words, the gifts left to ellenor in the Wills of our kind supporters - are a key source of our funding. These gifts contribute around £1 million of the £7 million the hospice needs to raise every year, to continue its vital support for those living with life limiting conditions and their families. 

Vee plays a crucial role in raising awareness of the importance of gifts in Wills which may be large or small, something specific (such as a sum of money or a piece of jewellery) or a percentage of someone’s ‘estate’ (in other words, their money, property or possessions). Her mission is to raise awareness of the incredible difference all of these gifts can make to the support ellenor provides to local communities across Kent and Bexley.  

Vee was a natural fit to join the team at ellenor. She started her career as a trainee nurse which included caring for patients facing life limiting illnesses before moving on to work in fundraising for charities including Macmillan Cancer Support and Rainbow Trust (for children with a terminal illness and their families). Following her own experiences of loss, she volunteered at a local Hospice and was a Trustee for a local bereavement counselling service. 

“My experiences have shown me the positive difference it can make to plan ahead for the future as leaving a gift in our Will encourages us to do, and how leaving a legacy is an amazing chance to ensure the values and causes that are dear to us in life, can continue to thrive.” 

With that in mind, one of Vee’s aims is to embed legacy giving into ellenor at a deep, cultural level: so everyone connected with ellenor feels they could at least consider giving a gift in their Will. 

“There’s a misconception that leaving a legacy gift is complicated and expensive, but it doesn’t have to be: there are simple and cost effective ways of making and updating a Will. I’d love us to get to a place where anybody who is a part of ellenor can feel like legacy giving is something they could at least think about doing.” 

As Vee says, it’s one of the benefits of supporting a small, local charity:

“That you’re able to see the direct impact of your gift. Whether it’s your neighbour, your friend, or someone you know from the area, you can really see the impact.”

Ultimately, though, legacy giving provides the opportunity to be part of something – the future. 

“By leaving a gift in your Will to ellenor, you become part of the future of our hospice. We have very generous supporters who support us now – which we need, because we’re providing services now – but this is about ensuring we can go on providing those services in the long-term.”

At ellenor, that includes the exciting development of its Wellbeing Wing – extended facilities which will include new counselling rooms, an improved play room, quiet spaces for patients and their families, and a large multipurpose space for a range of activities. This will enable ellenor to meet the needs of more patients, and their loved ones, facing life-limiting illnesses – and meet those needs to an even higher level of personalised, holistic hospice care. 

“We are immensely grateful for all of the legacies we receive here at ellenor. The generosity of those kind supporters who choose to leave a gift in their Will directly benefits our local community.”