TAYSIDE firm of solicitors, Miller Hendry, has retained a place as one of the UK’s top Will Aid fundraisers for yet another year, racking up a donation of £11,397.50 in the annual winter fundraising campaign, and placing them the second-highest fundraiser in Scotland, and the sixth-highest in the UK.
The Tayside firm has been raising money for the Will Aid charities for several years now and, since the partnership with the charity began, has amassed £54,089.64 in donations made from customers who have exchanged their goodwill in return for a professionally drafted will.
Ernie Boath, partner and head of Private Client Department at Miller Hendry, commented on the firm’s fantastic achievement: “I am delighted that Miller Hendry’s Private Client team have raised over £11,397.50 by preparing nearly 120 Wills for both existing and new clients, and to be recognised as one of the top fundraising firms in the UK.
“Our solicitors in Dundee, Perth and Crieff were thrilled to have been able to take part in such a successful and worthwhile campaign once again. The money raised makes such a difference to the nine Will Aid charities.”
The annual campaign calls upon lawyers across the country to offer clients a basic Will and, instead of paying the firm’s fees, clients make a donation to the campaign. The money raised is shared by ActionAid, Age UK, British Red Cross, Christian Aid, NSPCC, Save the Children, SCIAF, Sightsavers and Trocaire.
Ann Ward, fundraising & education manager at SCIAF (the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund), which receives a share of the money raised by Will Aid spoke on behalf of all the Will Aid charities said:
“All of the Will Aid charities are so grateful to Miller Hendry and the staff involved in this fantastic effort.
“By giving up their time every November for Will Aid, Miller Hendry has helped SCIAF to provide practical support such as farming tools, seeds and training to the many thousands of poor people we work with in countries like South Sudan, Ethiopia, Haiti and Colombia.
“With this support, people are able to work their way out of poverty, towards a secure future for them and their families. Gifts in Wills have helped to save many lives and brought real hope to people in desperate circumstances.
“When people take the opportunity to leave a legacy in their Will, they’re helping us to build a better world.”
Ernie Boath added: “We found that many of our new clients had been considering making a Will for many years but simply hadn’t gotten around to it. And there have been some high-profile cases about Wills in the news recently which may have driven an increase in interest in the campaign.
“A number of clients also wanted to use a legally qualified professional rather than taking the risk of using an unregulated will writer, but were under the impression that it could be very expensive.
“Will Aid’s suggested donation level gave them the peace of mind they needed to take the plunge. We were particularly pleased to have attracted younger couples with children, who were keen to protect their children’s interests and appoint guardians.”
ENDS
Notes for editors:
Photograph
Left to right: Donnie MacLeod (Associate, Miller Hendry), Aileen Scott (Senior Solicitor, Miller Hendry), Anne Ward (SCIAF), Ernie Boath (Partner and Head of Private Client Department, Miller Hendry), Mhairi Cage (Solicitor, Miller Hendry)
Miller Hendry
For more information, please contact Tricia Fox, Volpa on 07989 955039 or t.fox@volpa.co.uk or visit www.millerhendrysolicitors.co.uk
Will Aid
For more information, please visit: www.willaid.org.uk
Contact details:
Sue Davison, press office. Tel: 01460 271182. Email: sue@27newroad.fsnet.co.uk
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Contact: Tricia Fox
Phone: 01738658187
Email: t.fox@volpa.co.uk
Website: http://www.volpa.co.uk
