Meet our Chair

What did life before legacies look like for you?

I was born and raised in the market town of Melton Mowbray (where the pork pie comes from) and left for London via Leeds when I was 18 to study dance at London Contemporary Dance School. On completion of my degree, I had a varied career as a dancer, choreographer, teacher, and arts administrator. My biggest achievement was performing as a puppeteer with “In the Night Garden Live” for 5 years – yep, I’m good friends with Makka Pakka and the crew!

 

How did this lead you to the legacy sector?

In 2015, I was searching for a change in direction, and was fortunate enough to be accepted onto the Cancer Research UK internship programme through clearing. My role was in the legacy events team, managing their guest lists for their Christmas events. To be honest, I had no idea what ‘legacies’ were, but CRUK seemed like a good fit, and a great foot in the door!

 

What was it about legacies that drew you in and how did things progress from there?

What really stood out to me was the strong community feel within the sector - which is strengthened each year as more and more charities are becoming legacy beneficiaries – as coming together to build and share best practice and ideas is something that I am passionate about. It also helped that the team at CRUK were fab, and so it didn’t take long before I was hooked on all things legacy.

I was lucky enough to remain at CRUK and be able to grow and develop for 4 years, in various roles, working across both events and solicitor partnerships. In January 2020, I moved to another legacy powerhouse, the British Heart Foundation, where I further honed my knowledge of legacy journeys and products.

 

Where are you in your legacy journey today?

In 2023, I joined the British Red Cross as Head of Legacies, leading our Marketing & Development, Community Legacies and Income teams. I am also a trustee for Magpie Dance, a local dance charity in South London, which has broadened my insight across the full spectrum of fundraising and legacy programmes – from those that that are well established to those yet to be formed.

Over the past 8+ years I have been an active supporter of Remember A Charity and I’ve had the privilege to have been a member of both our Council and Executive groups, before taking on the role of Chair.

 

What unique role does Remember A Charity have to play within the sector?

The consortium is an organisation like no other, and has the power to achieve what no one charity can alone - helping share the importance of gifts in Wills far and wide, by informing and inspiring the giving public, offering support to our amazing charity members, and equipping our partners and professional advisers to open up even more conversations about legacies.

 

What are you most looking forward to in your role as Chair?

I’m excited and honoured to have the opportunity to step up and lead the consortium through this next phase in our collaborative activity to grow the legacy market. There’s a lot going on - with new programmes of work, key research and insights to share, and our high profile consumer campaigns with Remember A Charity Week taking place 9-15^th September 2024. I can’t wait to share and champion our members’ stories, build more partnerships with those who can positively influence charitable Will making and, of course, continue to celebrate legacies and the huge impact they have for people all over the world.