British Red Cross: A £1m legacy enables rapid response

Mr Habib’s* unrestricted legacy – a gift of over £1 million – has reinforced our ability to deliver worldwide humanitarian response to increasing natural disasters and protracted conflicts.

For the British Red Cross, legacies ensure that we can respond rapidly, giving people the help they need, whether it’s due to emergencies such as flooding here in the UK, or across the world in places such as Afghanistan and Somalia.

They mean we can provide people with food, clean water, shelter, and clothing. They also provide vital support to our refugee services, supporting victims of modern slavery and trafficking, and helping to find missing families – support for often the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in communities.

What is Mr Habib’s story? The British Red Cross explains:

Mr Habib initially approached us to discuss our work and his possible legacy. A meeting in a coffee shop with a community legacy manager was arranged and we continued to meet with him over 8 years, building the relationship. It took some time for him to make up his mind and several more coffee shop meetings.

A former scientist, with no family and living alone, Mr Habib naturally had concerns about his estate and how his wishes would be carried out. He asked if we would be his executors and, unusually, to arrange his funeral, which we agreed to.

Sometime later, at his request, a home visit was arranged where he gave details of accounts, various codes, the location of the safe, and keys to the safe located in the lefthand pocket of a particular jacket hanging in his wardrobe. Full details were also provided of who to contact for his funeral both internally and externally as this would need to be arranged quickly for a Muslim ceremony. Stewardship then continued with Mr Habib receiving a call or communication from us every few months for several years.

We never really knew Mr Habib’s motivations in leaving us his hugely generous legacy of over £1m. But we do know that he felt a deep sense of relief and peace of mind when we agreed to carry out his wishes and he knew that everything was in order.

This wasn’t a decision Mr Habib made overnight. We believe it was our fundamental principles and worldwide humanitarian work coupled with the trust we built over the years that inspired him to leave us such a generous gift that will help so many people.