What’s new?
8 October 2007
Don’t leave the future to chance
Will for Wildlife Week (20 - 27 Oct) seeks to secure a living legacy for future generations
Wildlife is like music: you don't need to know anything about it to enjoy it. But the more you know, the more you tend to enjoy. Both evoke fond childhood memories, so imagine if future generations didn’t get the opportunity to share the same experiences.
Many of us have happy memories of the countryside; birdsong, dramatic coastlines, meandering rivers and ancient woodlands carpeted in bluebells. That’s why, during Will for Wildlife Week, The Wildlife Trusts are highlighting the importance of making a will – not only to look after loved ones when you are gone but also to protect our natural treasures for future generations to enjoy.
The Wildlife Trusts need your support to secure a better future for nature – and one of the very best ways you can help is by making a will. Legacies make a huge difference to the work of The Wildlife Trusts. With your support children all over the UK will be able to continue to enjoy wildlife and wild places as they grow up and have families of their own. Donations of all sizes have all helped protect wildlife for the future, on nature reserves, through work to educate and inspire children, and by providing better protection for endangered species and habitats in our countryside and even in our towns.
Legacies have helped The Wildlife Trusts restore entire landscapes to the beauty and variety we once took for granted - vast flower meadows in Wiltshire, tracts of mountain farmland in Wales and awe-inspiring wilds in the Scottish highlands. There are now over 150 landscape scale projects across The Wildlife Trusts whose benefits will reach for centuries into the future.
Sir David Attenborough, vice-president of The Wildlife Trusts, said: "The Wildlife Trusts are dedicated to wildlife conservation. Making a gift to them when you write, or update, your will is a very special way of ensuring they can continue to do this. A few words from you can mean a new nature reserve is purchased, a rare habitat is secured or simply that people who have the skills and passion to protect wildlife can go on doing so in your local area.”
The Wildlife Trusts’ chief executive, Stephanie Hilborne, added: "Legacies make a huge difference to The Wildlife Trusts. By remembering your favourite Wildlife Trust in your will, you can help protect your local environment for the future".
“We believe many people would like to write, or update, their will to reflect their current situation but simply haven’t got round to it yet. Writing a will is something that more than one in four people put off until it is too late. A clearly written will, kept updated throughout your life, is essential to ensure that your wishes are respected.”
For more information on how you can remember your local Wildlife Trust in your will, please contact Heather Laing on 01954 713555 or heather.laing (at) wildlifebcnp.org.