KAB plans for challenging times ahead
KAB Rehab worker, Cheryl Curd working with visually impaired service user Dee Gillis
November is 'Make a Will Month' – a scheme designed to encourage people across the UK to make a donation or to leave a gift in their Will to nine UK national charities in return for having a basic Will written for them.
Determined not to miss out, Kent Association for the Blind, Kent's own charity for blind and partially sighted people, has launched its own campaign that explains to people just how vital legacy gifts are to its work. The campaign is offering its clients and supporters a 50% discount on having their Will written or changed at no cost to the charity.
Jim Burke, a KAB Trustee who is leading the campaign, explains: "Whilst most people today realise that it's important to have written a Will, many don't always realise that it's just as important to keep your Will up to date. In the past, people used to think that it was only the rich and famous who left money to a charity when they die. This isn't true any more and today, more and more people are now including a gift for a charity in their Will. For them, it's a way of supporting a charity, like KAB, that's helped them or someone they love, and of making sure that others in the future will be able to receive the same help that they had."
KAB has been helping blind and partially sighted people in the local area for the last 90 years, but many of its vital services are only possible because of the generosity of people who have left a gift to the charity in their Will.
According to Jonathan Ward, KAB's Head of Rehabilitation Services, "Put simply, these legacy gifts are our lifeline. Without them, many of our vital services that can transform people's lives would have to cease."
Today, KAB provides support for more than 15,500 people throughout Kent, Medway, Bromley and Bexley. But according to Jonathan, the demand for help from the charity is increasing. "Research by RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) suggests that in just 40 years the number of people suffering from sight loss in the UK will double. So, unfortunately, in the future more people than ever in the Maidstone area are going to need our services."
KAB is delighted that Morlings, an established firm of solicitors based in Maidstone, is supporting the campaign by offering a discount of 50% on its Will-writing services to KAB clients and supporters until the end of 2011, and at no cost to the charity. Brian Morling, partner at the firm, says: "It's so important that people keep their Will up-to-date to ensure it accurately reflects their circumstances and wishes when they die. Morlings is delighted to support this important KAB campaign which we hope will raise vital funds for services for blind and partially sighted people in the local area."
Note to editors
For further information, please contact Charles Marshall, Head of Fundraising at KAB
T: 01622 691357 E: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Kent Association for the Blind is a charity providing specialist rehabilitation services for over 15,500 people with sight impairments throughout Kent, Medway, Bromley and Bexley. These services enable people to be independent, mobile and safe. The charity, which was established in 1920, depends on donations from members of the public and businesses to deliver many of its services.