Contact Wills offer from Battle of Britain charity
Wills offer from Battle of Britain charity
A leading Kent charity has made it easier for local people to make a Will – wills are something everyone knows they should do but which many never quite get around to.
The Battle of Britain Memorial Trust has teamed up with a number of local solicitors to offer a free Will-writing service in return for a donation to the charity, which receives no public sector funding and has endured a difficult past year because of the pandemic.
“Everyone knows they need to make a Will in order to prevent their loved ones losing out, but it can be daunting, and the cost may be off-putting for those with a limited income,” said Trust Chairman Richard Hunting CBE.
“We’ve made wills much simpler by getting together with some very generous local practices who have offered to draft a free Will in return for a donation, the size of which is left up to the recipient. People are in control of what they give and they know it is going to a good cause.”
The offer lasts for the whole of May and is thanks to generous support from Martin Tolhurst Solicitors, Stilwell & Singleton, Hallett & Co, Tiger Law Ltd and Whitehead Monckton.
Richard added: “The impact on your loved ones of not setting your affairs in order before you die can be dramatic, leading to prolonged legal struggles and your hard-earned cash not going to the people you hoped would benefit from it.
“The Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel-le-Ferne honours the memory of Churchill’s ‘Few’, whose legacy of freedom will never be equalled, but the Trust hopes that this offer will at least allow others to plan their own legacies with professional help.”
Meanwhile the Wing visitor centre and the car park at the Memorial will re-open to the public on 19 May, as long as the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown stays in place. The outside features of the site, including the National Memorial to the Few, replica aircraft and Christopher Foxley-Norris Memorial Wall, are always accessible on foot.
We’re encouraging children and young people to take part in a survey to help shape Medway’s future.
As part of our aspirations to become a Child-Friendly City, putting children and young people at the heart of everything we do, we’re encouraging young people, up to the age of 25, to fill out the anonymous survey to find out more about what it feels like to be a young person in Medway and understand their wants and needs.
The survey is open until midnight on Sunday, 23 May.
Medway Council and its partners want Medway to become a child and young person friendly city.
A place where all young people are involved and benefit from the local decisions, services and spaces that shape their lives.
We need your help by telling us what matters to you and how to make Medway a better place for all young people.
We want to learn more about:
What it feels like to be a young person living in Medway now
What young people want and need
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We will make sure your views get across to the people who make decisions about Medway’s future. This is Your Future, Your Medway, Your Say.
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Spending 100 days in intensive care is a milestone no one wants to reach, but staff at East Kent Hospitals did all they could to make the anniversary a positive one for patient Alan Finch.
The critical care team at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate arranged for his partner Claire Wickham to visit with his dog Coco, and wheeled his bed down to the memorial gardens so they could have a cuddle.
Alan, 49, from Ramsgate, was admitted to hospital on 19 January, and taken to intensive care the following day so he could be put on a ventilator. It meant he was placed into an induced coma – and he didn’t wake up for two months.
He developed sepsis and pneumonia and his loved ones were called in twice to say goodbye after staff feared he would not survive.
Although Alan, who works as a carer, is now conscious and able to communicate, he still needs the ventilator to breath and requires intensive rehabilitation to help him recover the ability to swallow, speak and even move.
Claire said: “It has been unbelievable. It is like it is happening to someone else; it almost felt like a dream.
“It’s been the most awful time and words can’t describe how it feels. I would feel guilty if I laughed at something because then I would remember what he is going through. I wear one of his t-shirts every day so I feel close to him.
“But the staff have been absolutely fantastic, and just can’t do enough for him.
“It is a huge effort to get him outside – it takes about eight people, including nurses, a doctor, physiotherapists and porters, but it means he can feel the fresh air and the sun on his skin and it really gives him a boost.”
Staff are working on weaning Alan off the ventilator, as well as building up his strength, and Claire is now able to visit for an hour each day after restrictions were eased.
She said: “Being able to see him after such a long time has helped both of us mentally. It was his birthday at the start of April and that was so special to see him. Everything else feels insignificant compared to that.
“He still has the tracheostomy tube in but I can understand most of what he says. I’m so proud of him and his determination to get better.
“When I first saw him he couldn’t even hold my hand but now he can give it a really good squeeze and it feels amazing.”
Retail worker Claire has drawn strength from high-profile cases of long-term Covid patients, including TV and radio presenter Kate Garraway’s husband Derek Draper, who has just returned home after a year in hospital.
She said: “I do have a lot of guilt. I had Covid in January too but it just felt like I had a cold.
“Alan was almost finished with his self-isolation and was due to go back to work but he suddenly went downhill.
“I don’t know why I was fine and he has been so ill. He is the most kind and caring person you can meet, and he would do anything for anyone. It’s not fair that this has happened to him.”
Claire, who has epilepsy, has moved back in with her parents for support, and praised her family and friends for their support.
She said: “No one knows when he will be able to come home but they are doing everything they can and he is so determined to get better.
“I can’t thank the staff enough for their kindness – they always go the extra mile and never mind explaining everything to me, no matter how many times I call.
“They are all willing him to get better so he can come home.”
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