How remembering a charity can protect your favourite wild spaces

Thursday 13 September 2018

Lancashire Wildlife Trust

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Lancashire Wildlife Trust team members, past and present.

Ross Hoddinott/2020VISION

You never really know what’s around the corner, so it can be comforting to think of what’s made us happy in the past. This September, thanks to Remember a Charity Week, we get the chance to take this one step further with the theme of 'Pass On Something Wonderful'.

So how do we do this? Well, ‘Remember a Charity week’ asks us to think about why we love a cause and encourages us to let this affection live on by leaving a gift in our will.

When I think about the times and places where I’ve been most happy, there’s another theme that springs to mind. For me, it’s always associated with being outdoors. Away from the hustle and bustle of daily life, preferably out of earshot of the roar of traffic and even better if I’m standing with bare feet on wet grass or warm sand. Add the sunshine on my face or rain soaking my hair and I’m in my element.

Clare helping with a nurdle hunt at Crosby beach — Clare helping with a nurdle hunt on Crosby beach. Credit: Alice Singleton

I appreciate this is a little vague to pass on, but I suppose what I really mean is having the freedom to enjoy a break from the humdrum of work, friends or family life and escape to somewhere to reconnect with nature. Even if it’s just for a short time. Now that’s a treasure worth investing in. I can’t imagine a world where you can’t stop still and listen to birdsong or catch a glimpse of something wild darting out of your path. Enjoying nature moments transport me away from my worries and into a world of wonder. I’d definitely like to pass that experience on.

Red squirrel - Helen Haden — Red squirrel by Helen Haden

This is why I work for and support the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Greater Manchester and North Merseyside. A gift in a will for this charity can help in the battle to restore wild places and preserve spaces for wildlife. I may not always have the time to run through grassy meadows or rustle my way through autumn leaves now, but I’m happy in the knowledge that there are such places close to home. Sandbanks for solitary bees to burrow in, hedgerows for hedgehogs to snuffle, pines for red squirrels to scuffle and woodlands for songbirds to sing in.

Some of the fields I used to tumble through when I was little might have long gone but I know there’s a caring organisation working hard to keep a patchwork of precious wild places all across our region. This Remember a Charity Week, I’d like to share that reassuring knowledge with you.

Find out more about leaving us a gift in your will