Back in 2016, Swindon Will Writing announced with pride that we’d chosen Brighter Futures Swindon as its charity of the year.  Well, here we are five years later and Swindon Will Writing and Brighter Futures remain an item.

Brighter Futures is the charity for Swindon’s Great Western Hospital NHS foundation trust. That includes the GWH itself and community health sites in Swindon. The charity seeks to improve the hospital environment and fund ground-breaking research. It also supports the development and training of hospital staff and provides state-of-the-art equipment.

Why this charity?

Well, a medical charity has huge resonances for me. Both my mother and father were in the medical profession and they both, in the days of yore, worked at Swindon’s old *Princess Margaret Hospital. So because of that, I see the GWH as a continuation of the wonderful work undertaken every single day by our wonderful doctors, nurses, and all other staff.

Then, aside from that, it’s clear to see how much the charity does to support and supplement the care given at GWH. So it’s an honour to make a contribution to the charity and help it continue with its many projects as outlined above.

*Incidentally, the PMH was the first new hospital built in Britain following WW2. And, what’s more, the first hospital built under the NHS. Indeed, Swindon’s relationship with the NHS is a unique and very special one and you can find out a bit more about that in this blog from Born Again Swindonian on healthcare history and Swindon.

So, what have Brighter Futures been doing in recent months?

Well, as the Covid-19 crisis took hold the charity saw a surge in donations coming in. These funds helped to support the well-being of staff, patients and volunteers.

Pretty much all activity, since the spring of 2020, has had supporting staff at its core. From donations of food to staff snack bags and essentials bags, local businesses and organisations have helped it all to happen.

That aside, grants from NHS charities and donations to the Brighter Future’s Covid-19 support appeal, totalled over £328,348. That allowed them to deliver vital well-being and psychological support to staff when they most needed it. Alongside that, BF funded mental health first aiders, offered trauma training and upgraded staff rest areas.

Swindon Will Writing is full of pride at being able to contribute to all this wonderful activity.

Wills matter

It’s always important to either get your Will written in the first instance or get an existing one updated. In particular if it’s a few years old. And it’s truer than ever in the situation we have been and, still are, going through. I’ve no wish to be morbid but we mustn’t lose sight of the fact that this whole pandemic thing isn’t over yet.

If you don’t have a Will in place, you cannot ensure your loved ones are taken care of and you’re leaving things to chance.

With a Will, you can ensure you have guardians appointed for your children.

Your Will can also ensure children from a previous relationship inherit or that the person you are co-habiting with, will receive an inheritance.

I know that writing a Will can seem quite daunting but I have years of experience and I promise you I’ll make it as easy for you as I can. And, for GWH staff, I offer a 15% discount on my services.

Please contact me on 07538 946 839 or by email at info@swindonwillwriting.co.uk to make an appointment and let’s get that Will set up or updated.