Supporting the people and families in our local community
At UHY Hacker Young, our purpose is helping you prosper. People are at the heart of our business, and we believe in extending this beyond our team and clients and applying it to the communities around us.
In addition to pledging our support to a national charity on every two years, many of our UHY offices also support charities and initiatives within our local communities. In our Brighton and Hove office, we are proud supporters of Martlets Hospice, an unbelievable charity dedicated to providing the best possible care for terminally ill people in Brighton and Hove, and its surrounding areas.
Martlets have been serving their local community for the past 25 years through their team of trained specialists, who not only provide expert medical care, but also go above and beyond to consider their patient’s personal desires during their stay.
It is estimated that there are around 300,000 people that hospices support around the UK every year, a critical service provided by over 220 hospice charities like Martlets. Hospice care has been shown to have a significant positive impact on family well-being, with family members reporting feeling increased support during this trying period, as compared to other kinds of care. This support not only eases the worries of the family and patient during the hospice stay, but also better prepares individuals for the often inevitable passing of a loved one and offers a line of support during the bereavement process through their bereavement counselling service.
Over the past 25 years Martlets has directly helped 34,000 people in their local area through their hospice facilities and home visits, a figure that puts their huge impact into perspective.
As far back as 2009, Peter Tuffin, Partner and probate practitioner in our Brighton and Hove office, has been participating in Martlets Will Writing Month, which is normally held in May every year. Throughout the month, Peter writes Wills for free in exchange for donations to Martlets, which is a minimum of £150 for a single Will or £250 for joint Wills. Since Martlets first opened their doors in 1997 they have raised an incredible £12m through gifts in wills, so this process provides multiple revenue streams for the charity to continue their important work via the initial donation and future gifts. Peter writes 10-12 Wills every year during this month and also leverages his wider expertise as an accountant to provide additional advice for testators.
Making a real difference
Licensed probate practitioners in the local community have made a huge difference to Martlets work over the past two decades. As the sole Will writer in our Brighton and Hove office, Peter is kept very busy throughout the month of May and is dedicated to providing the best possible service to the testators. In some situations, this requires him to make last minute in-person visits to the hospice facility when patients cannot make it into our office and are in need of an urgent Will. This means the patient and their family have one less thing to worry about.
Direct donations for our Will writing service have resulted in around £1200 being raised each year on average, with a record high £1600 raised in 2023, a figure that was replicated again this year. This means that over the years Peter’s efforts have contributed at least £20,000 directly to Martlets, not to mention the further donations he has facilitated through gifts in the written Wills. Participation in the Will Writing Month is not the sole fundraising stream from our Brighton office, however, as they also collected a whopping £18,000 at a charity dinner too!
Our UHY Brighton and Hove team are fully committed to helping Martlets and their local community prosper, dedicating their time and expertise to care for those that need it most. The office’s values team are in full support of Peter’s efforts and are always looking for ways to give back to their local community, by providing our specialist services alongside direct fundraising initiatives for a variety of causes. Alongside Peter, Jenny Boon and Natalie Mottershead in the reception team also support Martlets, by prepping and welcoming those writing a Will in our offices.
How we will continue to help Martlets Hospice prosper
We love supporting Martlets Hospice and will continue to help them raise as much money as possible to be able to provide crucial support to people in hospice and their families.
To donate to Martlets, please click here.
