GIFTS THAT MEAN A LOT
Pledge to leave your antiques to Cancer Research UK and you could save lives for generations to come
One of the best things you can do to beat cancer for future generations is to leave a gift in your Will to Cancer Research UK, and as you’ll discover, it doesn’t have to be cash. In September 2018, Christie’s auctioned off the household contents and jewellery of collector Marcella Rossi, who had left her posessions to Cancer Research UK.
Among the most exquisite pieces was a late 19th/early 20th-century Indian white painted architectural screen, which acted as an ornamental headboard for Rossi’s resplendent bed, with an estimated value of £2,000-£4,000. A stunning Qing dynasty cinnabar lacquer table cabinet was also sold, with an estimated value of £3,000-£5,000.
Over the years, the charity has benefitted from all manner of antique gifts from supporters, from stamp collections, vintage cars and vintage coins to music royalty rights (including some of Elton John’s), farms and even a stuffed parrot. Collectively, all these gifts, however extravagant or everyday, make an enormous impact on the charity, as gifts in Wills to Cancer Research UK fund more than a third of its life-saving research.
This has helped Cancer Research UK to play a role in developing eight of the world’s top 10 cancer drugs, but there’s no time to be complacent. One in two people born after 1960 in the UK will develop cancer in their lifetime, so it’s important to keep making progress wherever possible. The charity’s aim is to see three in four people survive their cancer for 10 years or more by 2034, and you can help by making a pledge to leave a gift in your Will.