A hospice’s travelling bench has been installed at a city shopping centre – with passersby invited to sit and reflect on their life and legacy.
The St Richard’s Hospice Legacy Bench has arrived in Crowngate Shopping Centre’s Bell Square, Worcester, and will remain for three weeks.
The blue-and-white painted bench, bearing lines of verse, has most recently been in place at St Andrew’s Spire during the hospice’s Celebration Garden campaign in August.
Mike Lloyd, Centre Manager at Crowngate, said: “I am over the moon that we here at Crowngate can host the bench for St Richard’s. We are proud to be part of the legacy.”
The bench – painted by artist Katie Hodgetts – has also visited the West Gardens of Worcester Cathedral, the Royal Porcelain Works and the city’s Guildhall.
The idea behind the bench is to encourage the community to sit and think about the legacy they would like to leave behind – while raising awareness of the charity’s dependence on gifts in Wills to fund its care.
Tricia Cavell, Fundraising Director at St Richard’s Hospice, said: “It has been great to take our Legacy Bench to so many fantastic locations – and we’re delighted to see it standing proud in Crowngate.
“At St Richard’s, we know how important it is to talk about and plan for the end-of-life – but we also appreciate it can be a difficult subject for many.
“We hope our beautiful bench has offered the community a place to reflect on the memory they would like to leave and also sparked positive conversations around death and bereavement.
“It is also a great way to help raise awareness of our dependence on gifts in Wills to fund our hospice services.”
Currently, one in six patients are cared for at St Richard’s Hospice thanks to legacy gifts.
To find out more about leaving a gift in your Will, visit strichards.org.uk/gifts-in-wills