Macmillan Cancer Support’s new campaign and film – ‘Live Your Legacy’ – aim to encourage people across the UK to consider how they would like to be remembered after they die.
Designed to raise awareness of the importance of gifts in wills, the short film includes comments and observations from a selection of people with a common desire – to leave a lasting legacy.
Launched to coincide with Dying Matters Awareness Week (May 12 – 18), the campaign also aims to remind the public of the importance of having an up-to-date, professionally written, will.
Macmillan is urging supporters to record a 10 second clip of themselves answering the question ‘What is your legacy?”, and to upload it to Twitter this week, using the hashtags #LYL and #YODO, the official hashtag for this year’s Dying Matters Awareness Week.
“We wanted to flip this taboo topic on its head and focus on something positive that people are happy to share: their legacy and the way they would like to be remembered,” said Danielle Tanner, Macmillan Cancer Support mass planning manager.
Film producer and actress Amanda Waring, one of the film’s contributors, said: “I was excited to be approached about being involved with the #LYL film. Macmillan cared for my mother when she was terminally ill and I have seen the benefits first hand of having a Macmillan team in my corner.”
Legacy donations make up more than a third of Macmillan’s income. There are currently around 32.5 million people in the UK do not have a will, said the charity.