To mark Jewish Legacy Month, we enlisted the help of Camp Simcha grandparents to tell people why a leaving a legacy is so important. Here our Head of Marketing and Communications Emma Shrimsley tells you about a very special filming afternoon.

 

About a month ago I found myself sitting in a room with four grandparents of children Camp Simcha supports and a camera crew. It was an afternoon I will not forgot for a long time.

For Jewish Legacy Awareness month, we had asked the grandparents for their help with our Legacy campaign – to raise awareness of the impact that leaving a gift in your Will can have for the charity’s future.

And so, these four wonderful grandparents gave up their afternoon to sit down together and talk about Camp Simcha – and with the help of our marketing agency Two Boys and their Director of Production Karen Ackerman, we ended up with a film we are immensely proud of.

Although the grandparents had never met before they immediately connected over a bond none of them wanted to have – as they related the very tough times their grand-children and children had been through. It was humbling to hear them share their stories and moving to hear them talk about the huge difference Camp Simcha had made to their families’ lives. They were passionate about helping us make this film because they want to ensure that Camp Simcha can always be there families who need us.

We barely had to direct – they just spoke from the heart.

The grandparents talked about the ‘magic’ of Camp Simcha; the family feel; the way the charity knows what a family needs without them even having to ask; the way the team go above and beyond  – and the lifeline Camp Simcha has been there for them all.

They also talked about their own plans to leave a legacy to Camp Simcha.

It made us feel proud to be part of an organisation where our very dedicated colleagues on the services side are clearly transforming lives and bringing light and hope to families at some of the darkest times in their lives.

This is the first time we have run a big Legacy campaign, but we feel it is an important step in helping to secure the charity’s long-term future. With no Government funding, Camp Simcha is entirely reliant on the support of the community. In this year alone we have seen a 55% increase in referrals compared to last year.

We know the income from legacies can help us to ensure Camp Simcha will continue to be there supporting every family that needs us – so we are very grateful to our Camp Simcha grandparents for taking the time to tell people just how important the charity’s help was for them. We hope you will take a couple of minutes to watch –  www.campsimcha.org.uk/legacy