We spoke to Carolyn Jones from the Development and Alumni Relations Team about her unique role at the University, managing the gifts left by alumni over the years.
Tell us about yourself and your role at the University
Since April 2019, I have served as the Legacy Officer here at the University of Liverpool, where my main focus is on managing the legacies left by our generous supporters. I love my job as I have the pleasure and privilege of helping carry out the final wishes made by our wonderful legacy supporters and finding out about the inspirational stories behind the gifts left in wills.
During my time at Liverpool, I’ve discovered many interesting stories about legacy gifts given to the University. The earliest legacy noted was a donation of books to the College Library in the 1885-6 academic year by the late Assistant-Professor Clark. Such acts of kindness have spanned the life-time of our University.
Architecture student Janet Gnosspelious bequeathed a generous gift to the University, including a small book collection, which played a significant role in refurbishing the Sydney Jones Library, while another remarkable gift came from alumna Elizabeth Gidney, whose affiliation with the University spanned over 75 years. Her legacy supported the re-development of the Guild of Students, which remains one of the largest students’ unions in Europe.
How has the University benefited from legacy gifts more recently?
One recent example is alumna and noted physicist Dr Margaret Hope Alston-Garnjost, who continued her story at Liverpool by helping to support the COVID-19 Student Crisis Support Fund in 2020. Her legacy also contributed to the development of the new Yoko Ono Lennon Centre.
Finally, to honour Caroline ‘June’ Ilott’s memory, her family have given their approval for June’s legacy gift to support the inspiring work of Future Goals. This partnership between LFC Foundation, Everton in the Community, the Steve Morgan Foundation, IntoUniversity and the University of Liverpool is dedicated to helping young people from disadvantaged areas across the region to realise their full potential through education.
Beyond managing legacies, what else does your role entail?
As part of my role I also help educate others about the importance of having an up to date will, and help bust myths around this sensitive and often taboo subject. I was delighted to discover that the University of Liverpool offers a free will writing service to all staff in the education sector with Accord Legal Services. In addition to this, Bequeathed also offers a free online wills service. This is a great way for the University to support staff beyond their roles and well into the future.
Free will writing service
As one of the many benefits we offer at the University of Liverpool, staff can find more information on will writing and additional legal advice at www.liverpool.ac.uk/intranet/hr/my-hr/benefitsplus/local/servicesadvice/