Blue Cross legacy officer wins award

A legacy officer from The Blue Cross has won a prestigious award.

Naomi Parry was given the title of Legacy Officer of the Year 2010 by the Institute of Legacy Management (ILM).

Naomi received two nominations for the award. Among many other things, she was praised for her ‘consistently helpful and cheerful approach’, ‘depth of knowledge’ and ‘lateral thinking’.

She was also complimented for taking the lead on a complicated case in the USA.

One person who nominated her said: “I always jump for joy when I see that Naomi is involved on a problem case in which my charity is also involved.”  

Naomi has been nominated every year since the award started in 2007 and was a very popular winner, according to the ILM.

She said: “I’m truly honoured to receive this award.  At The Blue Cross we deal with over 500 legacies worth more than £13m each year and always take great care to ensure our supporters’ wishes are honoured. 

“This can be quite challenging, especially when specific animals and conditions are involved, but we work closely with solicitors to try to overcome any obstacles. 

“We’re also proactive in advising on the drafting of wills to prevent any problems occurring.”

Members of the ILM are invited to nominate colleagues for the award, which is sponsored by honorary ILM founding member Gordon Crowe, a former legacy controller at Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.

The winner receives a prize of £50 worth of book vouchers.

ILM training manager Nichola Sims says: “This is a peer orientated and generated award in recognition of the assistance provided by colleagues from within a member’s own charity or at other charities.

“Both of these nominations came from outside of The Blue Cross and in my opinion bring added prestige not just to Naomi but to The Blue Cross as an organisation as well.”