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Money Talks Spring 2005
Money Talks Christmas 2004
Autumn Leaves 2004
Linking to the Future - Spring 2004
A fundraising report from Maggie Healy - Winter
2003
The Legacy Column - Summer 2003
With changes afoot for The Talking Newspaper Association of the United Kingdom during 2005, this is due to be the final "Money Talks" column. Whilst goodbyes can be difficult, I shall remember with fondness the regular pattern of sitting down to the task of finding new ways of encouraging the idea that it is good practice to have an updated Will. Themes have ranged from bizarre and amusing bequests, to the Wills of the rich and famous. But as I contemplated the prospect of new relationships within the Talking Newspaper movement, a vivid analogy thrust its way into my consciousness. Enter the kimono, with its ancient tradition and somewhat uncertain future.....
The word "kimono" means "things to wear" in Japanese, and for us in the Western world, the most familiar garment is the highly decorative women's silk wrap over dress, made of vertical panels of cloth stitched together and bound with a sash, called an obi. Last year, a friend of mine started a unique new business, unpicking garments that had been idling in family closets and turning vintage silk kimono into beautiful objects for the home.
Whilst visiting Japan for a family wedding, she discovered the kimono flea markets, last staging posts for old kimono which are no longer fit to wear. She has been acquiring garments that were buried in family chests for many years, and which now, because of their age and condition, are turning up as decorative items for the home, on the other side of the world. As she undertakes the task of waking up old silk fabric from damaged kimonos, she feels she is breathing new life into little fragments of discarded history, by turning them into beautiful and inspired objects that we in the West can appreciate.
My friend was amazed at the heritage of garments spread out on the many stalls, each with a story to tell. Talking to the Japanese stallholders, it became clear that some kimono constitute wearable art, created by elaborate craftsmanship on the part of dyers and weavers. Some have been padded and hand sewn by mothers, to get enough warmth for their little ones. Some textiles were woven with the premium silk, and some were woven with leftover silk thread. Elaborate white ones were worn only once, by a bride for her wedding ceremony; plainer kinds were worn by hardworking mothers, everyday. Some used a technique called Shibori, created by laboriously tying fabric into tiny dots by hand, dyeing with one colour, then repeating the process for the second or third time, to produce softly textured rainbows of flowing silk. Most of the garments incorporated design symbols representing prosperity, longevity or children's health and growth.
It's been a long time since Japanese began wearing western clothes in their daily lives, and many today consider the kimono impractical, discarded by men for suits and ties a century ago. Hence the reason for so many finding their way into the flea markets. The last group to wear kimono regularly is that icon of Japanese society, the geisha, but many Japanese women still get married in multiple layers of traditional silk garments, each with fantastic sounding names like uchikake and shiromuku. The rules for wearing a kimono formally and in the traditional way are so complex that there are now schools that teach Japanese women how to wear a kimono and how to tie the obi sash, because the kimono is no longer their "every-day" dress.
The kimono reflects an acceptance of tradition which ties the wearer to more than nine centuries of Japanese culture, history and protocol. The colourful and stylised kimono reveals something of the ancient soul of Japan and is seen by many as a symbol for all that is Japanese - simplicity, elegance and beauty. Amazingly beautiful, the kimono has gone through many changes in the centuries since it was first imported from China, changes that reflect the way that Japanese society has also developed over the ages.
The sadness of parting with old traditions seems always to need to be set against what becomes possible for the future. Undoubtedly, change is often unsettling, but handled sensitively, and with good intentions, the future that emerges can be full of innovation and creativity. Now, I wonder if that isn't exactly the point at which my friend's new enterprise and the Talking Newspaper movement link up.
Let us hope that 2005 will be an auspicious time for the talking newspaper community to rework its structure. The value and utility of any talking newspaper, local or national, lies in the benefit it brings to the listeners to whom the service is dedicated. Just as kimono silk can be recrafted to prolong its life and usefulness, with a little unpicking and a lot of tender care in the reconstruction phase, the outcome for talking newspapers should be a product better suited to modern day requirements.
Maggie Healy
And finally....
Unlike the business world, the talking newspaper movement is "not-for-profit",
and relies on the generous support of donors whose gifts and legacies enable
us to continue our work. Guidance is available to help anyone who is contemplating
writing a Will for the first time, or changing his or her will to include a
charitable gift. Please ring our Customer Services team on 01435 866102 to
request a copy, available on tape or in large print.
The Christmas season of gifts and goodwill which is upon us follows my favourite season of the year. Autumn, always accompanied by the earthy smell of wet leaves in the soft light of the last months of the year, has its own distinctive qualities to delight our senses. Having recently taken an interest in aromatherapy, which I now use to fragrance my home and as an alternative remedy for everyday family ills and woes, I have become much more in tune with the scents and aromas around me.
The Money Talks column is always written a couple of months before its final appearance in the magazine, and I have just come back from Languedoc Rousillon, in the French Pyrenees. This area happens to be one of the most important wine producers in terms of quantity in France, and viticulture is vital to the economy of the region. It is now striving to make better quality wines - which taste delicious and have wonderful bouquets.
Driving through Limoux at the end of the "vendange" or grape harvest was a unique experience to my newly awakened sense of smell. The town produces the world's oldest sparkling white wine called "Blanquette", a popular alternative to Champagne for those in the know, and the air was filled with the burgeoning aroma of literally hundreds of tons of grapes, fermenting in vats at the many wineries in the district.
The grapey fragrance wafted over the whole of the town, holding the promise of the taste and bouquet of the wine to come. It may be my imagination, but the inhabitants looked particularly relaxed and happy, like children eagerly anticipating the delights contained in their Christmas parcels.
With the departure of 2004 and the arrival of another New Year, many of us think about making resolutions. The Money Talks column is all about reminding readers and listeners about making a Will, a great resolution if you haven't already got one. It's one sure way to store up good things for the future, because it ensures that the gifts we bequeath actually benefit those we wish them to. Please contact us if you are thinking of leaving a gift to help further our work, and would like to know about our plans for the future of the service.
However you choose to celebrate Christmas, I wish you a very happy festive season and a peaceful, and fragrant, New Year.
Maggie Healy
The seasonal changes we experience because of our island climate provide much of the beauty and contrast in the world around us. Each day of the year is an individual in Britain. By and large, Winter challenges us to wrap up warm against those crisp days when frost-covered grass scrunches under our feet. Spring brings the promise of renewal, with the return of birdsong coinciding with longer days. The Summer sun feels delicious on our skin, but nowadays has hidden perils, even in our northerly climes, and we are kept on our toes by the need to respond to that unexpected shower. Autumn's charms are distilled by Keats* into the "season of mists and mellow fruitfulness", offering us golden days in more than one sense.
Despite modern weather forecasting techniques, there is always something of a delicious uncertainty about how the heavens will behave (think Michael Fish, and that little meteorological hiccough back in October 1987). That makes it all the more challenging for us to plan life around our unpredictable weather, from the big things like taking a holiday break, to the daily decision about what clothes to wear. No wonder our weather is the hottest conversational topic.
The "Autumn Leaves" title highlights another frequent topic tackled by this column, and one which certainly merits at least as much consideration as our ever-changing weather patterns. Life has its seasons, and the wise individual prepares in advance for the stages encountered in the life cycle. What better season than the Autumn to review how we would wish to leave the goods and chattels that belong to us? Whilst seaweed and red skies at night might turn out to be as poor predictors as some of our weather forecasts, a clearly written Will, updated to reflect the changes marking our individual course of life, provides the certainty that these wishes will be respected. Yet more than half of us put off writing one until it is too late, which may not result in your desired outcome.
The need for a well-drafted Will to ensure you leave legacies, not problems, for loved ones, is a topic which is frequently discussed in the financial sections of national newspapers. A recent article in The Daily Telegraph highlights a number of important issues. The key to an effective Will is to leave no room for ambiguity. Decide exactly what you own and how you want to pass on any possessions. Make a list of the names and contact details of beneficiaries, executors of the Will, and guardians where children are involved. Tell your family the names of your executors and where you have deposited your Will and any letter of wishes, but never attach anything to the document as a paperclip indentation or staple holes may leave the impression that the Will is incomplete.
The most common errors occur through failing to sign a Will, or not getting it properly witnessed. Ensure both witnesses are in the room and sign the Will together. Witnesses must not be beneficiaries of the Will, and neither should their spouses or children.
Including a charity in your Will is a convenient way to do something for the world when you leave it. It's also a great way of beating the taxman, as a charitable legacy is exempt from inheritance tax, and if the value of your estate is over £263,000, you can use charitable donations to reduce the value of your estate. National Talking Newspapers and Magazines relies heavily on legacies to carry out and expand its services for people who have problems accessing the written word. Contact Andrew Ledward on 01435 866102 if you would like to know more about leaving a legacy to support our work. And finally.......
* When I first thought of using Keats' Ode to Autumn to accompany this article, I had not realised just how appropriate its images were. Keats describes Autumn as the "Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun; Conspiring with him how to load and bless." Making a Will is designed to ensure we load and bless our loved ones, and my lively imagination conjured up an amusing sort of Greek tableau, with the solicitor as the sun and the testator as beneficent Autumn. It's not often that the legal profession gives one cause to smile, so when you next venture in to update your Will, just mutter Ode to Autumn under your breath. Oh, and you might like to take this article in with you, in case your legal eagle has forgotten his or her poetry classes.
Maggie Healy
Error! Not a valid link. 2004 sees the accomplishment of thirty years of bridging the news and information gap for visually impaired people. This year, our plans to expand our services are even more ambitious.
News Link is a series of themed projects to extend and improve the national talking newspaper and magazine service. To put each project link into place will require substantial amounts of money. It will be business as usual in terms of applying to large charitable trusts to fund service development, and as ever, legacies are of vital importance.
While it may be convenient to get rid of your loose change by popping it into a charity box, a far better way of charitable giving is to make a gift in your Will. Yet national statistics show a marked reluctance to use this tax-efficient method of supporting the voluntary sector. All charitable legacies are free of Inheritance Tax, yet only one in three people who make Wills leave a gift to their favourite charity. It is with gratitude to generous benefactors, many of whom enjoyed their talking newspapers and magazines, that I can report that the number of legacies received by the national service has steadily increased (some of you must be taking note of the Money Talks message!).
Bringing readers and listeners up to date with this year's budget implications, when making or updating a Will, the value of an estate determines whether you will be liable for Inheritance Tax. This year, the Chancellor increased the exempt band from UKP 255,000 to UKP 263,000. Many homes across the UK exceed this value without taking into account any other assets, which means some planning to avoid this tax. With house prices still climbing at up to UKP 150 per day, the UKP 8,000 additional relief seems far from generous, and its apparent advantage could effectively be wiped out by the end of June, leaving more estates liable at 40% tax for everything over the exempt band.
So what projects could benefit from a legacy to National Newspaper and Magazines?
News Link will focus on raising awareness of the service and expanding its client base, particularly in areas where we have fewest listeners - London, south west England and Wales. Our newly computerised studios and additional digital production capacity will incur maintenance expenditure to continue to offer high quality audio products. Studio modernisation has enabled us to produce digitally formatted CDs as an alternative to analogue tape. Efficient new production lines have enabled us to expand the catalogue, now offering listeners a choice over 250 national titles. Capital appeals include equipment for the IT department and a new customer database - our daily lifeline to our listeners. We would also like to recruit a programmer to develop new web-based services for children and young people. All will have a high cost impact, but we are committed to moving the service forward.
For further details of our work, or guidance on the wording of a legacy to the National Newspaper and Magazine Service, please contact Andrew Ledward on 01435 866102 or email andrew@tnauk.org.uk
Maggie Healy
Regular followers of the Money Talks column have by now become used to hearing of the value of legacy support given to the national talking newspaper and magazine service. A guide, in large print or on tape has been offered to make it easier for potential donors to prepare for that often put-off trip to the solicitor to make or amend a Will.
This type of charitable gift is never taken for granted, and we are always pleased to publicise what we have been able to achieve, thanks to a legacy. It is with truly mixed feelings that I can report that we have been notified of twenty legacies during the course of 2003, the highest number during one year since records have been kept.
The money provided by those who have left us such generous legacies this year will make a huge difference to our biggest current project. The upgrading of all eight of our studios to digital recording output will enable us to provide listeners such as Kath (seen in the picture accompanying this article with guide dog Heidi) with audio CDs in addition to cassette tapes. This move makes sense in terms of securing the future of the service, as the format is likely to be around longer than audio tape.
Another change to mention is that whilst legacies will always remain a greatly appreciated source of support, the Money Talks column will be covering information about other ways to support national talking newspapers and magazines. For example, our company secretary, Andrew Ledward, has asked me to include a note on a new way of making donations to your favourite charity - through Tax Return forms. This scheme, devised by the Inland Revenue, could be a really novel way of helping us to make money talk! Basically, people who complete a self assessment form can nominate a charity, using an identification code, to receive their tax repayments as a donation. The Inland Revenue stresses that this will begin from April 2004. If you will be completing a self-assessment form for the tax year 2004-2005 and would like to donate any tax repayment due, our unique code is TAD95CG.
This number will be listed on the Inland Revenue website at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk from April 2004, along with every other charity taking part in the scheme. Andrew Ledward would be pleased to answer any queries on this subject. Andrew or Maggie Healy can be contacted on 01435 866102, or email info@tnauk.org.uk.
July 2003
I am still in contact with my friend Richard Radcliffe, whose expert training six years ago gave me a better understanding of the role the legacies might be expected to play in funding Talking Newspapers. Richard's latest report in Codicil (the legacy magazine published by Smee & Ford) brings the good news that fewer people are neglecting to write a Will, with the intestancy figure now down to 13 percent. Thirteen retains its unlucky connotations, however, being the very small percentage of people whose Wills include a legacy to a favourite charity. This means that while 65 percent support charities in their lifetime, only 5 percent of those who die actually give this ultimate gift.
Other statistics Richard quotes show that charities receive a massive £1.5 billion from legacies, five times more than the level of support which companies give to the UK voluntary sector, despite the claims of some to have a social conscience. Women still outlive me, but they will all be worth 15 percent less due to living longer and the cost of residential care.
Richard also compares British giving with the USA. American charities, apparently put "legacy asks" with a shopping list of what they rather chillingly call "death time gifts" linked to a financial product. US citizens donate more to charities, but the tax breaks they get are an important motive. The range of options for this planned giving is hugely complex, and thankfully, not part of British charity fundraisers' training. Richard's conclusion is that UK legacy fundraising efforts are best when they are addressed to service users, friends who donate already and volunteers. Costly direct mail campaigns are not effective because they are not based on the close relationship, and TNAUK does not waste money using this approach.
The Money Talks column provides a gentle, and hopefully sensitive, reminder that legacies can make a huge difference to the work carried out by the talking newspaper service. We shall also continue to produce, publicise and distribute a Wills leaflet and tape, to keep our name and mission in the minds of the nation's solicitors and those good and kindly people who have enjoyed their talking newspaper tapes. If you would like to know what projects we have been able to carry out thanks to a legacy we have received, please contact me at the National Recording Centre on 01435 866102.
If you are interested in finding out more about how you can help the Talking Newspaper Association UK then please click here.
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