Tracey Harrison has been a long-time supporter of Blueprint for All and her relationship with the charity began while she was a Partner at EY. At the time, she wanted to increase the corporate support that EY provided as well as improve the visibility of the charity within the company.
Having worked alongside us for many years, Tracey pledged a legacy to Blueprint for All. Here she discusses why she has chosen to support the charity in her Will and why others should join her.
"The thing I like about Blueprint for All’s work is that it starts very early with young children, getting them to start thinking about their careers or what they might do in years to come. At that point it’s probably, 'What are you interested in?' rather than 'What will your career be'. "Tracey Harrison, Legacy Donor
The thing I like about Blueprint for All’s work is that it starts very early with young children, getting them to start thinking about their careers or what they might do in years to come. At that point it’s probably, ‘What are you interested in?’ rather than ‘What will your career be. But then as they progress through the various programmes, it becomes very much about what GCSEs you need to progress with that career pathway. And it continues through to age 30 with programmes that help you set your direction and that give access to professionals so that young people can see what a certain career looks like.
As someone who didn’t get much of that guidance, I can absolutely see the value in it. I had to forge my own way, which is OK, but it was tough in the early years and it’s lovely to see there is an organisation that goes out there and proactively seeks to find people who perhaps may struggle because they don’t have the pathways outlined for them.
I am somebody who is not afraid of writing wills, which is a barrier I think a lot of people need to get over. To me this is a practical thing to do; when I die, I do want to make sure that my wishes are going to be followed so I regularly update my will, probably every 5 or so years.
"There are other people that I would like to benefit from the hard work I have performed over the last 30 years of my career".Tracey Harrison, Legacy Donor
It doesn’t cost that much either and I was very happy with the entire process; it was very simple. What was easier this time was there was a really detailed pro-forma – previously I’ve had to do it from scratch. I was given the opportunity to think about all of the assets I had and therefore how much my estate was worth.
In doing that, it made me think my children don’t need all of the money left to them, they can find their way in the world with some of it, and actually there are other people that I would like to benefit from the hard work I have performed over the last 30 years of my career. One of the questions I was asked is whether I’d like to leave any legacies. I listed the charities I wanted to support, and my solicitors found all of the legal information like charity numbers and included them.
“We are incredibly grateful to Tracey and everyone who chooses to leave Blueprint for All a gift in their Will. Such a personal commitment not only means we can secure the charity’s future, but its value is even more significant knowing our supporters share our passion to make a difference to the life chances of young people, beyond their own lifetime.”Suzie Bannerman, Blueprint for All Fundraising Manager
I’m very confident in the work and future of Blueprint for All and want them to feel that they have line of sight of money that today they don’t have but could have, hopefully in about 30 years’ time! I don’t believe the work of equalising access will have been achieved by then – I’d love to believe that it would, but I think the work has many, many years to run and Blueprint for All will have a very large role to play.
I have no idea what Blueprint for All will do with my legacy, but I know from everything I’ve experienced that it will go to something meaningful, that deals with social mobility, underrepresentation and a move to a more equal society.
"I’m really proud and honoured to be associated with the organisation, the work it does, and the people who support and lead the change. I’m hopeful that when other people sit down and think about writing their Wills, they really consider how impactful their legacy can be for a charity like Blueprint for All.”Tracey Harrison, Legacy Donor