Roger Jefcoate’s commitment to helping people and the environment includes founding several charitable organisations, and his work at Stoke Mandeville hospital has helped to transform the lives of disabled people.
For more than 30 years Roger has also campaigned to raise the profile of the UK’s rarest and largest native timber tree – the black poplar (Populus nigra). Saplings he propagated at home have been planted on several Royal estates.
Roger’s wife Jean loves trees as much as her husband.
The couple planted a black poplar in their garden to symbolise their enduring love for each other, and were inspired to leave a legacy to the Woodland Trust.
“We like the idea of living memorials, and a gift left to the Trust will be just that,” they comment.
Roger and Jean have pledged an unrestricted legacy. “We know from working with so many charities that ‘core funds’ are of utmost importance, much more so than ‘special projects’ which people too often focus their legacy on.” says Roger. “Core funds pay for wages, offices, heating and lighting, and spreading word about the cause, and though not particularly exciting, they are still vital in helping a charity to achieve its aims.”
