Farmer's £1.7m last will donation to good causes including air ambulance leaves charities stunned

David Ivor Jones of Aethnen, Llanfechain, Powys, died at the age of 88 back in 2018.

The probate process has now concluded and in his will Ivor, as he was always known, left bequests to six charities – Midlands Air Ambulance, Wales Air Ambulance, British Heart Foundation, the Orthopaedic Institute Limited based at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) in Gobowen, Hope House Children’s Hospices, and Severn Hospice.

His generous legacies have allowed the beneficiary charities, which each received £290,402.60 to allocate the funds to projects which will be for the good of their patients and supporters, now and in the future.

Emma Wilde, Ivor’s goddaughter, said: “The substantial bequests to the charities were something Ivor was adamant he wanted to see realised and reflect his considerable generosity.”

Severn Hospice’s director of income generation Tracie Harrison said they were left stunned at Ivor's generosity.

She said: “News that Ivor had left us a bequest in his will came as a little bit of a surprise to us and it is fair to say we were slightly overwhelmed.

“I speak for all of the beneficiary charities when I say we are so grateful to Ivor for his generous legacy and for his kindness.

“We really do appreciate it when we receive a legacy or a gift in a will, and to know that this was someone’s last wish is truly humbling.

“As we are not part of the NHS we rely on legacies, donations, grants and gifts in wills to fund our care. Gifts in wills help pay for the care of one in four of our patients and are a real legacy of love and kindness.”

Debbie Alexander of the Orthopaedic Institute Ltd based at the RJAH in Gobowen added: “We have been able to support several research projects as beneficiaries of Ivor’s estate and could not be more grateful for his kindness and generosity.

“Our world-renowned research covers the advancement of care of childhood conditions including cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy, arthritis and rheumatism, joint replacement and cellular techniques for repair and healing.

“This has only been possible due to donations from patients and grants from organisations and legacies, for which we are extremely grateful.”

Hope House chief executive Andy Goldsmith said: “We are so grateful to Ivor for remembering us in his will. Gifts in wills fund over half of all the vital care we provide to local children with life-threatening conditions. This generous bequest will enable us to provide professional care and improve the quality of life for children and families now and in the future.”