Our consultants

Several of our consultants are the permanent, part-time Legacy Officers for well-known charities, and all are members of The Institute of Legacy Management (ILM). Indeed, Crispin Ellison was ILM's first Executive Director, Linda Norgrove was for three years ILM’s Director of Training and its Chairman and Helen Hoare is currently the Institute's Director of Training.

Each consultant is covered to a minimum of £1m professional indemnity insurance and Legacy Link itself carries £1m insurance. A copy of the policy can be forwarded on request and excellent references can also be provided.


Crispin Ellison
Crispin has worked in the charity sector for nearly 30 years, 25 of which have included legacy marketing and administration. He initiated the legacy management package FirstClass, chaired the biennial WillAid will-making scheme, and was for seven years Legacy Manager at British Heart Foundation. A founder of the Institute of Legacy Management (of which he was Chairman and then Executive Director), Crispin has been Director of Legacy Link Consultancy Ltd since early 2007.

He is also co-author of the Law Society/ILM booklet Charities as Beneficiaries, a contributor to the book Legacy Fundraising - the art of seeking bequests, a member of the working party on the Institute of Fundraising Legacy Fundraising Code of Practice and an advisor to the Fundraising Standards Board.


Linda Norgrove
Linda Norgrove set up Legacy Link in late 1998 after completing almost 10 years as Head of Legacies at a major national charity. Prior to that she was a Probate Manager with a firm of Solicitors in Lewes. She has served in office with the Institute of Legacy Management as both Chairman and Director of Training.

Linda has a special interest in reversionary interest cases but she does also have another life. Her interests are as diverse as rugby, opera, films, theatre, National Trust, swimming, foreign travel, fell-walking, science fiction and grandchildren - not necessarily in that order!


Shirley Taylor
Shirley took a degree in Spanish and Portuguese, then had a career at the Department of Trade and Industry before working as a voluntary Citizens Advice Bureau adviser and qualifying as a solicitor. She worked for 3 years with a Surrey firm, advising clients on Wills and Probate matters, before returning to the charity sector, where she worked for two years as a Legacy Officer for Cancer Research UK, then joined Legacy Link in 2007. She qualified as a Trusts and Estates Practitioner in January 2009.

Shirley has raised money for charity by completing running events including the London Marathon, and is looking for new challenges. She also loves art, history, opera and travel, and combines these interests whenever possible.


Sue Beynon
Sue Beynon joined Legacy Link in September 2007 and brings a very wide range of experience in legacy fundraising and administration.

Following a first degree in Biological Sciences and experience as an Editor of medical books, Sue took a law degree and qualified as a solicitor. She worked for a major West End law firm before joining Cancer Research UK. During 9 years there, her roles included Deputy Head of Legacy Administration, Acting Head of Legacy Marketing and Head of Legacy Partnerships.

Sue is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.



Davina Mackay
Davina Mackay joined Legacy Link in September 2005. She studied politics at Cambridge University and then attended the College of Law as a postgraduate student. She qualified as a solicitor in March 2000.

She was Senior Legacy Officer at Oxfam for three years and then became the Legacy Manager at the British Red Cross Society. She now mixes her Legacy Link work with being on the legacy administration team of The National Trust.

Most of her free time is taken up with looking after her two very young daughters but she does find some time to make fruit wine, go to the theatre and garden.


Marie Baines
Marie was the first consultant to join Linda Norgrove at Legacy Link in 1999.

Marie had worked as a legal executive in a law firm, before joining the RSPCA as Deputy Head of the Legacy Department and Legacy Review Officer.

Marie is married with two young daughters and lives in Sussex.


Viv Saunders
Viv joined Legacy link after being the sole Legacy Officer at St Dunstans for nearly four years. Before that she worked at St Dunstans in fundraising.

Viv came to legacy work via secretarial work having the experience of a variety of jobs including Magistrates Court reporting, nurse education and sewing shirts for Marks & Spencer. With Legacy Link she has worked for a wide range of charities.


Helen Hoare
Helen Hoare joined Legacy Link in June 2010. She was a Legacy Officer at The National Trust for six years and then moved to Cancer Research UK in July 2001. After four years as Legacy Officer, she was promoted to Legacy Manager in May 2005, a role that she held until she left in May 2010. Helen has been Training Director of ILM since January 2008.

She lives in West Sussex with her husband Andy and 16 year old daughter Jess and dreams of owning a micropig!



Nathan Griggs
Before joining Legacy Link, Nathan was a Legacy Officer for Macmillan Cancer Support, where he worked for three years. Prior to this he worked for the British Heart Foundation, also in legacy administration. He holds the ILM Certificate in Charity Legacy Administration.

Alongside working in the charity sector, Nathan works as an actor and producer for Roland Egan Productions, a fringe theatre company. He has also been a student of the Soho Theatre Stage Writing Course and has had two plays produced on the London fringe.


Natalie Hodgson
Natalie read Modern History at Oxford University before joining Cancer Research UK in 2000. She spent four of her seven years at the charity as Legacy Maximisation Manager and Legacy Manager.

Between 2004 and 2008 Natalie additionally acted as a Director on the Board of the Institute of Legacy Management, latterly as Company Secretary.

She lives in Cambridge with her husband and young daughters.


Other consultants
In addition to the consultants above, Maggie Stirling, Diana Pert, Angela Bruce and Joanna Corbin offer assistance through Legacy Link.

Maggie Stirling trained as a solicitor, working at Withers before joining the voluntary sector as Legacy Manager at British Red Cross Society for several years before moving back into private practice with Farrer & Co. On becoming a mother, Maggie made her services available to Legacy Link and specialises in more complex matters.

Diana Pert qualified as a solicitor more years ago than she cares to remember and worked in private practice until 1993. After carrying out part time legacy administration and promotion work for a number of charities she joined Parkinson’s Disease Society as Legacy Officer in 1994, continuing to be responsible for legacy administration when her role was expanded to Head of Legal Services. For four years she was also a trustee of another neurological charity. Diana was a founding member of the ILM, and joined Legacy Link in June 2007.

Her interests include yoga, wildlife and travelling to the more remote parts of the world.

Angela Bruce has been Head of Legacies at Brooke Hospital for Animals, and previously Legacy Administration Manager at Leonard Cheshire Foundation. At the Brooke, her responsibilities have included legacy fundraising as well as administration.

Her other interests include millinery, dressmaking, jewellery making and sports.

Joanna Corbin worked in private practice as a Solicitor advising on Trusts, Wills, Probate, Incapacity and Charity matters before joining Christian Aid in a Legacy cover role. Joanna qualified as a Trusts and Estates Practitioner in 2009.

Joanna has been actively involved as a volunteer for charities such as Crisis, local homeless charities and local initiatives in her community. She also provides free legal assistance at an Advice Centre to diversified members of the community in need of assistance on a weekly basis, which she has done for a few years.

Joanna enjoys cooking and cake making and has catered for many public events in her local area. She is also an avid knitter.