LegaCare founder Margaret (Meg) Kirby was awarded the honour of Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the New Day Honours list for services to law and vulnerable people.
Kirby (main picture) started the charity in 2011 having seen firsthand the impact on people receiving catastrophic news that would change their lives forever – the news that they were terminally ill or had a palliative diagnosis.
Thrown into the mix is the fact they have lots of legal issues that need addressing to remove or reduce some of the stress and anxiety that such issues cause, hoping it will contribute to their quality of life and peace of mind at the horrendous time.
Her vision was to enable people who were affected by the diagnosis of a life-threatening/life-limiting illness to have access to free legal help irrespective of their social or financial background.
LIFE THREATENING
The area of work LegaCare does is unique and goes far beyond the provision of legal intervention for people affected by life threatening/terminal illness.
When somebody has been given the worst news of their life, chaos prevails. The charity work alongside health and social care professionals to provide bespoke, patient centred care.
POSITIVE IMPACT
The positive impact of the support for patients enables them to have clarity and regain an element of control. This enables them to tolerate treatment better and prioritise their care pathway.
Whilst LegaCare deal with the most complex of legal matters, it doesn’t stop there. They have arranged weddings, funerals, adopting pets, and rehoming clients. They have even set up a ‘Go Fund Me’ page for a 22-year-old client to take her son on a once in a lifetime holiday
Kirby says: “I am absolutely astounded to receive the MBE for services to law and vulnerable people, and I’m truly humbled by those involved in making the award possible, including many people I’ve looked up to and respected in the insurance industry for many years. On reflection, I think this is because we all put (or want to put) the client first.”
