Roger Federer's Wimbledon men's title win nets Oxfam a fortune from a legacy bet
Last updated 7/10/2012 11:00:26 AM
Roger Federer's Wimbledon men's title win nets Oxfam a fortune from a legacy bet
Much of the UK may have been rooting for Andy Murray to win the Wimbledon men's title, but Oxfam was counting on Roger Federer to triumph, with good reason.
Oxfam supporter Nicholas Newlife left his entire estate to Oxfam when he died in February 2009. This included the outcomes of a series of outstanding bets he had placed.
The charity had already received £16,750 from one of his bets, when he placed £250 on Roger Federer to win at least 14 Grand Slam titles before 2020 (at odds of 66/1). Another of Mr Newlife's bets was on Federer to win Wimbledon seven times before 2020 - which he did of course, netting an expected fortune for Oxfam. The actual sum is yet to be disclosed.
"Legacies are extremely important to Oxfam," the charity explained. "As Mr Newlife shows, they can come in all shapes and sizes. Oxfam benefits from the generosity of around 600 legacies a year - that's £13m, or 10% of our total income.
"Every time someone leaves a gift in their Will, whether it's a few pounds or a few thousand pounds, it helps make a difference to millions of lives around the world. For example, £500 could provide twenty basic latrines, such as those Oxfam sent after the Haiti earthquake. And £3,700 could equip an entire special needs school with teaching and learning aids."