Page 66 • The HERALD • 3rd April 2025 v THE HERALD - Proud to be part of your community v ASK A PROFESSIONAL International Women’s Day Event Inspires and Empowers Local Young Women Leading women from around Southampton gathered together for a careers-focused panel for young women ahead of this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) on 8th March. e event, held at St Mary’s on 19th February, was run by the Saints Foundation as part of its Changemakers and Saints Aspire projects, which inspires and develops leadership potential in girls aged 11-16. Bringing together some of Southampton’s inspiring business leaders and individuals to share their experiences, the panel submitted clues about what jobs they do and the girls had to correctly guess which job matched to each panel member, using those clues. e event also provided an important platform for discussion, learning and personal growth, re ecting this year’s IWD theme, ‘Accelerate Action for gender equality’. One of the women on the panel was Megan Hamlyn, Marketing Manager at Barratt Homes’ Southampton Division. She works within Barratt’s educational programme in schools and spoke to participants about overcoming obstacles for women in construction, as well as how Barratt is working hard to encourage more women to choose housebuilding as a career. “It was a great privilege to be on the panel,” she said. “Barratt actively encourages women to embrace careers in construction, and I’d urge anyone interested to apply for one of our vacancies or consider our wide range of apprenticeship opportunities.” e event reinforced the idea that growth is a continuous journey and change can lead to new opportunities. Participants, aged between 11 and 16, commented that they felt reassured about the concept of positive change, while one re ected that high academic achievement isn’t the only route to a successful career. Saints Foundation’s event was held to inspire girls who are part of the charity’s Changemakers and Saints Aspire projects to empower, inspire and develop leadership potential in girls aged 11-16, opening up pathways and boosting ambition. Saints Foundation is the charity of Southampton Football Club, dedicated to providing life-changing opportunities to help both the city and the communities within it to thrive. “We are incredibly grateful for the time and support of everyone who contributed to making this event so impactful,” said Jazz Bhatti, Head of Partnerships and Business Development at Saints Foundation. “The conversations that took place and the insights shared will undoubtedly continue to inspire and guide our participants in the future. We are committed to fostering spaces where individuals can explore, learn and be empowered, and we encourage anyone interested in attending or supporting future sessions to get in touch.” Megan Hamlyn, Marketing Manager at Barratt Homes’ Southampton Division speaks to girls as part of a careersfocused panel for young women CASES IN REVIEW - A FORCED HAND AND AN INVALID WILL Advice from Jasper Vincent Solicitors A recent case has made news where a daughter made her mother, a Dementia su erer, sign a Will leaving her everything. is Will completely cut out her only sibling, a brother. In an unusual twist to this case, the daughter had a witness video the signing. It was used as evidence to support her case; she thought the footage would show that her mother had willingly signed the Will and understood the contents, but the reality appeared quite di erent when the footage played in court. It showed the mother on her deathbed, barely responsive. e daughter placed a pen into her mother’s hand before manipulating her mother’s hand to make a signature. is is shocking behaviour in any objective sense. e judge was then quoted as saying, based on the footage, the mother “had no idea what was going on” when the Will was signed. It was also noted that the signature on this Will “bore no resemblance” to the signature on the mother’s previous Will from 2017. For a Will to be validly signed, the testator must understand and approve of the contents before signing correctly with their witnesses. In this case, the mother’s advanced Dementia diagnosis which was clear for all to see from the footage used as evidence meant she could not have understood the nature of that particular Will. Sadly, the mother died eight days a er this Will was signed and the son decided to contest the estate. He argued the Will was invalid and the judge agreed with him. In the end, the judge ordered that there was no valid Will, meaning the mother’s estate would pass according to the Intestacy Rules, a body of law that in this case means the estate is divided equally between the brother and sister. A very sad case for all concerned, highlighting the importance of making Wills, having respect for proper procedures and showing how money can motivate people to act underhandedly. For an initial consultation about your Will, feel free to contact our Associate Solicitor Edward Kennard at Jasper Vincent’s Waterside o ce on: 023 8089 0919.
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