Wartime evacuee Eileen Webb, who passed away in October 2020, gifted the Wales Air Ambulance Charity an incredible £58,000 in her Will.

Miss Webb was born in Kingston, Surrey, in the late 1930s. She moved to Wales as a toddler when her father, a member of the armed forces, was stationed at the Penrhyn Camp in Pembrokeshire. The family also lived on the Isle of Wight and in Surrey before returning to Pembrokeshire in the mid-1970’s.

Eileen chose Cliff Sharp to be one of the executors of her estate. He was a close friend of Miss Webb. He described their friendship as more of a brother and sister relationship. Miss Webb worked for him at his general store, Kiel House Stores, for 30 years.

Cliff, who described Eileen as an “excellent knitter” helped with her life management. She was remembered as a lover of cats and “good fun.”

Speaking fondly of her, he said: “Eileen had a wicked sense of fun. She was merciless in her teasing and regardless of who you were or whether she knew you, you could be at the sharp end of her wit. People were amused by her. She was devoted to her parents and cared for her mother until her own health deteriorated but her mum lived to be 102. 

“Unusually, in Eileen’s old age she always followed Formula One racing on television, and as a young person she had enjoyed riding pillion on motorbikes.”

As well as leaving the substantial amount of money to the lifesaving charity, kind-hearted Eileen also left a legacy of £58,000 to Dinas Cross Community Hall in Pembrokeshire. She has been described by Cliff as a “home bird”, who was “mostly content with her own company.”

Cliff added: “Eileen never said why she donated to the Wales Air Ambulance; we weren’t party to her Will until she passed. We know she admired their work and appreciated the need for the service in this rural area and she joked, ‘you never know when I might need it.’

“She would have great satisfaction knowing that her donations to the Wales Air Ambulance Charity and a matching bequest to Dinas Cross Community Centre were benefitting others and making a difference.” 

On what would have been Eileen’s 84th birthday the Wales Air Ambulance’s Wendy McManus joined friends, villagers, and a representative from Yr Hen Ysgol who gathered to commemorate her life and generosity by planting an apple tree in her memory. The attendees also enjoyed a birthday tea in honour of their absent friend.

Wendy McManus, Wales Air Ambulance’s Legacy Fundraiser said: “It was very generous of Eileen to leave a gift in her Will to the Wales Air Ambulance. We are completely bowled over by the amount. It is a shame that we never met Eileen, but it is clear to see from her generosity to the Charity and the community hall just the type of character she was.

 “Gifts in Wills, no matter how big or small, are incredibly important to us to fund our four helicopters and rapid response vehicles across Wales. Eileen’s legacy will ensure that the Wales Air Ambulance will continue to be there for the people of Wales 24/7, 365 days a year. Her legacy will definitely live on through the many people that we will be able to help.”