Roger Federer will be playing for more than he expects at Wimbledon this year following a donation from the grave to Oxfam, if the world champion wins the men’s singles tournament.
Nicholas Newlife from Kidlington, Oxfordshire left his estate to the charity when he died aged 69 in February last year and within the legacy was a succession of bets which could raise more than a third of a million pounds for the charity over the next ten years.
The charity has already claimed £16,750 earlier this month from Newlife’s first bet - £250 on Roger Federer to win at least 14 grand slam titles before 2020 at 66/1. His next bet on Federer to win the Wimbledon men’s singles at least seven times before 2020 carries the same odds and could raise £101,840 for Oxfam next month if Federer wins.
Cathy Ferrier, fundraising and supporter marketing director at Oxfam, said:"Legacies amount to 10 per cent of our total income from individuals, so they’re essential to us, and as this case proves they can come in all shapes and sizes.
"It is very easy to make a will and including Oxfam could leave a lasting legacy for those most in need.
"We’re enormously grateful to Mr Newlife for his generous gift, and will be keeping a close eye on Wimbledon this year as a result."
Bets still to come through |
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Total possible winnings including earlier wins: £338,565 |
Graham Sharpe, media relations director at William Hill, provides an insight into Newlife’s betting pattern:
"Mr Newlife was clearly a very shrewd sporting gambler whose early identification of potential superstars won tens of thousands of pounds for himself while he was still alive - but to ensure that a respected charity would benefit from any bets which came to fruition after his death makes him unprecedented in my 30-year experience of the betting industry.
"Roger Federer is already 6/4 hot favourite to win this summer's Wimbledon and I fully expect to be handing over a six-figure [£101, 840] cheque to Oxfam when he does so."
Image copyright: Squeakyknees,2009
