Homelessness charity Shelter has welcomed a £4m legacy gift from Sean Hughes after a near decade-long legal case about the late comedian’s handwritten will concluded.
Hughes, who died in 2017 aged 51, wrote that his £1.8m north London home and two extra properties valued at £2.15m should go to Shelter, according to the Independent.
A former team captain on the BBC’s Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Hughes wrote in his will that “my three houses” should go to Shelter.
Hughes’ will ended up in the High Court because he used an online platform to draft it without legal assistance and it contained “vague wording”, Shelter told Civil Society.
Under discussion was the fact that Hughes owned only one of the homes, while the other two were under a company’s name of which he was the sole shareholder.
His family agreed that the company’s shares, which included the properties, should go to Shelter, but the case still needed judicial approval.
Judge Iain Pester, in a short video hearing, ruled it was “the correct construction of the will” to pass the shares to Shelter.
Andy Harris, Shelter’s director of income generation, welcomed the decision and described Hughes as a “passionate supporter” of the charity.
“Gifts left in wills are a vital source of income for Shelter,” Harris said.
“This donation will enable us to continue to deliver expert support and advice to people impacted by the housing emergency.”
Hughes had supported the charity for years and performed at comedy gig Stand Up for Shelter in 2014.
Harris added: “We are enormously grateful for the generous gift left in his will.
“We have worked closely with Sean’s family to ensure his wishes are honoured.”
Hughes’ estate has not yet gone through probate, the charity added.
Nearly £7m from legacies last year
According to Shelter’s most recent accounts for the year to 31 March 2025, the charity’s total income was £77m and £6.96m of that amount was from legacies.
Shelter’s total income dipped in 2024-25 from £81m the previous financial year and the charity attributed the drop partly to a fall in legacy donations (£7.21m in 2023-24).
“Donations and legacies decreased by £3.7m to £49.6m due to falls in income from individuals, corporate donors and legators,” its 2024-25 accounts read.
“This was an anticipated decrease given the natural volatility of such income types with corporate donors constrained by the challenging financial landscape.”
For the last three years, the charity’s total expenditure has been above its income, most recently about £3m higher in 2024-25.
