A succession of bets placed by a man who left his estate to Oxfam when he died could raise more than a third of a million pounds for the charity over the next ten years, including £100,000 if Roger Federer wins this year’s Wimbledon in June as is widely expected.

The first bet, £250 on Roger Federer to win at least 14 grand slam titles before 2020 at 66/1, won £16,750 for Oxfam and was claimed this month, as Federer heads into the 2010 tennis season as world number one.

The bets, placed with bookmakers William Hill between 2000 and 2005 by Nicholas Newlife from Kidlington, Oxfordshire, are pinned on the future successes of tennis stars Roger Federer and Andy Roddick, and cricketer Ramnaresh Sarwan.

Mr Newlife left his entire estate to Oxfam when he died in February 2009, aged 69, which included the outcomes of the series of outstanding bets he had placed.

Federer lost last year’s Australian Open to Nadal in the final, but went on to claim his 14th grand slam at the French Open and 15th at Wimbledon in 2009, winning almost £17,000 for Oxfam in the process.

Cathy Ferrier, Fundraising and Supporter Marketing Director at Oxfam, said:
“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.

“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.

“Every time someone leaves us a gift in their will, whether that’s a few pounds or a few thousands pounds, it helps us make a huge difference to thousands of lives around the world. For example, £500 could provide twenty basics latrines, such as those sent by Oxfam after the Haiti earthquake, and £3,700 could equip an entire special needs school with teaching and learning aids.”

The outstanding bets placed by Mr Newlife that could still come off are:

£1520 on Federer to win Wimbledon men’s singles at least 7 times before 2020 at 66/1 – this would win £101,840 for Oxfam this summer if he comes out on top at this summer’s Wimbledon.
£1,000 on Andy Roddick to win at least 7 grand slam singles titles before 2020 at 33/1 – this would win £34,000 for Oxfam.
£750 on Andy Roddick to win at least 10 grand slam singles titles before 2020 at 100/1 – this would win £75,075 for Oxfam.
£350 on Ramnaresh Sarwan to make over 7,000 test match runs by end of 2019 at 50/1 – this would win £17,850.
£300 on Ramnaresh Sarwan to make more than 8,000 test match runs by end of 2019 at 100/1 – this would win £30,300.
£250 on Ramnaresh Sarwan to make more than 9,000 test match runs by end of 2019 at 250/1 – this would win £62,750.

Should all the bets come to fruition, Oxfam would receive around £330,000, which would be enough to buy emergency rations for almost 46,000 people, safe water for more than 350,000 people, or buy 12,800 goats.

Oxfam benefits from the generosity of around 600 legacies every year – the charity receives on average around £10-11 million per year from legacy gifts.

Other unusual legacies that Oxfam has received include:
A pair of gold teeth and a dentist’s chair from a former dentist;
The royalties from a number of books and plays, including Doctor Finlay’s Casebook, which was on TV from 1962 to 1971;
A letter written by Florence Nightingale, which was sold for several hundred pounds at auction;
Some racing greyhounds

The most expensive shares left to Oxfam were a holding of shares in the original Woolwich Arsenal Football Club. The shares had been overlooked in 1920 and were traced through 4 subsequent estates. Each share was worth £6,965 when finally sold in 2009.

The charity has received the proceeds from sales of art collections and antique furniture, and gifts of jewellery, books and clothes and whenever possible Oxfam arrange for these to be sold in our shops. In the case of antique furniture, Oxfam relies on the expertise of auctioneers to value the items and get the best possible price for them in auction. Perhaps the most attractive item sold on behalf of Oxfam in an auction was a Regency Chaise Longue, which sold for £8,000.