An elderly South African woman who lived in Scotland for six years has left the SNP £300,000 in her will.
Details of the cash boost come at a time when the party’s finances are under scrutiny as income from membership fees dropped during the pandemic.
Estelle Brownrigg was born in South Africa but later worked as a pharmacist in London, where she met her husband Thomas Brownrigg.
The couple lived in Johannesburg, Brussels and Canada before settling in Scotland around 2012.
Neither Estelle nor her late husband had any children and it’s not known if they have any living relatives.
Estelle died in a care home in Quarriers Village, Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire, in March 2018 at the age of 73.
With the exception of money left to a close friend, the rest of her £1,349,000 estate went to the SNP and three charities.
Details of the bequest emerged last week at a hearing at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.
One of the three charities named in the will was the Nelson Mandela Educational Fund in South Africa.
However, lawyers could find no record of the organisation and had asked that the money be given to a charity of a similar name, Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund.
Estelle’s bequest to the SNP is one of the biggest single donations since Euro lottery winners Christine Weir and her late ex-husband Colin each donated £250,000 in 2017.
The SNP also received £300,000 from Edinburgh woman Morven Polson this February in her will.
Estelle’s bequest comes amid a row in the SNP over the alleged disappearance of £600,000 in donations for a second referendum campaign.
A copy of the SNP’s draft 2020 accounts, leaked last month, showed donations during the pandemic dropped by 55 per cent from £904,000 to £416,000.
An SNP spokesperson said: “We rely on the kindness and generosity of our members and supporters for income, that’s what helps us keep campaigning towards an independent Scotland.”
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