Woman bequeaths €800k to village

A WOMAN has left €800,000 in a will to the residents of a small Breton village that she visited many times to see relatives.

Simone Ferry Guiho, who died last November aged 90, bequeathed her estate to the 781 inhabitants of Saint-Congard, Morbihan - including bank savings, a house in the Vosges and farmland.

Mayor Daniel Brulé told Ouest-France that the annual operating budget of the municipality is €600,000.

Ms Guiho never lived in the village, but visited many times over the years to spend time with cousins.

The retired town clerk was unmarried and had no children, and visited Saint-Congard, where her father and his 13 siblings were born.

The new council is expected to make a decision on how to spend their windfall in the coming weeks.

But Mr Brulé said: “There will be a keepsake for her and her family. It's huge, it really is a breath of fresh air.”