Actress Dame Thora Hird died in March aged 91

Help The Aged is among 35 organisations said to have been bequeathed donations by Dame Thora.

Various wildlife charities are also reported to be among the beneficiaries.

Dame Thora, who presented BBC One's Songs Of Praise and appeared in shows such as Last of the Summer Wine, died earlier this year aged 91.

Legacy

According to the Mail on Sunday, Dame Thora left a legacy of �1.15m in her will.

Charities set to benefit reportedly include a donkey sanctuary in Devon, a wildlife hospital in Aylesbury and an operatic society in Dame Thora's home town of Morecambe.

However, a spokeswoman for Dame Thora's agent, Felix de Wolfe, said details of the will have yet to be confirmed by members of her family.

The Lancashire-born star was known to millions for her appearances in sitcoms such as 1960s favourite Meet the Wife - in which she played Thora Blacklock.

In the late 1970s, she appeared as Ivy in the sitcom In Loving Memory.

She joined Last of the Summer Wine in 1985, playing gossip Aunt Edie Pegden, and was made Dame Thora in 1993.