As solicitors specialising in the preparation of wills Rowlinsons are regularly approached by local and national charities asking us to remind our clients to leave a charitable gift in their wills. Indeed, we always ask clients when making or reviewing their wills whether they have any favourite charities they would like to leave a legacy to.
Charities receive over £3 billion of funding per year from bequests in wills, and this is a vital source of income for them, particularly during difficult economic times.
So upon receiving a letter from the RNLI this week we thought that this was another such request.
But this letter was different. This one specifically referred to several estates which we had recently helped to administer where a legacy had been left to the RNLI in a will. As well as asking us to pass on the charity’s heartfelt appreciation to the families of the deceased, it also asked us to notify them that the names of those who had kindly remembered the RNLI in their wills were to be displayed on the side of a new ‘legacy lifeboat’, which is currently under construction and is to be stationed at Great Yarmouth from 2022.
In the role of a wills and probate solicitor there are not many opportunities to pass on positive news to a client, so it really is special to be able to pass on the news to those bereaved families that the RNLI intend to pay direct tribute to their loved ones in this way.
But, more importantly, it is heart-warming for those bereaved families to know that the charity intends to use that legacy funding to commission a new lifeboat which will directly help to save lives at sea.
If you wish to benefit a charity in your will, you can choose to leave either a legacy of a fixed sum, or alternatively a proportion of your net estate. Gifts to charity pass free of inheritance tax on death, and can even potentially reduce the rate of inheritance tax payable in larger estates from 40% to 36%.
Contact us today to find out how you can support your favourite charity in your will on 01928 735 333.