Leaving us a Gift in your Will
Our Reserves are special areas on the South Downs. By leaving us a gift in your Will, you can help make sure they stay that way and even provide the resources to expand the areas under our careful stewardship.
We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to experience nature in their lives. Whatever your passion - birdwatching, gardening, orchid hunting or simply going for a walk - the nature and places we love need our help and protection if they are to flourish.
Once loved ones have been taken care of, leaving a gift in your Will to the Murray Downland Trust is a powerful way to support local wildlife and those places you have cherished. Your gift, no matter how big or small, will help to leave a better world for future generations.
It’s easy to leave a gift in your Will – if you would like to discuss this with someone at the Trust, please contact us via this website by clicking on the "Contact Us" tab above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I leave a gift?
It’s really easy to leave a gift to a charity – all you need to do is talk to your solicitor and let them know what you would like to leave, whether that’s a percentage of your estate (known as a residual legacy), a set amount (known as a pecuniary legacy) or a specific item such as land, shares or jewellery. Your solicitor will want to know the registered charity number. The Murray Downland Trust’s charity number is 1040076.
Aren’t gifts in Wills for just wealthy people?
Not at all! Many people leave gifts to charities they care about, or causes that are important to them. Once you have taken care of your family and friends please consider leaving a small percentage to charity – leaving a percentage rather than a fixed sum means your beneficiaries receive the gifts you plan to leave regardless of inflation.
My Will is already written, is it too late to include you?
Adding to a Will is often very simple and your solicitor can do so very easily either with a simple rewrite or by adding a codicil.
What about Inheritance Tax?
Gifts to charity are usually free of inheritance tax and can often reduce the overall tax payable on an estate, in some cases reducing the tax rate from 40% to 36% if you are leaving more than 10% of your net estate to charity. It is very important for you to speak to an expert if you would like to plan your Will in this way. Your solicitor will be able to advise you further.
Can I specify how a gift is used?
If you would like to leave us land or to use your gift in a certain way please speak to us first to ensure that we will be able to honour your wishes. Legacies come in many different forms but the most useful bequest has no conditions attached; that is, we can use it according to our priorities at the time. If you have a specific request we will do our best to honour it, however if there are strict conditions it may not be in the Trust’s best interests to accept - for example if you wish us to purchase land in an area where there is no land to buy or the cost to the Trust is too high.
I’m an executor, what do you need from me?
It depends on whether we have been left a pecuniary or residual legacy.
I would like to leave you a legacy. What should I put in my Will?
It is always very important for you to discuss wording with your solicitor before including it in a Will. They will probably suggest something along the lines of (with thanks to Remember a Charity for the wording):
We suggest this wording because, if for some reason it simply wasn’t possible to use the gift as specified, then the bequest may fail, even if we could use the bequest in a way that meets the spirit of the giver’s wishes but not the exact words.
Our Reserves are special areas on the South Downs. By leaving us a gift in your Will, you can help make sure they stay that way and even provide the resources to expand the areas under our careful stewardship.
We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to experience nature in their lives. Whatever your passion - birdwatching, gardening, orchid hunting or simply going for a walk - the nature and places we love need our help and protection if they are to flourish.
Once loved ones have been taken care of, leaving a gift in your Will to the Murray Downland Trust is a powerful way to support local wildlife and those places you have cherished. Your gift, no matter how big or small, will help to leave a better world for future generations.
It’s easy to leave a gift in your Will – if you would like to discuss this with someone at the Trust, please contact us via this website by clicking on the "Contact Us" tab above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I leave a gift?
It’s really easy to leave a gift to a charity – all you need to do is talk to your solicitor and let them know what you would like to leave, whether that’s a percentage of your estate (known as a residual legacy), a set amount (known as a pecuniary legacy) or a specific item such as land, shares or jewellery. Your solicitor will want to know the registered charity number. The Murray Downland Trust’s charity number is 1040076.
Aren’t gifts in Wills for just wealthy people?
Not at all! Many people leave gifts to charities they care about, or causes that are important to them. Once you have taken care of your family and friends please consider leaving a small percentage to charity – leaving a percentage rather than a fixed sum means your beneficiaries receive the gifts you plan to leave regardless of inflation.
My Will is already written, is it too late to include you?
Adding to a Will is often very simple and your solicitor can do so very easily either with a simple rewrite or by adding a codicil.
What about Inheritance Tax?
Gifts to charity are usually free of inheritance tax and can often reduce the overall tax payable on an estate, in some cases reducing the tax rate from 40% to 36% if you are leaving more than 10% of your net estate to charity. It is very important for you to speak to an expert if you would like to plan your Will in this way. Your solicitor will be able to advise you further.
Can I specify how a gift is used?
If you would like to leave us land or to use your gift in a certain way please speak to us first to ensure that we will be able to honour your wishes. Legacies come in many different forms but the most useful bequest has no conditions attached; that is, we can use it according to our priorities at the time. If you have a specific request we will do our best to honour it, however if there are strict conditions it may not be in the Trust’s best interests to accept - for example if you wish us to purchase land in an area where there is no land to buy or the cost to the Trust is too high.
I’m an executor, what do you need from me?
It depends on whether we have been left a pecuniary or residual legacy.
I would like to leave you a legacy. What should I put in my Will?
It is always very important for you to discuss wording with your solicitor before including it in a Will. They will probably suggest something along the lines of (with thanks to Remember a Charity for the wording):
- Residual (a percentage of the estate): “I leave to the Murray Downland Trust, Charity Registration Number: 1040076 X% for its general purposes and I direct that the receipt of the Treasurer or other duly authorised officer shall be a sufficient discharge to my executors.”
- Pecuniary (a fixed amount): “I leave to the Murray Downland Trust, Charity Registration Number: 1040076 the sum of £x (amount in words) for its general purposes and I direct that the receipt of the Treasurer or other duly authorised officer shall be a sufficient discharge to my executors.”
- Restricted: If you would like us to use your gift for a specific purpose or area we suggest you use the following words: “X% to the Murray Downland Trust with a request but without imposing any legal binding obligation on the Murray Downland Trust to use such monies to X.”
We suggest this wording because, if for some reason it simply wasn’t possible to use the gift as specified, then the bequest may fail, even if we could use the bequest in a way that meets the spirit of the giver’s wishes but not the exact words.