FAQs | Gifts in Wills

To make a gift to Cumbria Wildlife Trust in your Will you need the following information, as well as specifics on what you wish to leave the Trust (more on that below).

Our full charity name: Cumbria Wildlife Trust 

Our registered office address: Plumgarths Crook Road Kendal Cumbria LA8 8LX 

Registered Charity No. 218711

A gift in your Will is one of the most valuable ways you can help Cumbria's wildlife and ensure
your wishes live on. 

Gifts in Wills have enabled us to carry out some amazing projects to support Cumbria’s unique wildlife. Gifts in Wills have already helped the Trust to:

• Protect endangered species (including red squirrels, fritillary butterflies and rare orchids)
• Buy and manage nature reserves for wildlife (including Eycott Hill, the Waitby Link at Smardale and Bowber Head Farm nature reserves)
• Inspire children and adults about the natural world
• Make space for nature across our towns, countryside and coast
   

Your Will is the final and possibly most significant gift you will ever make, allowing you to influence the world you leave behind for future generations to come.

It's important to have a Will for these three reasons:

• Because making a Will is the only way to ensure that your wishes are carried out after
  your death.
• By having a valid and up to date Will you can ensure that your family and friends are provided for, as well as helping charitable causes that are close to your heart.
• If you die without making a Will, the State decides what happens to your estate, and this could result in your estate not going where you would have wished.

There are three different types of gift you can leave in your Will: 

1) Percentage of your estate

This may be what is left after other gifts have been given out. Even a small percentage of your estate will make a big difference to what we can achieve for wildlife. For example, choosing to leave a 1% gift, means your loved ones will still benefit from 99% of your estate. The advantage of this kind of gift is that it will increase with inflation over time, while a cash gift will not.

2) Cash gift 

This is a specified amount of money from your estate.

3) An item (e.g. property or land)

If you intend to leave property or land, we recommend that you contact us, so that we can work together to ensure that your wishes are, or can be, accommodated in the Trust’s plans. Cumbria Wildlife Trust will always take account of your wishes for the future use of your gift.

If you are thinking of leaving a percentage of your estate (residuary gift), here is some
suggested text: “I give the residue of my estate (or I give; _% of the residue of my estate) to Cumbria Wildlife Trust, registered charity number 218711 (England and Wales), absolutely for its general charitable purposes, and I declare that the receipt of the legacy officer or other duly authorised officer of the Trust at the time shall be a full and sufficient discharge to my executors and trustees.”

Alternatively, you may wish to leave a specific sum of money or item (pecuniary gift), for which the following is suggested: “I give the sum of £X to Cumbria Wildlife Trust, registered charity number 218711 (England and Wales), absolutely for its general charitable purposes, and I declare that the receipt of the legacy officer or other duly authorised officer of the Trust at the time shall be a full and sufficient discharge to my executors and trustees.”

Whatever you’re considering, please talk to a solicitor to ensure the wording is correct for your specific circumstances.

No. If you leave a gift to Cumbria Wildlife Trust the value of the legacy gift is deducted from your estate before inheritance tax is calculated. It may also reduce your inheritance tax rate, if more than 10% of your estate is left to charity.

We benefit most from gifts that are not restricted to a specific purpose, allowing us to use the money on wildlife priorities at the time it becomes available.

Nevertheless, if you are interested in restricting your gift to a particular area of work, we are happy to accommodate this if we can. We would recommend that you contact us in the first instance to discuss your wishes.

No, we cannot act as your executor. It is recommended that you choose a solicitor or a trusted friend or family member. It is the responsibility of your executor to follow the instructions in
your Will and to find fair solutions to any issues that may arise.

More advice is available from the Money Advice Service website or call 0800 138 7777.

No, you don't need to to write a new Will if you've already written one but would now like to leave a gift to Cumbria Wildlife Trust. Your solicitor can add a codicil to your existing Will that details minor changes or additions you wish to make to your original Will. 

What is a codicil?

Codicils are a legally binding, easy and inexpensive way to make an additional gift within your Will. Talk to your solicitor for further details.

No, we cannot recommend a specific solicitor, but using a solicitor is the best way to make sure that your wishes are followed.

The Law Society website can help you find a solicitor.

If you have already been generous enough to include Cumbria Wildlife Trust in your Will, we offer heartfelt thanks. There is no obligation for you to let us know about your gift, but if you do, it will be kept confidential and will allow us to thank you. It also means we can keep you updated with the impact gifts in Wills are having for local wildlife, but if you’d prefer us not to, just let us know.

Informing us of your intentions also means you won’t receive any further requests about leaving a gift in your Will, and helps us understand if our approach is securing future gifts, which is important, given how vital they are for wildlife.

It's a good idea to review your Will from time to time to ensure it reflects any changes in your personal circumstances. You're free to change your mind at any time.

Letting us know you plan to leave a gift in your Will to Cumbria Wildlife Trust doesn’t commit you to doing so. However, it would be really helpful if you could tell us if you do change
your mind.