Leave a Gift in your Will

Your Legacy is our future

We know that your first priority when making a Will is to provide for your loved ones, those closest to you, such as family and friends. If however, helping others in your local community through difficult times is something you care about, please remember us when you come to making or updating your Will.

Over the years, the gifts that people have left to us in their Wills have helped us recruit more nurses, set up and equip our Inpatient Unit and train staff to offer the best possible care when people need it the most.

The Friends have to raise £2,500 a day to meet our commitment to support the hospice service and continue providing our services for free. Leaving The Friends of the Wisdom Hospice a gift in your Will is one of the most valuable and lasting ways you can support us. It costs nothing during your lifetime but will have a powerful impact for years to come.

By leaving a gift in your Will to care for future generations of Medway and Swale you will be making a real difference, enabling us to continue caring for patients with life-limiting illnesses, their families and carers – thank you. Your legacy is our future.

Can you help with legal advice?

Although we cannot provide legal advice, we are more than happy to speak to you about any queries or concerns around the making of your Will and any gift to The Friends of the Wisdom Hospice.

Please note, The Friends of the Wisdom Hospice does not recommend or endorse any particular Solicitor or Will Writing service. Please ensure you get the best advice for your particular circumstances.

You can contact us and speak to someone in strictest confidence. Please call us on 01634 831163 or email: martynreeves@fowh.org.uk

By leaving us a gift in your Will you will:

Help make a difference to patients and families facing a life-limiting illness

Contribute to the future of your local hospices' care

Ease the tax burden on your personal beneficiaries

How to make a Will

Making a Will ensures that your wishes are carried out on your death. If you don't have a valid Will, your estate will be distributed as directed by the rules of intestacy, which may not meet your needs or those of your family. For more information on the financial reasons to make a Will, see the Gov.uk website

How to find a solicitor
It is important to get independent advice from a solicitor when making or updating your Will. To find a solicitor in your area, visit The Law Society Website.

Things to consider before meeting with a solicitor:

Start by calculating the value of your estate - see below for more information
Think about who you would like to include as beneficiaries in your Will
Think about who you would like to have guardianship of your children if relevant
Decide who you would like to be executors of the Will; people you trust to ensure that your wishes are carried out
Think about whether you would like to leave a gift to your favourite charity or charities

If you an unfamiliar with legal terminology, our Glossary of legal terms may help, see below.

Updating your Will
It's important to update your will if your circumstances or priorities change. Sometimes you just need to add a codicil to make small changes or additions.

Keeping your Will safe
It's sensible to leave the original with your solicitor or in another safe place such as your bank. Keep a copy at home and make sure your executors know where to find it.

Calculating the value of your assets

Before writing your Will it is helpful to calculate the value of your assets, minus any liabilities, and identify the true value of your estate.

Your assets:

• Your home (current market value)
• Other properties, either in the UK or abroad
• Money - in the bank, in building society accounts, in National Savings or in Premium Bonds
• Any money you are owed
• Business assets (including shares in private companies)
• Investments
• Life insurance
• Pensions (lump sums payable on death)
• Your car, motorbike, caravan, boat etc
• The contents of your house
• Any other possessions
• Other assets passing as a result of your death

Take the total of all these assets - this is Total A.

What you owe:

• Your outstanding mortgage
• Your overdraft
• Any loans
• Any other debts

Take the total of all these debts - this is Total B.

The value of your estate is Total A minus Total B.

Leaving a legacy to us

We are so grateful to everyone who chooses to leave us a gift in their Will. These gifts are incredibly important to us and mean that we can keep providing vital services to those that need them.

Types of legacy

There are three types of gifts you could leave to The Friends of the Wisdom Hospice:

Residuary Gift - a portion, or the entirety, of everything that remains after other specific gifts, expenses and taxes have been paid.
Pecuniary Gift - a gift of a set amount of money. Speak to your solicitor about index-linking the gift to maintain its value in the future.
Specific Gift - a specific item, such as a piece of furniture or jewellery.

We have sample legacy clauses which you can use, along with your solicitor, to state your wishes clearly. We also have a sample codicil which can be used to add a gift to an existing Will.

Whichever type of gift you choose to leave; you must include our name, address and charity number to ensure that the legacy is valid:
The Friends of the Wisdom Hospice, The Wisdom Hospice, High Bank, Rochester, Kent, ME1 2NU
Registered Charity Number: 284894

Informing the Hospice about your intentions

If you have chosen to leave a gift to The Friends of the Wisdom Hospice in your Will then thank you, from all of us. You don't have to tell us about your decision, but we would like the opportunity to thank you personally and would love to hear from you if you have chosen to support us in this way.

If you would like to let us know about your gift, or discuss any aspect of charitable bequests, contact Martyn Reeves on 01634 831163 or martynreeves@fowh.org.uk Alternatively, you can write to us at the address above.

Glossary of legal terms

If you are unfamiliar with the legal terms used in will writing, you may find the following useful:

Will - a legally binding document which details your wishes and sets out how your estate will be distributed on your death.
Codicil - a legally binding document which can be appended to your main Will and facilitates minor changes and amendments. Significant changes may require a re-write of the main Will.
Executor - a person you choose to carry out the terms of your Will. It is sensible to have two executors in place, in case one of them dies before you do. Anyone over the age of 18 can be an executor, and you can choose a friend or family member or a professional executor, e.g. a solicitor or accountant.
Beneficiary - a person or charity that will benefit from your Will.
Bequest - a gift, otherwise known as a legacy.
Estate - all your possessions, including property and money.
Intestacy - dying without leaving a Will (or leaving a will that has been declared invalid for whatever reason.)
Life Interest Legacy - also known as a reversionary legacy or an interest in remainder. This is a legacy leaving an interest in property for the duration of a beneficiary's lifetime, which passes to another beneficiary on the former's death.
Conditional Legacy - a gift that relies on a certain condition being met, e.g. a family member predeceasing you.
Inheritance tax - tax paid on the portion of your estate that is above the nil-rate threshold.
Residue - what is left of your estate after outstanding debts and taxes are paid and any pecuniary of specific bequests have been distributed.