How to leave a legacy - frequently asked questions

Before making a will, there are a few main things to consider. 

• What money and belongings you have in your name – this is your estate. Think about your savings, bank accounts, investments, pensions, insurance policies, property, and anything else of value that you would want to pass onto others. 

• How you want your estate to be distributed – who do you want to provide for in your will? Think about all your loved ones and consider any causes that you may wish to contribute to. 

• Who should carry out the wishes in your will – this person is the executor of your will, and is responsible for the administration and organisation of all your wishes, as well as dealing with any issues that could arise. 

Once you have an idea of your wishes, we recommend you get in touch with a legal professional to write your will.  

We are partnered with Octopus Legacy, who provide a free wills service. Their website will guide you step-by-step through the process of writing a will in an easy to follow way. You don’t have to leave a gift to Lancashire Wildlife Trust to use this service, but we hope you will consider us.  

Alternatively, you may wish to use your own solicitor – you can find a directory of solicitors near you on The Law Society's website. 

Making a will is very important, as it's your chance to make a legal note of your wishes for what should happen with your estate after death. On a personal level, a will is the safest way to ensure your loved ones are provided for; it also allows you to leave an impact on the world for future generations by supporting causes that you care about. 

Not leaving a will can lead to legal complications for your loved ones. By making a will you'll make sure your loved ones don't have to worry, and avoid your estate not going where you would have wished. 

When making your will, family and friends always come first. After you've taken care of your loved ones, you also have the opportunity to help charitable causes close to your heart. A gift to The Lancashire Wildlife Trust in your will would make a huge difference for our work and allow your passion for nature to live on, ensuring those following in your footsteps can experience the amazing wildlife that calls our region home.  

If you haven't made a will before, it’s a good idea to do this as soon as possible. Writing a will doesn't only apply to those who are married, have children, or own property; whatever your circumstances, if you have particular wishes for what should happen in the event of your death, it's important to make a record of these wishes so that they can be honoured. 

If you already have a will, you should review it regularly, particularly after any changes to your personal circumstances (for example, if you get married or divorced, if you move house, or if you have new children or grandchildren).

The cost of writing a will can vary depending on how complicated it is. We currently have a partnership with Octopus Legacy who offer a free online will-writing service for anyone who is considering leaving a gift for the Lancashire Wildlife Trust. If you choose to write your will via Octopus Legacy's free service, they will help make the process of writing your will, and leaving a special gift to wildlife, as simple and straightforward as possible.  

People typically choose between three types of gift: 

• Residuary – a share or percentage of whatever remains of your estate once your loved ones have been provided for, and any taxes and other costs have been paid.
• Pecuniary – a fixed sum of money. Do remember that inflation will affect the value of this fixed sum over time, so you may wish to update your will periodically.
• Specific – a specific item or asset, for example a piece of art, jewellery, or shares. 

Your will is one of the most significant gifts you will ever make. You don't have to be wealthy to make an impact; any gift that you are able to leave, whether large or small, will go towards our vital work protecting wildlife and wild spaces across our region. Every penny truly makes a difference.

Knowing that people are including us in their wills today gives us added confidence for tomorrow and helps us commit to important long-term projects. 

Your gift could.... 

• Help us to improve the pathways at our reserves, allowing people to get closer to nature and encourage the next generation to fall in love with the wildlife you have cared about in your lifetime. A gift left in a will allowed us to transform the pathways of Brockholes to ensure they were wheelchair-friendly, honouring the memory of one of our supporters who spent many hours close to wildlife in her own wheelchair. 

• Allow us to transform our nature reserves and create more habitats for the wildlife that call them home. A gift left in a will allowed us to create a bat hibernaculum from an old and disused structure, providing a safe home for bats at Mere Sands Wood. 

• Create wildflower meadows, offering shelter and food for important pollinators. Thanks to the generosity of a gift left in a will, we will be creating a wildflower meadow at Brockholes, which will benefit all types of insects and pollinators, from huge, fuzzy bumblebee queens to pint-sized solitary bees. 

Learn more about what your will could do for wildlife here. 

If you already have a will and would like to make some small changes, you do not need to make a new will. Instead, you can add a codicil to your will and send it to your solicitor. A codicil is a document which allows you to make changes or additions to an existing will and must be read in conjunction with it. Please contact your solicitor to discuss this.

If you choose to write your will via our partners at Octopus Legacy, and later choose to make an addition or amendment to your will, this can be done for free at any time during the first year, and for £10 per year after that.

Any gifts that we receive from wills are gratefully received; however, the type of gifts that benefit our work the most are ones that aren't restricted to any specific purpose. Leaving us a gift that doesn't specify a particular purpose allows us to use the money where it is needed the most, and we truly appreciate your trust in allowing us to decide this.

In addition, sometimes a specific request for how a gift should be spent cannot always be fulfilled for conservation reasons; for example, we wouldn't be able to use a gift to plant trees in a habitat where this wouldn't be appropriate for the surrounding wildlife, for example in a wetland area.

If you do have a specific wish for how your gift should be spent, however, we will always be happy to discuss this with you in case this can be accommodated. Please contact our Fundraising Officer, Lucy, on lcoxhead@lancswt.org.uk if you would like to discuss this. 

Your will is a private document, and you’re not under any obligation to tell us anything about it. But it would be lovely if you felt comfortable sharing your intentions with us, because then we’d be able to thank you in person for your amazing kindness.  

To let us know you've included a gift to the Lancashire Wildlife Trust in your will, or that you intend to do so, please let us know by completing our legacy pledger form here, or emailing lcoxhead@lancswt.org.uk. We’d love to hear from you. 

It’s your will, and you are entitled to change it however and whenever you want to. Letting us know that you plan to leave a us gift in your will doesn’t commit you to doing so, and it is absolutely fine to change your mind.  

We would be very grateful to hear from you if you have changed, added, or removed a gift to the Lancashire Wildlife Trust from your will. This will help us with our future planning and make sure that our records are up to date. 

Whether you’re writing or changing your will, you should always talk to a legal professional to ensure your will is legally correct and your wishes are clear. 

If you haven't already spoken to a legal professional and would like some help, we've partnered with two organisations: 

Octopus Legacy offers a free online will writing service to anyone wanting to leave a gift for wildlife, plus bereavement support. 

Morecambe Bay Wills and Estates offers free will reviews, 10% off their services and more offers to any Lancashire Wildlife Trust members who want to leave a gift to us in their will. 

All our partners offer a high quality service with legal representatives on hand to answer any questions you may have during the process. 

If you decide to leave a gift to the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, you will need to supply our full name and address (see below) and our registered charity number (229325), along with the percentage or amount you wish to leave as a gift. 

Charity name: The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside

Registered address: The Barn, Berkeley Drive, Bamber Bridge, PR5 6BY

If you’ve decided to remember the Lancashire Wildlife Trust in your will, you can use the following wording as a guide. Your solicitor will make sure your will is valid and that your wishes are followed.  

A share of your estate:   

My bequest to The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside of the residual estate (or a proportion of) - a residuary or percentage legacy: “Subject to the payment of my debts, funeral and testamentary expenses, I give the whole (residuary) or _ _% of my estate not otherwise disposed of by this my will to The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside (registered charity number 229325) of The Barn, Berkeley Drive, Bamber Bridge, PR5 6BY, for the general purposes of The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside and I declare that the receipt of their Treasurer or other proper officer shall be a full and sufficient discharge.”  

A specific sum of money:   

My bequest to The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside for a set sum - a pecuniary legacy: “I give free of tax to The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside  (registered charity number 229325) of The Barn, Berkeley Drive, Bamber Bridge, PR5 6BY, the sum of £_ _ _ for the general purposes of The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside and I declare that the receipt of their Treasurer or other proper officer shall be a full and sufficient discharge.”  

We cannot offer any legal advice, and we always recommend that you speak with your solicitor for any advice regarding writing or updating your will. However, we would be more than happy to talk to you about how your gift could be used to protect wildlife in your local region. 

Yes, gifts in wills to registered charities are currently exempt from Inheritance Tax, so by leaving a gift to the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, the full value of your gift will go straight to wildlife conservation.   

Any charitable gifts you make will be taken off the value of your estate before Inheritance Tax is calculated. In addition, if you leave a charitable gift of 10% or more of the net value of your estate, your Inheritance Tax rate will be reduced from 40% to 36%. 

Please note that Inheritance Tax rules can change at any time, so it's important to double check this information at the time of reading.