Gifts in Wills

The Gift that lasts more than a lifetime

BY DAVID GREEN, INDIVIDUAL GIVING MANAGER

Any gift left to charity in your Will, no matter the value, is hugely valuable. By choosing the Trust as a benefactor in your Will, you will enable us to continue to protect wildlife and habitats across Birmingham and the Black Country, and educate the next generation of conservationists beyond your lifetime.

“No-one will protect what they don't care about, and no one will care about what they have never experienced,” so said Sir David Attenborough.

Choosing a charity that is close to your heart is important when writing your Will, and we were grateful that a local supporter chose to leave us in excess of £160,000 in 2020. This generous gift contributed towards the development of our new classroom at EcoPark in Small Heath, providing opportunities for local communities to experience and value nature on their doorstep. Providing for family and friends once we are gone is naturally the primary drive for writing a Will, but you can also use this important document to ensure that your passion for nature lives on. We know things are tough right now, but leaving just 1% of the value of your estate can make a huge difference; here are some examples:

£250 could fund a portable moth trap to collect data on our nocturnal pollinators

£1000 could help us build a small pond so we can improve aquatic diversity

£2,500 could cover the annual running costs of our recycled plastic litter picking boat

£4,000 could help us create a small woodland

£23,000+ could fund a nature reserve officer for a year

54%1 of adults in the UK and 60%2 of parents with children under 18 don’t have a Will.

Whilst we cannot offer specific legal advice, we are in partnership with two organisations who can provide you with help and support to write your Will.

Guardian Angel provide a simple online Will-writing service to help you create a basic Will. As a supporter of Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust, you can write your Will, using this service free of charge (normally £90) by visiting gawill.uk/bbcwt and quoting the discount code BBCWTFREE.

For a more traditional service, or for larger/ more complex Wills, you might want to consider a specialist solicitor. FBC Manby Bowdler, with offices across Birmingham and the Black Country and beyond, can guide you through the process, and are committed to delivering an uncomplicated, professional service with support from a named specialist. Contact the New Enquiries team by calling 0345 512 0057 or emailing

NewEnquiries@fbcmb.co.uk

quoting ’Wildlife Trust 21'.

To discuss leaving a gift in your Will, or for a free copy of our Gifts in Wills brochure, please contact the Fundraising Team on 0121 523 0064, or email

fundraising@bbcwildlife.org.uk

If now is the right time for you to be thinking about writing or changing your Will, and you would like to include a gift to us, you will need all of the following information, which will help your Executor fulfil your wishes:

Charity Name:

The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and Black Country Limited

Registered Charity Number: 513615

Our Address: Centre of the Earth, 42 Norman Street, Birmingham, B18 7EP Telephone: 0121 523 0094

Our Gifts in Wills Promise

• We recognise your loved ones come first in your Will. • We will treat you fairly and we won’t intrude on your privacy. • We understand that circumstances change and there may be a time where you need to take the us out of your Will. • We promise to use your gift wisely, in line with your wishes.

Will Mythbusting

Is it difficult to write a Will? No, a simple Will, distributing your Estate to your family and friends, can take as little as 15 minutes if done online. Anything more complicated can take a little longer, but a good Will-writing service will hold your hand every step of the way.

Isn’t a Will only for the very wealthy? No, anyone can, and should, have a Will, particularly if you have children under 18 or own your own home. Major life events such as weddings, should also prompt an update to your Will. Should you die without a Will, someone else will be deciding what happens to your money and assets when you are gone, and these might not be distributed as you would wish. What I can give won’t make a difference, surely? It really will! After looking after your friends and family, a gift of just 1% of your estate can make a real difference. We promise to use gifts left in Wills carefully, to make a lasting difference to wildlife across Birmingham and the Black Country.

Isn’t writing a Will expensive? Through our trusted partners at Guardian Angel, you can create a simple Will, completely free of charge, saving £90. This offer extends to a telephone appointment at a time that’s convenient to you, just in case you don’t feel comfortable using the Internet. A more complicated Will can be more expensive, and a traditional service from a solicitor may be more appropriate.

A Gifts in Wills Event

On Saturday 20th August, we hosted an event at Moseley Bog & Joy’s Wood Local Nature Reserve for our supporters who had consented to receiving information from us about leaving a gift in their Will. It was attended by wonderful individuals, some of whom have already pledged a gift. If you would like a conversation about leaving a gift in your Will please visit bbcwildlife.org.uk/giftsinwills or call us on 0121 523 0094.