Give our history a future - Will guide

GIVE OUR HISTORY A FUTURE Protect England’s story for future generations with a gift in your Will.

CONTENTS

Introduction

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Leaving a gift in your Will

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How you can leave a legacy

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Different ways to leave a legacy

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Already have a Will?

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Letting us know your plans

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YOU CAN GIVE OUR HISTORY A FUTURE Thank you for your interest in leaving a gift in your Will to English Heritage.

As a nation, we have inherited something remarkable from those who came before us – the story of England. Every historic site, building, monument, and artefact we care for is part of that fascinating story. Now it falls to us to protect it.

By leaving a gift in your Will, you can ensure our story will be told forever.

Whether your passion is for a specific site or the whole of our collection, remembering English Heritage in this way will enable us to protect these unique places for future generations to enjoy.

I’d like to reassure you that a gift of any size will make a lasting and valued contribution to the work that we do. You will be giving our history a future.

Thank you.

Kate Mavor Chief Executive 4

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO PROTECT ENGLAND’S STORY From world famous prehistoric sites to grand medieval castles, from Roman forts to a Cold War bunker...what an incredible story they tell.

Gifts in Wills provide a vital income to conserve and maintain these special places – and protect England’s story. They help us make history accessible to all and create memorable experiences to inspire visitors of all ages.

Supporting English Heritage with a gift in your Will, however large or small, will give our history a future. Perhaps your gift will help to conserve great ruins, restore historic artefacts, or engage the thousands of school children who visit us each year. Your legacy will ensure that future generations can enjoy our heritage just as much you do today.

We hope that this booklet provides everything you need to help you include a gift to English Heritage in your Will. Our dedicated Legacy Officer can answer any questions you may have. Contact them here.

YOU’LL HELP US PROTECT 400 PLACES SPANNING 6 MILLENNIA.

WHAT A REMARKABLE GIFT FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.

GIFTS IN WILLS HAVE SUPPORTED OUR WORK AT RIEVAULX ABBEY.

“We want our long-standing membership to have ongoing depth, and to know that when we are no longer able to enjoy visiting properties and gardens that have become almost personal friends over the years, our gift will help the vitally important conservation work undertaken by English Heritage to continue. ” LIN AND MARTIN

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LEAVING A GIFT IN YOUR WILL Many people choose to leave gifts which are free from restrictions. These are particularly helpful as they are put towards English Heritage’s most urgent projects. However, if you would like your gift to be used at your favourite property or in support of a particular area of English Heritage’s work, you can specify this in your Will.

If this is something you wish to do, please get in touch with our Legacy Officer on legacies@english-heritage.org.uk so that you can discuss your intentions and ensure that your wishes can be met.

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Please also ensure that you refer to your financial or legal advisor as they can also advise on inheritance tax. Inheritance tax is not payable on charitable gifts and if you make a gift of 10% or more from your estate to charity, the inheritance tax liability can be reduced from 40% to 36%.

HOW YOU CAN LEAVE A LEGACY Your Will is a personal matter and we understand that friends and family come first. However, even leaving a small percentage of your estate could make a significant difference to our vital work protecting England’s story.

On the following pages, you’ll find information about the different ways you can leave a legacy to English Heritage.

We hope this will help you to consider which type of gift is appropriate for your personal situation.

When it comes to writing your Will, we recommend that you seek advice from your solicitor.

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DIFFERENT WAYS TO LEAVE A LEGACY Residuary Gift The residue of your estate is the balance of your estate after tax, expenses and all other gifts in your Will have been paid. You can leave the residue to one beneficiary, or share it amongst several. All the other bequests will be settled before the residuary gifts are made. If you decide a residuary gift is right for you, here’s an example of how your Will could be worded: ‘I give a X % share of the residue of my estate to The English Heritage Trust (registered charity no. 1140351) of The Engine House, Fire Fly Ave, Swindon SN2 2EH for its general purposes’.

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Pecuniary Gift A pecuniary gift in your Will is a specified amount of money. You can leave any chosen sum. However, when making a gift of this kind it is worth taking inflation into consideration – either by reviewing your Will every few years, or index-linking your cash gifts (essentially, linking your gifts to the rate of inflation). Your solicitor will be able to advise how to do this. Here’s an example of wording for a pecuniary gift: ‘I give the sum of [amount in figures and words] to The English Heritage Trust (registered charity no. 1140351) of The Engine House, Fire Fly Ave, Swindon SN2 2EH for its general purposes’.

Reversionary Gift A reversionary gift allows you to leave assets to someone for the course of their lifetime, which will then pass (or revert) to The English Heritage Trust. This can be a good way to care for both your loved ones and our nation’s heritage, but please bear in mind this is a more complicated gift to arrange and we suggest speaking with your solicitor to ensure this is set out correctly.

Gifts of Objects and Properties If you would like to leave a specific object, an entire collection or a property to English Heritage, we would be incredibly grateful if you could let us know so that together we can agree the best means of looking after your gift.

While we are very appreciative of gifts of any kind, we cannot promise to find a home for every object but we may be able to suggest a solution to ensure that your wishes will be carried out.

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A GIFT IN SOMEONE’S WILL FUNDED THE TRANQUIL PRINCESS BEATRICE GARDEN AT CARISBROOKE CASTLE ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT.

“English Heritage look after the buildings, landscapes and artefacts that tell us the story of our past, our history, our legacy. From the times of our ancestors and forebears directly to us. It is vital this process continues so that our descendants can know of and cherish their past.”

ROB AND MIRA

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ALREADY HAVE A WILL? You can still use it to give our history a future

If you have already made a Will and would now like to include a gift to English Heritage, you can do so by completing a Codicil form.

A Codicil is a simple legal document that allows you to alter your existing Will without writing a new one.

Once completed, the Codicil must be signed in the presence of two witnesses and stored in a safe place alongside your Will.

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You may like to use our codicil form to remember English Heritage in your existing Will. We always advise that you speak to a solicitor when writing, re-writing or adding a Codicil to your Will.

LETTING US KNOW YOUR PLANS We understand that the contents of your Will are a private matter and that your wishes may change over time. However, should you wish to let us know of your intention to leave a gift to English Heritage we would very much like to take the opportunity to thank you.

You can let us know if you’re planning to leave a gift in your Will to English Heritage using our intention form. Anything you tell us is not legally binding and does not commit you to leaving a gift.

Thank you.

THANK YOU. A GIFT IN YOUR WILL CAN PROTECT ENGLAND’S STORY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.

The English Heritage Trust is a charity, no. 1140351, and a company, no. 07447221, registered in England.