Gifts in Wills

With your help we can continue to help patients with a life limiting organisation illness for many years to come.

• £45 can provide a complementary therapy session for a patient or carer
• £92 the average daily cost to provide day hospice facilities for an adult
• £100 will provide a specialist bereavement support session
• £406 the average cost of caring for one adult patient for a day
• £4,434 the average cost for one patient’s stay in our adult in-patient facility

Your Will is one of the most important documents that you’ll make in your lifetime. Having a Will means that you can decide how your estate is distributed after you die.

It is the only way you can guarantee that your family, friends and favourite causes get what you want from your estate. If you die without a Will (intestate) your husband, wife or registered civil partner will not automatically inherit your entire estate.

You will have no control over where your estate goes after your death. To ensure your personal wishes are carried out, you should make a Will.

You don’t have to use a solicitor, however solicitors are experts; they can advise you about trusts and restrictions and will handle the whole process for you.

It is strongly recommended that you consult a solicitor:

• If you share a property with someone who isn’t your husband, wife or civil partner;
• If you want to leave money or property to a dependant who can’t care for themselves;
• If you have several family members who may make a claim on your will; for example, a second spouse or children from another marriage.
• If your permanent home is outside the UK or you have property overseas; or, if you have a business

Finally, you will need at least one Executor, someone you appoint to make sure that your wishes are carried out and your estate is administered properly. They can be a friend, relative or you might prefer it to be your solicitor, accountant or bank manager.

Two witnesses are needed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and one in Scotland. Your witnesses cannot be beneficiaries in your Will or be married to anyone who is a beneficiary of your Will. You must sign the Will in front of both witnesses who must then sign the form in front of you and each other. Your witnesses should then fill in their name, address and occupation.

You can take part in one of our Make a Will Month schemes. During April several local solicitors provide their time, free of charge, in exchange for a donation to the hospice to provide a professionally written Will.

It is very important to keep your Will up to date.

Altering an existing Will can be done simply by a codicil. This is a separate legal document signed and witnessed in its own right.

You should review your Will every five years to make sure that it still reflects your wishes, and after any major change in your life.

For example:

• Getting separated or divorced
• Getting married (this cancels any Will you made before)
• Having a child
• Moving house
• If the executor named in the Will dies

If you do wish to leave a gift to Eden Valley Hospice then you should discuss this with your solicitor who will include the relevant wording.

“I give to Eden Valley Hospice (or Jigsaw, Cumbria’s Children’s Hospice) of Durdar Road, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA2 4SD (“The Hospice”), registered charity no 1008796, the sum of £….. free of all tax (repeat amount in words) for the general charitable purpose of the Hospice and I declare that the receipt of the Finance Director or other proper officer of the Hospice shall be a full and sufficient discharge to my Trustees.”

“I give to Eden Valley Hospice (or Jigsaw, Cumbria’s Children’s Hospice) of Durdar Road, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA2 4SD (“The Hospice”), registered charity no 1008796, all (or an x% share of) the residue of my estate, for the general charitable purposes of the Hospice and I declare that the receipt of the Finance Director or other proper officer of the Hospice shall be a full and sufficient discharge to my Trustees.”

The content of this website is merely informative and should not be relied upon as a substitute for legal advice. Eden Valley Hospice advises anyone making or updating a Will to seek independent advice from a solicitor.

We realise that making a Will is a private affair but if you wish to inform us of your intentions we can thank you and keep you updated on how your intended gift can help support the hospice in the future.

It also gives us the chance to invite you to the hospice to see how your gift will help.

• Assets – everything you own including your home, car, jewellery, savings accounts, investments and anything else of value.
• Beneficiary/ies – a person or organisation who will benefit from your Will.
• Bequest – a gift in a Will to a person or organisation.
• Codicil – an additional document to be read together with your Will which alters the contents of the Will.
• Debts/liabilities – everything that you owe or monies outstanding.
• Estate – everything you own at the time of your death, after all the money you owe has been paid, your assets less your liabilities.
• Executor – a person you officially choose to make sure your wishes are carried out and administers your estate.
• Legacy – a gift left in a Will.
• Pecuniary gift – a specific sum of money left in a Will.
• Probate – the official proof that executors apply for in court to show a Will is valid.
• Residuary gift – a gift made up of what is left of your estate after all your debts have been paid and the gifts in your Will have been distributed.
• Specific gift – the gift of a particular item of value other than money, for example stocks and shares, property, art work or jewellery.
• Testator/testatrix – a person who made a Will.
• Will – a legal document that give instructions about what should happen to your estate after you die. It must be signed and witnessed by two people.
• Witnesses – The persons who must be present to see the testator/testatrix sign the Will. They must also sign the Will themselves and should not be beneficiaries of the Will.

1. We realise that your family and loved ones will always come first.
2. We will always respect your privacy and we recognise and appreciate that your Will is completely personal to you.
3. We do not expect you to tell us if you have left us a gift in your Will, but if you have and would like us to know, we would like the opportunity to thank you and keep you informed of our work. It gives us the chance to invite you to the hospice to see how your gift could be used.
4. We will use your gift carefully and wisely so that it has the greatest impact on the patients and families we care for.
5. We will administer your gift efficiently, with sensitivity and respect.
6. At any time in the future, you have the right to change your mind about a gift in your Will to Eden Valley Hospice.