Make a promise today
Gifts in Wills generate just over £1 million of our annual income. Many people who give us money have been personally affected by the care we give. Whether the gift you can leave us is £100 or £250,000 it will make a difference.
You can download our leaflet about leaving a gift in your Will to the Hospice here
Make a gift in your Will To The Martlets Hospice for free
If you are thinking of leaving a gift in your Will you can do so at no extra cost using our free codicils scheme.
We are very grateful to the team at Griffith Smith Farrington Webb Solicitors LLP who have agreed to write free codicils ( additions to existing Wills ) for anyone who wants to make a gift to the Martlets Hospice in their Will.
Scheme Conditions:
1. Participants must have an existing Will (from any solicitor or Will writer)
2. The free codicil can only be made for the purpose of making a gift to The Martlets Hospice. If any other beneficiaries other than the Hospice are to be included in the codicil, then a charge will be made for these items.
3. Bookings are subject to availability and capacity.
4. Appointments can only take place at Griffith Smith Farrington Webb Solicitors LLP, based at 47 Old Steyne, Brighton, BN1 1NW. Off site visits are excluded from this offer but can be arranged subject to an additional charge.
5. This scheme will run until 31 March 2011.
Making an Appointment
Telephone Nadia Cowdrey Solicitor at Griffith Smith Farrington Webb Solicitors LLP on 01273 384043 and ensure that you quote ‘The Martlets Hospice Free Codicil Scheme’ in order to qualify for this free service
How to remember The Martlets Hospice in your Will
The most common types of legacy we receive are for either a fixed sum of money or a share of the residue in an estate. Wording for these types of gift is as follows:
A Pecuniary Legacy (a gift of a fixed sum of money)
“I give free of tax £xxx,xxx to The Martlets Hospice of Wayfield Avenue, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 7LW (Registered Charity Number 802145) for its general charitable purpose and I declare that the receipt of the Treasurer or other proper officer shall be a good and sufficient discharge therefor.”
A Residuary Gift (a share of the residue in an estate after all other bequests have been made and all expenses paid)
“Subject as aforesaid, I give, devise and bequeath to The Martlets Hospice, Wayfield Avenue, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 7LW (Registered Charity Number 802145) the whole {or a share (such as 50%)} of my residuary estate for its general charitable purpose and I declare that the receipt of the Treasurer or other proper officer shall be a good and sufficient discharge therefor.”
Other types of legacy include:
A Specific Bequest – for one or more specific items such as jewellery, paintings or furniture
A Conditional Bequest – making a gift conditional - for example, only payable after a beneficiary (often a relative or friend) has died
A Reversionary Bequest – where a gift is left to a relative or friend (life tenant) for them to benefit from during their lifetime. This can be in the form of a house or the interest on a trust fund (life interest). After the life tenant’s death, the life interest is then passed on as a legacy to the charity
We strongly advise that you seek the input of a solicitor to write the bequest so that it reflects your intentions exactly and will ensure that your wishes are carried out after your death.
Our Legacy Profile and Preferences
During 2008-2009 a total of £1,236,352 was given to us as legacies. 42 bequests totalling over £1,138,000 were notified to us during the year. The average bequest was £27,100. Gifts made in Wills ranged from £100 to £240,000.
The most common types of legacy we receive are cash legacies (gifts of a specific amount of money) and residuary legacies (gifts of a specific percentage of the assets of an estate).
We are often asked to give our preference for the type of legacy people should leave to the Hospice. We would prefer people to make residuary legacies because generally this type of gift results in the most income for us. In addition, we prefer people to make their gifts towards our general work as this helps us to use legacies to fund our existing services and to keep them running.
The Impact of Gifts made in Wills
The following examples illustrate how gifts of any size can have a beneficial impact on the local people affected by terminal illness who use our services.
A £500 Legacy would pay for either:
. 15 counselling sessions for families affected by bereavement
· caring for 1 patient attending our Day Hospice for 4 days
· 17 occupational therapy sessions for patients
A £1,000 Legacy would pay for either:
· nursing 1 patient on our In Patient Unit for 2 days
· nursing 1 patient in their own home for 7 days
· 36 massages for patients
A £5,000 Legacy would pay for either:
· 152 counselling sessions for families affected by bereavement
· caring for 4 patients attending our Day Hospice for 10 days
· 172 occupational therapy sessions for patients
A £10,000 Legacy would pay for either:
· nursing 2 patients on our In Patient Unit for 10 days
· nursing 10 patients in their own homes for 7 days
· 357 massages for patients
A £27,100 Legacy (our average gift during 2008-2009) would pay for either:
· nursing 4 patients on our In Patient Unit for 2 weeks
· nursing 20 patients in their own homes for 10 days
· caring for 20 patients attending our Day Hospice for 11 days
· 5 counselling sessions each for 165 families affected by bereavement
A £50,000 Legacy would pay for either:
· nursing 10 patients on our In Patient Unit for 10 days
· nursing 30 patients in their own homes for 12 days
· caring for 40 people attending our Day Hospice for 10 days
· 5 counselling sessions each for 303 families affected by bereavement
A £100,000 Legacy would pay for either:
· nursing 20 patients on our In Patient Unit for 10 days
· nursing 40 patients in their own homes for 18 days
· caring for 60 people attending our Day Hospice for 2 weeks
· providing 5 counselling sessions each for 606 families affected by bereavement
The Importance of Making a Will
We strongly advise people to seek the services of a solicitor when making or changing their Will. Using a solicitor gives peace of mind that instructions and wishes will be carried out as intended and a solicitor is best qualified to explain the types of bequests that can be made.
Nadia Cowdrey, Senior Solicitor and Head of Tax, Trusts and Estates Department at Griffith Smith Farrington Webb Solicitors LLP has written two useful articles about legacies:
The Importance of Making a Will
How to Prepare for Meeting your Solicitor
Inheritance Tax Advantages in making a Gift to the Hospice in your Will
Information to include about the Hospice in a Will
The only information you need to include about the Hospice to ensure that any gift you make to us is secure is to use our correct legal name, main address and registered charity number – The Martlets Hospice Wayfield Avenue Hove East Sussex BN3 7LW Registered Charity Number: 802145. Your solicitor will be able to include this information alongside the type and amount of your bequest to us.
Information available from The Martlets Hospice
We have produced a legacy leaflet and legacy information pack which explain why gifts in Wills are essential to The Martlets Hospice. We welcome enquiries about legacies and we are very happy to arrange visits to the Hospice if this helps people to make up their minds about leaving a gift in their Will to us.
Legacy Leaflet - To view our leaflet about how a gift in your Will can help to secure our work, then please click below:
Download Legacy Leaflet
Legacy Information Pack - Our pack includes details about how to prepare for meeting a solicitor, the types of gifts you can make in your Will and a list of local solicitors and Will-writers. The pack is available on request from our Legacy Officer (see below).
Will Writing Week
We run our Will Writing Week every two years in which local solicitors and Will writers donate their services free to clients in return for donations to the Hospice. Our most recent scheme took place in March 2009 and generated over £11,000 in donations. We expect to run our next Will Writing Week in March 2011 and details will be made available on this web page in early 2011.
Our Legacy Officer
Gary Moyle is our Legacy Officer and he can be contacted to discuss any aspect of making gifts in Wills to The Martlets Hospice. He can answer any queries you have, send our legacy leaflet and legacy information pack to you and arrange a visit to the Hospice on request. He can be contacted by phone on 01273 747455 or by email