Leaving a gift in your Will to The Trust
Leaving a gift in your Will to the Kit Wilson Trust is a wonderful way to celebrate your love of animals and leave a lasting legacy for animals in need of help by giving them the safe and secure future that they deserve. Gifts in Wills are vital to all areas of our work, so any gift you give, whatever size, will make a big difference to the animals in our care.
Leaving a gift in your will means we can ensure every animal receives the very best care we can provide for today and the future. If you wish to make a new will or amend an existing one, it is strongly recommended that you discuss the matter with a solicitor, and if your wishes are more complex or involved it makes good sense to take proper legal advice for such matters.
Download our Legacies & Wills leaflet down below to see the positive impact you can make!
Free Will Writing
March/April and October/November are ‘Free Wills Month’. If you are aged 55 or over, some solicitors offer a free will drafting service during these months. However, a ‘free will’ is only available for ‘simple’ wills and the offer is often limited to a certain number of requests. A simple Will means that it is designed for situations where the estate is relatively uncomplicated, with few beneficiaries and no complex trusts or tax planning considerations.
The Trust is very pleased to be a partner in a local Sussex scheme called Community Wills Sussex, which offers free will writing usually in April and November. It is a scheme involving 5 local Sussex Charities and is supported by Britton and Time Solicitors. For more information, visit their website www.cwsussex.co.uk or see our FAQs below.
Get in touch
Thank you for taking the time to visit this page. If you would like further information or have any questions on leaving a legacy to The Kit Wilson Trust please contact our Legacy Officer by using our online contact form, or calling us on 01825 830444.
Download our leaflet
Find our Wills & Legacies leaflet here!
How legacies can have a positive impact
Helping Animals
Your legacy helps continue the vital rescue and rehabilitation work of The Kit Wilson Trust. Every animal taken into our care is treated with kindness, compassion and careful consideration of each one's own unique needs.
We also promote the spaying and neutering of pets, thereby encouraging responsible ownership and helping to reduce the number of unwanted animals in our communities.
Helping Family
Making a will is an important step in ensuring your loved ones are protected and that your wishes are honoured.
Without a will, your estate is divided according to law, which may not reflect your personal intentions.
A clear, legally binding will can help avoid confusion, delays, and distress at what is already a difficult time.
Saving Tax
As a registered charity, The Kit Wilson Trust is exempt from Inheritance Tax, meaning gifts left to us in your will can reduce the taxable value of your estate.
This allows you to support a cause close to your heart, while also making the most of available tax relief.
Legalities
How do you make a will?
If you wish to make a will, or to amend an existing one, it is strongly recommended that you firstly discuss the matter with a solicitor as soon as possible.
However, should you decide not to use a solicitor, please remember that every will—and every amendment to it—must be properly witnessed to be valid.
The different forms of legacy are described below.
Different kinds of legacies
- A Residuary Bequest
You may wish to leave the Trust the residue of your estate after all other legacies and expenses have been paid. This means that once gifts to friends and family have been distributed, the Trust receives whatever balance remains.
- A Specified Cash Sum
This is known as a pecuniary legacy. Please note that inflation may reduce the real value of a cash legacy over time, so it’s advisable to review such gifts periodically. However, any sum, no matter the amount, is of great benefit to the Trust.
- Land or Other Property
This type of gift is called a specific legacy. It can include a property, a piece of land, or a particular item such as a painting, jewellery, or a specific investment.
- A Conditional Bequest
A conditional bequest allows you to specify that if a named beneficiary does not survive you, their share will instead go to The Kit Wilson Trust as the reversionary beneficiary. This is a useful way to ensure that your legacy will still be put to meaningful use, even if your original plans change.
If you decide that you would like The Kit Wilson Trust to benefit from your will, the following are suggested forms of wording for the various types of legacies:
- Residuary Legacies
“I devise and bequeath to The Kit Wilson Trust for Animal Welfare of Stonehurst Lane, Hadlow Down, Uckfield, East Sussex TN22 4ED, the residue of my estate absolutely, and I direct that:
(i) the assets comprising such residue may be used for the general purposes of the said Trust, whether of an income or a capital nature; and
(ii) a receipt signed by the Treasurer or other authorised officer for the time being of the said Trust shall be a good discharge to my executors in respect of payment or transfer of such assets to the said Trust, and my executors shall not be responsible for seeing to the application thereof.”
- Pecuniary and Specific Legacies
“I give to The Kit Wilson Trust for Animal Welfare of Stonehurst Lane, Hadlow Down, Uckfield, East Sussex TN22 4ED, the sum of £________ (or details of the property or other item to be bequeathed) to be applied for the general purposes of the said Trust, and I direct that the receipt of the Treasurer or other authorised officer for the time being of the said Trust shall be a good discharge to my executors in respect of such legacy.”
Frequently asked questions
Haven't found the answer you were looking for? Perhaps our FAQ's could help. If you're still needing help, please get in touch.
A legacy (or gift) is an amount of money or property left to someone in a will. There are several different types of legacy, please download our will leaflet for more information.
Fees for will writing will vary, and you may wish to shop around. However, twice yearly, a number of solicitors offer free will writing for simple wills for the over 55s. You can find information about this by searching online. The Kit Wilson Trust is partnered with a local Sussex scheme called Community Wills Sussex, which is supported by Britton and Time solicitors, and offers free will writing each April and November. See their website for more information about the scheme, which aims to benefit local Sussex charities www.cwsussex.co.uk
Firstly, we recommend you discuss the matter with your solicitor. You can also read or download our will leaflet at the top of this page, which gives more information about leaving a gift in your will.
Legacy gifts are vital to our work. Each one enables us to continue to provide warmth, shelter, safety, food, professional care and loving kindness for every animal that arrives at the centre needing our support.
Community Wills Sussex is a free will writing community initiative brought to you by 5 of Sussex’s most renowned local charities in partnership with Britton and Time Solicitors. The Kit Wilson Trust is proud to be one of these local Sussex charity partners.
The scheme operates twice a year and is open to anyone over the age of 55, offering a free will in exchange for a legacy gift to one or more of the local charity partners.
And the best part is, all gifts that you leave go back into the local Sussex communities that our charity partners work tirelessly to support.
Please visit the scheme's website at cwsussex.co.uk for more information.
Animal Rescue Centre
Stonehurst Lane, Hadlow Down
East Sussex, TN22 4ED
