Have your say and remember a charity in your will

Making a will is an essential practical part of getting your affairs in order. It can save loved ones time and money after you’re gone, not to mention avoiding complicated intestacy laws if you die without a valid will. But it’s time to think about the bigger picture – could what you leave in your will make a real difference, even change someone’s life?

Remember A Charity is a coalition bringing together nearly 200 UK charities to try and encourage people to leave a donation to charity in their will. September 11-17 is Remember A Charity In Your Will Week, when Remember A Charity shines a light on the incredible things achieved by them thanks to legacy donations. The theme this year is #HaveYourSay and they are asking you what kind of world you’d like to leave behind for future generations after you’re gone.

Remember A Charity, which includes major charities such as Cancer Research UK and Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, as well as smaller local organisations, wants to get more people leaving legacy gifts in their wills.

Many charities couldn’t survive without legacy gifts and the money left in wills by charitable Brits is already doing amazing work. Legacy gifts left in wills fund:

• 6 out of 10 Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) rescue launches
• Nearly two out of every three guide dogs
• Half of the British Heart Foundation’s voluntary income

And that’s just a few of the charities receiving much-needed funds from generous legacy donations.

Three-quarters of people in the UK support charities and when asked, over a third said they’d like to leave a gift in their will once family and friends are provided for. However, fewer than seven per cent of people per cent actually do so.

Yet just a four per cent increase in the amount given as charitable donations in wills would raise a further £1 billion a year for charities tackling poverty, leading pioneering research and fighting some of the nation’s biggest social challenges.

That’s why Remember A Charity is inviting you to #HaveYourSay, to decide what kind of legacy you want to leave. Do you envisage a future where no one must suffer through cancer? Do you want to eradicate homelessness? Or do you dream of a world where no dog or cat is treated cruelly or left without a loving home?

Remember A Charity is launching a pop-up radio station, broadcasting throughout the week, to invite listeners to have their say on these important questions. It’ll be touring around the UK, starting in London today. People in Bournemouth can have their say on Tuesday, Norwich on Wednesday, Liverpool on Thursday, with the week finishing in Edinburgh on Friday, September 15.

You can also join in the conversation during Remember A Charity Week on social media using the hashtag #HaveYourSay. If you’re inspired to leave a gift to charity in your will – it doesn’t matter how big or small – Remember A Charity has plenty of useful advice and guidance online.