Testimonials

"I was inspired to remember the RNLI in my will through my association with the Bembridge Isle of Wight Station and their support for my late husband Paul. He was a keen sailor and depended upon them so much, but more recently I have seen for myself the first class service the RNLI perform.

I wanted to leave this gift in memory of Paul and hope it will be used for the training and equipping of new lifeboat teams, which is so vital to the work they do. The trust and respect I have for the charity means that I know the money will be used correctly.

When I told the RNLI I had left them a gift they were immensely grateful. It has also brought me closer to the charity and I have formed a strong, ongoing relationship with them.

I decided to leave a charitable legacy a long time ago and completed the process once I was sure the children had secure futures. When I told my children of my decision they happily accepted and supported my wishes and reasons.

The process of leaving a charitable gift was also very easy. I simply added it when I made a new will.

I'm proud to be leaving a gift to the RNLI and would encourage others to do the same so that the charity can continue its lifesaving work."

- Diana Alcaraz, supporter and ambassador of the RNLI

"Legacy gifts are extremely important in supporting the work of English Heritage. They are, by some margin, our most significant source of unrestricted income.

The gifts are used to carry out important conservation works to our properties; to support our education programme; and they allow us to provide interpretation panels at many of our free sites.

From time to time, historic objects that were originally located in our properties, such as paintings and furniture come onto the market. Legacies help us to acquire these exciting items and return them to their original homes.

Legacies have helped us to fund many projects of all different sizes and types. Recently they have helped us create a wonderful display in the Victorian gardens at Brodsworth Hall near Doncaster. The gardens are spectacular throughout the year, and legacy income has allowed us to provide theatrical lighting in the gardens for short periods of time during the winter to create a magical experience for visitors. We have captured the Victorian pleasure garden ambiance and re-introduced the idea of the pleasure garden for a 21st century audience. The 'Enchanted Garden' at Brodsworth has attracted visitors of all ages and enthralled them with light, colour and shade that reveals the textures, structures and horticulture of the garden.

Currently there is great demand across the organisation for the unrestricted money we raise. Inevitably, not every project can proceed and cost is the most frequent barrier. More income from legacy gifts would allow us to plan, to budget and to deliver some large and significant projects."

- Patricia Driver, Head of Development, English Heritage

"Charitable legacies are crucial to the fundraising work we do at the National Hospital Development Foundation. We rely on legacy gifts to get projects up and running. They differ widely in size each year, but generally account for between 20-50% of our annual income.

We run major capital projects and the money from legacies goes straight into our current project. A recent charitable gift enabled us to proceed rapidly with the building of the Centre for Neuromuscular Diseases, which will treat patients suffering from a wide range of debilitating neuromuscular disorders, such as Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Motor Neurone Diseases and Muscular Dystrophy. Without this legacy we simply would not have been able to get this project up and running so quickly.

If we regularly received an increase in charitable gifts it would mean that the size of the projects we support would increase. Most importantly, we could make things happen more quickly and the benefit to the public would be immediate."

- Theresa Dauncey, Chief Executive, National Hospital Development Foundation