Leaving a legacy
Why your legacy is so very important to us
Ordinary supporters of charities can make an extraordinary difference to their favourite causes by leaving a gift in their will. These gifts, known as legacies, are an increasingly vital source of funds for charities such as ME Research UK.
A common misconception is that a legacy has to be an enormous sum of money, but this is not the case. Any gift left in a will, no matter how large or how small, is important to us, and through a legacy you can make a direct and lasting contribution to ME Research UK. Whatever you give, you really can make a difference by helping us move closer to a scientific breakthrough.
Making your will
Including ME Research UK in your will is a straightforward, easy and cost-effective way to support our drive to fund more biomedical research. The simplest method is to include ME Research UK in your will when it is first drawn up. However, if you already have a will it can be amended by the addition of a Codicil. We strongly suggest that this is drawn up by your legal advisor. To help we have produced draft Codicils, one for England and Wales (pdf 74 KB) and the other for Scotland (pdf 63 KB).
Your legacy can be in the form of a set sum of money, financial assets such as shares, or in property or valuables. Currently all gifts to charities, such as ME Research UK, are free from Inheritance and Capital Gains Taxes. This means that the full value of your gift will go to help the work of ME Research UK.
Types of legacy
There are several standard types of legacy:
- A Specific Pecuniary Bequest allows you to give a specific sum of money.
- A Specific Bequest allows you to leave a specified item to ME Research UK.
- A Residuary Legacy involves leaving all or part of the residue of your estate after all other legacies and other liabilities have been met.
- A Reversionary Legacy involves leaving your assets to trustees so that family members or other beneficiaries can enjoy the income during their lifetimes, with all or a portion of the capital going to ME Research UK after their deaths.
- A Conditional Legacy provides for the eventuality that, if none of your first named beneficiaries survive you, your Estate will only then pass to other beneficiaries, including ME Research UK.
We recommend that you seek appropriate professional advice to ensure that the type of legacy you choose is fully in accord with your intentions and appropriate to your circumstances.
If you would like to leave a legacy to ME Research UK, please let us know by filling in our legacy pledge form (pdf 35 KB). Your pledge is confidential and not legally binding. It helps us greatly to plan ahead, but does not commit you in any way.
