Legacy giving

A legacy is a donation left to a charity in your Will, meaning that you can continue to support the causes you feel passionate about, or show your thanks to a charity who has helped you or those close to you.

A legacy can be large or small and does not have to be a choice between your family, friends or favourite charity. It enables you to make a planned gift to a charity you care about, whilst ensuring your family and loved ones are provided for. You can leave bequests to more than one charity if you wish.

Leaving a legacy

If, like us, you feel passionately about health inequalities, and would like to put something back into your local community, or if HALE has helped you or someone you care about, you might consider leaving a legacy to HALE. Your generosity could make a real difference to people, and their families, throughout the Shipley area, for years to come.

You may decide to leave a specific sum of money or a percentage of the remainder of your estate. Either way, under present rules, a bequest left to charity is free of Inheritance Tax. In addition, because charitable legacies are paid from the estate before tax is deducted, leaving a gift to HALE could mean that the total amount of inheritance tax your beneficiaries would have to pay could be reduced.

However you choose to support HALE you can be sure you are making a vital contribution to the health and well-being of people in the Shipley constituency. We are extremely grateful for all donations we receive.

Are there different types of legacy or bequest?

There are a number of different ways to leave a legacy or bequest to HALE.  The main ways of making this type of gift are:

• A cash, or ‘pecuniary’ legacy, whereby a specific sum is pledged to your chosen charity
• A specific bequest, whereby a specific item is pledged (for example shares or property) to your chosen charity
• A residuary bequest, whereby once family and loved ones have been provided for, any debts have been cleared, and all costs associated with your estate have been settled, the remainder (or a proportion of the remainder) of the estate is pledged to your chosen charity
• A contingent bequest, which is the legal term for a gift left in your Will that depends upon the occurrence of an event which may or may not happen. An example is a bequest to a charity which applies only if other beneficiaries named in the Will die before the testator (person who made the Will).

As we are a registered charity any gifts left to us by Will are free of Inheritance Tax.  As charitable legacies are paid before tax is deducted a gift left to us in this way can mean that the amount of inheritance tax paid by other beneficiaries is reduced.

How does it work?

All gifts given to HALE by legacy will be used to support healthy living activities.

Should you choose to leave a legacy or bequest to HALE please note that donations made for “general charitable purposes” will allow HALE to ensure your gift is put to use where there is greatest need, giving us the flexibility to respond to the needs and opportunities within the local community as they arise.

If you wish, your name will be remembered by HALE, and published in our annual list of benefactors as well as on our website.

You may wish to leave instructions for your gift to be distributed over a period of time, which could make it possible for you to support HALE for a number of years.

What if I’ve already written my Will?

If you’re considering leaving a charitable gift in your Will, we would suggest you consult a professional, such as a solicitor or financial adviser, to be sure your Will reflects your exact intentions and also that you understand any tax implications.

If you wish to add a bequest to HALE to your existing Will, your solicitor will prepare a supplement called a Codicil. This is an addition to your Will that is written in such a way that it does not invalidate the whole document. As is the case with writing a Will, a Codicil will also need the signatures of two independent witnesses.

Along with details of the bequest you would like to make, your solicitor (or financial adviser) will need our charity name, address and registered charity number, as listed below:

Name:      HALE (Health Action Local Engagement)

Address:  1 Westgate, Shipley, BD18 3QX

Charity Number:  1123542

What’s the next step?

A legacy of any size really makes a difference in helping HALE continue our work to “improve health where there is greatest need”, and we are extremely grateful for all donations we receive.

If you think you may be interested in leaving a legacy to HALE please contact us.

In Memory Donations

 Making a donation in memory of a loved one is a positive way of commemorating their life, whilst giving something back to a charity that has been close to their hearts. Many families and friends choose to remember a loved one by making a donation in their memory to mark significant dates such as birthdays or anniversaries, or perhaps instead of buying funeral flowers.

 If you are organizing a funeral you may feel it is appropriate to ask friends and relatives to make a donation to a cause your loved one cared about instead of buying flowers.  This type of request is often included in the obituary notice placed in local newspapers.

You could also co-ordinate your in memory donation online by creating a page on a website such as charitygiving to circulate to your friends and family.

Donations in memory, no matter how small, can go a long way to helping HALE continue our work on improving health throughout the Shipley area.

If you wish to make an In Memory Donation to HALE please contact us.