Thank you for considering leaving a gift in your will to Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity. Your gift will make a big difference to our ten hospitals in Bristol city centre, South Bristol and Weston-super-Mare.

Here is some guidance, tips and FAQs on leaving a gift in your will.

On this page:
Why have a will?
Things to think about before writing your will
Deciding what type of gift to include
How can I leave a gift in my will?
Can I save tax by leaving a gift in my will?
Can I leave my gift to a specific hospital or ward?
Making changes to your existing will

 

WHY HAVE A WILL?

---

Making a will and keeping it up to date is the only way to make sure that the people and organisations you care about are provided for in the way that you wish when you pass away. Without a will, the law decides where your money goes.

Whether you're a billionaire or don’t have a nickel to your name, a will can still help save the people you love time, money, and stress after you die. It’s particularly crucial if you:

• Are a parent or legal guardian of a child under 18.
• Are in a relationship but not legally married or in a civil partnership.
• If you’re separated or divorced
• If you’re recently married.
• Own a home.
• Want to ensure your assets go to the people you choose.

Aside from ensuring that your wishes regarding your belongings and loved ones are fulfilled after your death, writing a will isn’t really for you at all. After all, you won’t ever have to use it. Instead think of it as a gift for the people you love so that when the time comes, you’ll have made life that much easier for them, giving them space to focus on what really matters.
 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT BEFORE WRITING YOUR WILL

---

Before writing your will, it is worth thinking about the following:

• The rough value of any assets you own - house, shares, savings. 
• Any outstanding debts you may have.
• What kinds of gifts you want to leave to people close to you and any charities you may wish to include.
• Who you would like to be the executors of your will – the people who will carry out the instructions within your will

 

DECIDING ON WHAT TYPE OF GIFT TO INCLUDE

---

Any gift you leave to the charity will make a huge difference and bring joy, comfort and hope to patients across our hospitals.

Gifts can be large or small – you do not have to be wealthy to be able to make a difference to patient care in our hospitals. We are so grateful for every gift we receive.  

These are the types of gifts you can choose to leave in your will: 

• Residuary gift is a share of the balance of your estate, once all other payments have been made.
  Once you have provided for your family and friends, you may wish to leave a percentage of your estate to our hospitals. A residuary gift is popular with many of our supporters because it allows you to take care of your loved ones first and remains proportional to the value of your estate by keeping pace with inflation.
• A pecuniary gift is a gift of a fixed sum of money.
  You may wish to specify a fixed sum of money to leave to our hospitals, which can be 'index-linked' so the value is maintained in line with inflation.
• Specific gift is a gift of a certain item.
  For example: personal possessions such as artwork, a ring or a house, buildings, land or shares

  

HOW CAN I LEAVE A GIFT IN MY WILL?

---

If you decide to support Bristol and Weston hospitals with a gift in your will, all you have to do is tell your advisor what kind of gift you would like to leave (pecuniary, residuary, specific).

This is an example of what the wording of your gift may look like:

‘...to Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity, Whitefriars, Lewins Mead, Bristol, BS1 2NT (registered charity number: 1170973) to be used for its general purposes’

USE OUR FREE WILL WRITING SERVICE

We’ve teamed up with Octopus Legacy to offer our supporters a free will-writing service. You can make your will online, over the phone or face-to-face, at no cost to you.

It takes as little as 15 minutes, and this service provides access to expert advice to answer any questions you have while considering making or updating your will.

• You can choose to use the write your free will online here.
• Alternatively, if you would like to speak to Octopus Legacy about writing your free will over the phone, via video-call or in person, you can call Octopus Legacy at 020 4525 3605.

GET STARTED WITH YOUR FREE WILL

 

USE YOUR OWN SOLICITOR

You may prefer to work with your own solicitor rather use our free will service. If you do decide to use your own solicitor, it is important to ensure you provide your solicitor with the following details to ensure your gift reaches us safely.

The details are:

Name: Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity
Charity registered in England and Wales, registration no: 1170973
Registered Office: Registered office: Whitefriars, Lewins Mead, Bristol, BS1 2NT

 

LET US KNOW IF YOU'VE MADE A LEGACY GIFT

If you decide to leave us a gift in your will, please let us know on the contact details below so that we can thank you and keep you up to date with how legacy income is improving patient care in Bristol city centre and Weston hospitals. By letting us know, it helps us plan our work for the future.  

> Contact us online

> Contact us by email at [email protected]

> Contact us over the phone at 0117 927 7120

 

CAN I SAVE TAX BY LEAVING A GIFT in my will?

---

A gift to charity in your will is tax exempt and may mean there is less inheritance tax to pay on your estate. However, we recommend you take specialist independent advice of find out more information on the HMRC website, as tax is a complex area of law.

 

CAN I LEAVE MY GIFT TO A SPECIFIC HOSPITAL OR WARD?

---

If you would like to remember a particular hospital or area in your will, this is possible and you should advise your solicitor of this.

If you would like to leave a gift to a particular hospital or area, this is an example of how the wording may look:

‘...to Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity, Whitefriars, Lewins Mead, Bristol, BS1 2NT (registered charity number: 1170973) to benefit [hospital]’

However, please do bear in mind that staff, wards, units, etc., and their needs can change over time and may not be the same when we receive your gift as when your will was made, so we do advise not to be too specific when deciding your gift.

If you do not specify where your gift is to be used, it will be used wherever the need is greatest across our hospitals.

 

MAKING CHANGES TO AN EXISTING WILL

---

You can add a gift to your existing will at any time via a codicil. This is a legally valid addition to a will, used to make specific changes or amendments whilst leaving the rest unchanged. 

We recommend using a solicitor who can advise you or write a codicil on your behalf. The codicil needs to be signed and witnessed, then kept with (but not attached to) the original will. 

If you want to make numerous changes to your existing will, it can be easier to rewrite your will using our free will-writing service.
 

 Write your free will here