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Q. Can I leave a legacy to the National Trust? I didn’t think it was a charity.
A. The National Trust is a registered charity, founded in 1895 to preserve places of historic interest or natural beauty permanently for the benefit of the nation. We are entirely independent of the government and we receive no direct state grant or subsidy for our general work. We depend on the generosity of people like you to protect the special places in our care.
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Q. Can I make the National Trust one of my executors?
A. Yes you can, particularly if the Trust is the sole or main beneficiary of your will. But do consider appointing your solicitor or bank as the other executor. They will charge a fee, but will provide a professional service local to you, which the Trust can oversee.
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Q. Can you advise on appropriate wording to put into my will to include a legacy to the National Trust?
A. We strongly advise that you use a qualified solicitor to amend an existing will or to include a legacy in a new will. We have produced appropriate wording, which you can download from this site and take along to your solicitor. Please see 'How to leave a gift'. You will also find basic information about will-making.
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Q. Can I avoid inheritance tax with a legacy to the Trust?
A. This is currently set at £312,000 in the 2008-09 tax year. Inheritance tax is presently set at 40 per cent. The only people who can benefit without your estate being liable to inheritance tax are legal spouses and charities. Inheritance tax rate do change: please consult your adviser.
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Q. Can you tell me what the difference is between a pecuniary and a residuary legacy?
A. With a pecuniary legacy you can specify a particular amount of money or a specific item, perhaps a piece of jewellery or furniture for example, that you would like to bequeath. A residuary legacy is when you decide to leave the remainder of your estate once family and friends have been taken care of. Many people choose this latter option. This has the benefit that proportionally it will not devalue over time.
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Q. Can the value of my legacy go down over time?
A. It is difficult to predict precisely how the value of your legacy will be affected 10, 20 or 30 years from now. However, the most effective way to protect your bequest against inflation is to leave a percentage of your estate to charity, rather than a specific sum whose value will decrease year on year if inflation rises. This is called a residuary legacy.
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Q. Can I give a copy of my signed will to anyone for safekeeping?
A. You can keep a copy of your will with your solicitor or bank, as well as holding a copy yourself. It is also wise to tell your executors where they can find the original. From time to time you should review your will to make sure it still accurately reflects your wishes and takes account of recent events in your life, like the birth of a grandchild for example.
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Q. Can I leave National Trust membership to my grandchildren?
A. Your life membership is personal to you. However, you can leave money in your will for your grandchildren to buy their own life membership. In this way, you benefit the National Trust and your grandchildren. Please note however, that the gift of life membership is not deemed by the Inland Revenue to be excluded from liability for inheritance tax.
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Q. Can I leave the contents of my house or an item of furniture to the Trust?
A. The National Trust is one of the few charities with a professional interest in the assessment and care of house contents. We can be relied upon to take care of your things, decide what to keep, perhaps for display at a property, or for use in a holiday cottage for example, and what to sell at its proper market value. If you are considering this, please contact us to discuss your thoughts on this, and we can arrange for someone to visit you.
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Q. Can I have my legacy marked in some way?
A. We are very sensitive to all requests asking us to acknowledge the munificence and generosity of our legators. Gifts of £1,000 or more can be recorded in the National Trust’s Annual Report and Accounts and names incorporated within a tapestry held at our Central Office building .It is difficult to/predict at any given time in the future what will be the future needs of a property or project will be and for this reason we suggest you discuss your wishes with the Trust before deciding.
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Q. Can I be sure the National Trust really needs my legacy?
A. Legacies are the second largest source of income for the Trust. Without them we could not protect more the coastline of England, Wales and Northern Ireland in our care – more than 700 miles of beautiful beaches, cliffs and headland and the precious wildlife that depends on this habitat for its survival. Three in every four National Trust properties operates at a loss; your legacy gift, no matter what the size, will make a lasting impact to the care and maintenance of some of these islands’ most beloved natural landscapes and built heritage.
We could not protect over 250,000 hectares (617,500 acres) of countryside of outstanding natural beauty. We could not care for 66 nature reserves, 4,000 prehistoric monuments, all or part of 5 World Heritage sites, 215 houses and gardens, 149 registered museums, 127 factories, workshops and mines, 28 castles, 12 lighthouses, 2 gold mines, 78 mills, 57 historic villages, 43 pubs and much else besides.
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Q. Can legacies really provide enough income to make a difference?
A. Yes they can and they do. In 2007-8, 900 people left a legacy to the National Trust. Between them they donated a wonderful £54 million – that is one sixth of our total income . When you take into account that no legacy income is spent on administration, legacy income provides a significant proportion of the money we need to make new acquisitions and to care for existing ones.
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Q. Can I find out what the National Trust spends legacy income on?
A. On this site you can read about properties and places that have been secured thanks to legacies, and you can read about some of the people who left those legacies. You can also read our Annual Report and statement of accounts.
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Q. Can I choose what my legacy is spent on?
A. Yes you can. Whilst we do welcome legacies that can be used for general funds so we can meet our most urgent needs, we are also very happy to accept gifts for particular use. That means you can choose precisely where and what your money is spent on, a favourite property perhaps, or an area of special significance to you such as the coastline, countryside or gardens.
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Q. Can I be sure that you will spend my legacy where I want it to be spent?
A. Whatever your wishes, we will respect them and act upon them, as long as what you have requested does not conflict with Trust policy.
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Q. Can I choose how much I want to leave and does it have to be for a lot of money?
A. Anyone can leave a legacy to the National Trust and we welcome all gifts – large and small. Some people leave us specific gifts of money or an item of furniture and others choose to leave us the residue of their estate once family and friends have been looked after. But whether you give £200 to maintain a stile or footpath, £2,000 to help look after a beautiful garden, or £20,000 towards the protection of our coastline: your gift counts.
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Q. Can I be sure my legacy will not be swallowed up by administration?
A. Yes you can. The last thing you want is for the money you entrust to us to be eaten up by administration costs. We already keep those to a minimum, but all legacy funds we receive go directly to essential project work, endowments and acquisitions, and only there. As a membership subscription organisation we are able pay for any incurred administration costs and overheads from other sources.
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Q. Can I talk to someone who can answer my queries about willmaking and leaving a legacy to the National Trust?
A. Members of our Legacies Department are always more than happy to help you with any queries you may have. If you would like to talk to someone you can call us on 01793 817685 or 01793 817505 during office hours or email us at: legacies@nationaltrust.org.uk
Alternatively, you can write to us at The National Trust, Heelis, Kemble Drive, Swindon, SN2 2NA. Please address your correspondence to Alasdair Akass, Legacy Development Manager. If you prefer us to reply by telephone, please remember to include a daytime number where we can contact you. Thank you.
The National Trust gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Duresta in supporting the publication of our legacy literature. For 70 years Duresta has continued in the English tradition as makers of 'Country House' upholstery and are suppliers to the foremost furnishing specialists throughout the world. Duresta holds a unique licence to reproduce upholstered pieces from collections found in National Trust historic houses. For more information about the Duresta National Trust Collection, please visit www.Duresta.com or telephone 0115 973 7000
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