Frequently Asked Questions

We are members of  Remember a Charity, an organisation dedicated to raising awareness of remembering charities in wills and making the process as simple as possible. They have created an easy to follow guide for getting started on your will. 

Alternatively, contact a qualified legal professional. The Law Society can provide you with a directory of solicitors near you. 

There are three types of gift that you can leave in your will: 

• A specific sum; this is a gift of a set amount of money. Also known as a pecuniary gift. 

• A share of your estate; this is a percentage of your estate after all other gifts and expenses have been paid. These gifts are very important to us as they usually maintain their value or increase over time. This also means you're less likely to need to amend it in the future. Also known as a residuary gift. 

• A specific item; this could be something valuable that we would sell. 

While we’re unable to provide specific legal advice, we are happy to talk to you about how your gift could be used to protect wildlife. Remember a Charity works with many will writing professionals and solicitors that can help you to write or update your will. The Law Society can also provide you with a list of local solicitors. 

The cost of writing a will varies, depending on how complicated it is. We currently have a partnership with Farewill, a will-writing service, with whom you can register to write a simple will for free. Visit the Farewill website to begin your online will, or alternatively, request a telephone appointment with Farewill. 

You can also register for a solicitor appointment through our discounted will service. This is available year-round, on a first-come, first-served basis

A ‘simple’ will involves the following: appointment of executors; appointment of guardians for minor children; specific gifts or legacies to friends, family or charities; stipulation of funeral wishes; and distribution of the residue of the estate (i.e. after payment of all funeral expenses and debts to family, friends or charities).

A codicil is an additional legal document that allows you to make small changes to an existing will, without the need to re-write it. You cannot amend your will once it has been signed and witnessed; the only way you can change your will is by making an official alteration called a codicil. A codicil must be signed and witnessed in the same way as a will. There is no limit to how many codicils you can add to a will. Please note that for major changes, you should make a new will.

It’s worth thinking about what you want to include in your will before seeing a solicitor. You should consider: 

• Who you would like to be your executor - the person who will carry out the wishes in your will. 

• What money and belongings do you have? For example, property, savings, pensions, insurance policies and bank accounts. 

• Who do you want to remember in your will? List all your family members, friends and the causes that you care about. 

If you already have a will and would like to make some small changes, you do not need to make a new will. Instead, you can add a codicil to your will and send it to your solicitor. A codicil is a document which allows you to make changes or additions to an existing will and must be read in conjunction with it. 

At the moment, if you leave a gift to Dorset Wildlife Trust in your will, it will not be included when valuing your estate for Inheritance Tax purposes. The value of your gift will be deducted from your estate before Inheritance Tax is applied. However, please be aware that Inheritance Tax rules can change so it’s always best to discuss your will and the type of gift you might like to leave with your chosen solicitor. 

If you decide to include a gift to Dorset Wildlife Trust, it’s easy. All you have to do is give your solicitor our registered address and registered charity number and your solicitor will do the rest:  

Full name: Dorset Wildlife Trust 
Registered address: Brooklands Farm, Forston, Dorchester, DT2 7AA 
Registered charity number: 200222 

If you’ve decided to remember Dorset Wildlife Trust in your will, you can take the following wording to your solicitor. They will make sure your will is valid and that your wishes are followed. 

• A share of your estate:  

  My bequest to Dorset Wildlife Trust of the residual estate (or a proportion of) - a residuary or percentage legacy: “Subject to the payment of my debts, funeral and testamentary expenses, I give the whole (residuary) or _ _% of my estate not otherwise disposed of by this my will to Dorset Wildlife Trust (registered charity number 200222) of Brooklands Farm, Forston, Dorchester, Dorset, DT2 7AA, for the general purposes of Dorset Wildlife Trust and I declare that the receipt of their Treasurer or other proper officer shall be a full and sufficient discharge.” 

   

• A specific sum of money:  

  My bequest to Dorset Wildlife Trust for a set sum - a pecuniary legacy: “I give free of tax to Dorset Wildlife Trust (registered charity number 200222) of Brooklands Farm, Forston, Dorchester, Dorset, DT2 7AA, the sum of £_ _ _ for the general purposes of Dorset Wildlife Trust and I declare that the receipt of their Treasurer or other proper officer shall be a full and sufficient discharge.” 

We really appreciate hearing that you have thought of Dorset Wildlife Trust when making your will. It allows us to say a big thank you for your generosity and if you’d like to hear from us, we can keep you up to date with the work that our supporters make possible. You can make changes to your will whenever you want to and letting us know that you’ve thought of us in your will is not legally binding in any way. 

It’s your will, and of course you are entitled to change it as and when you want to. If you do, we would be very grateful to hear from you if you have changed, added, or removed a gift to Dorset Wildlife Trust from your previous will.