young child asleep in arms of care team member who is wearing a mask and looking at her

A life that touches others goes on forever

Leaving a gift in your will

Leaving gifts in your will ensures your care, compassion and values live on, so the people and communities you care about can continue to make every day of their lives count as a direct result of the way you lived yours. 

Like most people, you have either already looked after your loved ones in your will, or you plan to. But you might not have considered that including a gift in your will to your local hospice is another way of ensuring the people who matter to you receive the care and support they need through their life’s journey. And you may not realise that gifts in wills don’t have to be large to be important. 

Leaving a gift in your will to Havens Hospices won’t cost you anything in your lifetime, but it will give you the peace of mind that local hospice services will still be here for the people you care about, helping us support them to make every day of their life count. 

 

Care team member wearing mask reading a story to a girl laying in bed

There couldn’t be a more important time to include a gift to Havens Hospices in your will because the need for our care is steadily increasing. 

People are now living with incurable conditions for longer than ever before and needing more specialist support for longer. That’s a trend that is only set to continue, so we need to ensure we have the funds in the future to be there for everyone who needs us, for as long as they need us. 

Including a gift in your will to Havens Hospices can play a significant role in helping us do that. 

“When Dad was dying, all our family could be there together. Fair Havens cared for all of us, day and night. To say they go above and beyond to make you all feel welcomed and comfortable is an understatement. Their compassion is truly astonishing. They could not have done more. 

Whilst I knew Fair Havens was a charity, I didn’t realise the extent it relies on donations.

Dad asked for his kit car to be sold with the proceeds going to Fair Havens. He wanted to give something back, as he continually said how happy he was to be at the hospice. 

That’s why we also raised money, because it could be anyone’s family member next week, next month or next year. You don’t think about hospices till you need them.” 

You might support Havens Hospices already, because you, or someone important to you, has experienced our care, and you want to know we will be here in the future to continue providing that same high standard of care and support for the people you care about. 

Or you might have experienced the other side of the coin – what it’s like to live with an incurable condition, or experience end of life, without hospice care, you know how difficult that was, and you don’t want others to go through that when there’s something you can do about it

One wish we all share is for the people who matter to us to be able to access the best possible care and support when they need it. Including a gift in your will to Havens Hospices can play a significant role in helping us do that for more families like Fred's.

 
The solicitors in the list below are kindly giving their time and expertise in return for a suggested donation to Havens Hospices of £90 for an individual will, £150 for a pair of mirror wills, or £50 for a codicil (a change to an existing will).

To take up this offer, please contact them to book an appointment quoting ‘Havens Hospices wills’. 

How it works

We understand that writing or amending a will can be a daunting process, below are some of the frequently asked questions

We are a registered charity – not part of the NHS – and we receive limited government funding.

The specialist care and support we provide for people of all ages in our community is only possible because of the support and generosity we receive from our community. Funding from gifts in wills forms a very significant part of this.

Every penny we receive from gifts in wills ensures Havens Hospices can continue caring for adults and children with complex or incurable conditions for many years to come.

By leaving a gift to Havens Hospices in your will, you’ll be making sure the people and communities you care about will receive the care and support they need to make every day of their lives count.

Your gift can be anything you choose, from a gift of personal belongings to a cash sum (known as a 'Pecuniary Legacy'), or a part/the whole of your remaining estate once other gifts and expenses have been paid (known as a 'Residuary Legacy').

You don’t need to be rich to leave a legacy to Havens Hospices, every little helps. We must raise over £85,000 each week to be there for everyone who needs us. Every legacy we receive, large or small, helps us continue ‘Making every day count’

If you are leaving a gift to Havens Hospices in your will, please use the name “Havens Hospices” and include our address: 226 Priory Crescent, Southend on Sea, Essex, SS2 6PR and Registered Charity Number 1022119.

We strongly advise that you use a solicitor to have your will drafted or updated, especially if inheritance tax is payable on your estate.

The solicitors listed above are kindly giving their time and expertise in return for a suggested donation to Havens Hospices of £90 for an individual will, £150 for a pair of mirror wills, or £50 for a codicil (a change to an existing will).

Alternatively, you can find a solicitor by using the search engine on the Law Society website; search by postcode or location to get a list of solicitors in your area.

If you have an existing will, but would like to include a gift to Havens Hospices, you can make a codicil, which is supplementary to your will and can make simple changes or additions to it. We recommend that you see a solicitor when making a codicil, so they can advise you about the process and draft the codicil correctly.

Let your solicitor have the name, address and registered charity number of Havens Hospices (226 Priory Crescent, Southend on Sea, Essex, SS2 6PR and Registered Charity Number: 1022119) together with a note of the item, cash sum, or share of residue you wish to leave.

Once the codicil is approved and signed by you (in the presence of two witnesses) it will be placed with your will, and after your death, the two documents will be read together as though the codicil was always an integral part of your will.

Gifts to charity are exempt from inheritance tax, so the charity will receive the full value of any gift you choose to leave.

If you leave a gift of 10% of the net value of your estate to charity (the net value being the sum of all the assets after deducting any debts, liabilities, reliefs, exemptions and the nil-rate band) it may be possible to pay inheritance tax on all (or on components of your estate) at a reduced rate of 36% rather than 40%.

The calculations used to work out which part or parts of your estate qualify for a reduced rate of inheritance tax are very complicated. We would strongly advise that you see a solicitor to ensure you get the best advice and ensure your Will is drafted correctly.

We know a gift in your will is very personal and that not everybody wishes to tell us about their gift.  However, if you do choose to tell us, we would like to thank you during your lifetime.

Contact Us

Writing your will online

We’ve partnered with expert will writers, Octopus Legacy, to make giving a gift in your will to Havens Hospices even easier.

We are offering supporters the chance to make a FREE will online. It's an easy step-by step process, legal experts check over each will, plus support is available. In return, all we ask is that you consider leaving them a donation to Havens Hospices in your will to support our care for years to come. Use the coupon code HAVENS-FREE at check-out.

Choose the solution for you: 

  • Write your FREE will online here.
  • Book to write your will over the phone: when you call 0800 773 4014.
  • Book a face-to-face meeting when you call 0800 773 4014
Octopus legacy