Frequently asked questions about Gifts in Wills

Yes, you’ll find some guidance and suggested wording on our website. We highly recommend that you use a qualified solicitor to ensure your wishes are recorded properly.

You can choose to leave a set percentage of your residual estate, known as a residuary gift, a specific sum of money as a gift, known as a pecuniary gift, or a gift of land, an object or shares, known as a specific gift or chattel.

Yes, you can. We welcome gifts that can be spent where it’s needed most because they can be spent on our most urgent projects or programmes. However, we are also very happy to accept gifts for a particular area of the arboretum, theme of our work or for a particular use. If there’s something in particular that you would like to support, we’d be happy to discuss it with you so that we can make sure your gift can have a big impact. Contact legacy@fowa.org.uk.

We really appreciate being informed about a pledged gift in your will to The Friends, we’d love the chance to thank you. It helps us to plan for the future and make sure your gift can be used in the best way possible. Plus, we can keep you up to date with how gifts are helping to support the arboretum and invite you to special events. However, you don’t need to tell us if you don’t want to.

Pledging a gift in your will or informing us about your interest in leaving a gift to the Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum doesn’t commit you to doing so. You can change your mind at any time. We recognise that your circumstances may change and that you might need to update your will to reflect those changes. If you make changes to your planned gift to us it’s really helpful to let us know so that we can plan accordingly. Contact legacy@fowa.org.uk.

Your membership is personal to you and can’t be transferred to anyone else. Legacy gifts of membership are not exempt from Inheritance Tax – they’re treated as a gift to that person, not to The Friends. However, you can leave money in your will for loved ones to buy their own annual membership. This way, you can benefit the people you love as well as the arboretum.

You may want to kindly leave specific items and collections (such as paintings, books, or furniture), with the intention that those items can be sold, and the resulting income can be used to support our work. If you are considering leaving us an object, please do get in touch with us to discuss the options to see whether we are able to accept a specific item. Contact legacy@fowa.org.uk.

You may want to generously give your property and/or land with the intention that it can be sold, and the resulting income can be used to support our work. If you are considering leaving us property and/or land, please do get in touch with us to discuss your intentions to see whether we are able to accept a gift of property or land. Contact legacy@fowa.org.uk.

You can leave a specific amount of money, which is known as a pecuniary gift, or a percentage of your remaining estate after all your wishes have been carried out, which is a residuary gift.

You can leave a residuary gift which will hold its value better than a cash sum, or you can leave a fixed cash sum which can be linked to the index of retail prices, allowing your gift to retain its value in line with inflation.

As a charity, any gift to us is free from Inheritance Tax. There are schemes which can reduce Inheritance Tax on the estate through charitable giving, but these are subject to change – please ask your adviser or visit gov.uk/inheritance-tax for more information.

Make sure you keep the original in a safe place such as your solicitor’s office or bank. It’s a good idea to make a few copies, one for you to keep and one for each of your executor(s). The Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum cannot hold original copies of wills.

Unfortunately, we are not able to facilitate an executor role.