How to leave a Gift in your Will to Oakhaven

To leave a gift in your will to Oakhaven Hospice you'll need to include our name, address and registered charity number.

• Name: The Oakhaven Trust
• Address: Lower Pennington Lane, Lymington SO41 8ZZ
• Registered charity number: 900215

As an independent charity, only 11% of our costs are covered by the government/NHS. We must find around £8 million each year to fund our services.

Your gift will directly benefit everyone in our New Forest, Totton and Waterside communities needing to access end-of-life care services.

There are three types of gift (called a "legacy") you can leave to us:

Residuary Legacy – this will leave Oakhaven a gift of the remainder of your estate, or a percentage, after all other legacies and any debts cleared. Residuary legacies keep pace with inflation and are an effective way to divide the value of an estate between a number of people and causes.

Pecuniary Legacy – this will leave a fixed sum of money in your will to Oakhaven. It is worth noting that pecuniary gifts can devalue over time due to inflation, so it is worth reviewing your will regularly.

Specific Legacy – this will leave property or specific items in your will to Oakhaven, such as art, jewellery, furniture or stocks and shares.

Many people put off writing their will as they expect it to be complicated. However, in reality, it is relatively simple and a legal adviser can guide you through the process.

Before you begin, you will need to:

• Make a list of everything you own – including property, money, shares, investments, life insurance policies, and all your valuables and possessions
• Work out the value of these assets
• Decide who should benefit from your estate, for example, family, friends, charities
• Decide who to appoint as your executor(s), i.e. the people who will administer your estate

If you want to leave a gift but you’ve already made a will, that’s no problem – there are a couple of ways you can change it.

1. Write a new will

The simplest way is to write a new will. Once written, any wills made by that person in the past become void. In fact, most wills will start by reciting that you’re writing a will and that you’re revoking previous wills.

Please note Oakhaven cannot provide legal advice or write your will.

2. Codicils

The other way is to write a codicil, which is a document used to make changes to an existing will.

It’s used as a way to make simple amendments like adding a charity, changing a gift amount or adding an executor. This is all quite straightforward, but problems can occur if you ever want to cancel the will in the future.

When you cancel a will that contains a codicil, the codicil does not get canceled automatically, so when you write a new will it can create inconsistencies and legal problems. To avoid this, make sure that any new will clearly states that you are revoking all wills and codicils previously made.

You can write a new will or write a codicil with a professional advisor. Find a solicitor or will-writer in your area using this postcode search, or take a look at these useful links for further information.

Making a will is the best way to ensure that your wishes are carried out after your death and your property, money and possessions go to the people and organisations that matter to you.

You don't need to be rich to leave a gift to charity in your will. Leaving just a small percentage (called a residuary legacy) to us in your will goes a long way. People often find they can afford to be more generous in a will than in their lifetime.

No matter the size or amount, your gift makes a difference. Your support could fund a meal on our inpatient unit, a series of bereavement support sessions, or for a nurse to be there for a family overnight. Thank you.

There’s usually no tax to pay on gifts left to charity as your donation will be taken off the value of your estate before Inheritance Tax is calculated. This means that a gift for Oakhaven's local hospice care can reduce the total amount of Inheritance Tax due.

Please note that Oakhaven is not a financial planner. We strongly recommend you speak to your solicitor, financial planner or visit the HMRC website for more information about Inheritance Tax.

Yes, you can. A will is a very personal document that reflects your final wishes. You're free to change your mind at any time. You do not need to tell us if you have changed your mind, but if you do feel comfortable telling us, it can help us plan for the future.

We understand that you may want to leave a gift to a particular service close to your heart - and you're entitled to do this. However, we encourage gifts left to us to be unrestricted. We're then free to use the money where it is most needed at the time.

Yes, we would be delighted to talk through your questions. Please call us on 01590 677773 and a member of our team will be happy to help.

All conversations will be kept confidential and please do remember that, should your circumstances change, your intended gift is not legally binding.

Please bear in mind that Oakhaven cannot provide legal advice. If this is something you would like, please consult a solicitor.