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In Your Will

We want to give children diagnosed with cancer a brighter future, and a gift in your Will can help achieve this. We are a small charity with few overheads, so you can be assured that a gift in your Will will be invested wisely to help the 3,600 children and young people diagnosed with cancer every year in the UK.

Understanding how it works...

About Gifts in Wills

A Will is a legal document that includes instructions on what you would like to happen to your assets, and can also include funeral plans and other important instructions. There are three types of gifts that you can leave in your Will:

Residuary legacy – a percentage of your estate after debts and other gifts
Pecuniary legacy – a fixed amount of money
Specific legacy – a specific item like a personal possession

If you do not make a Will, the State will decide how best to divide up your assets. By making a Will, you can leave your possessions to the people and causes that you care about most.

Guides and Forms

Download our Legacy Pack

Contact Details

020 7404 0808 alan.prior@childrenwithcancer.org.uk

Making a will for the first time
Updating an existing will

Make a list of everything that you own, including property, bank accounts, shares and possessions and so on.
Make a list of any debts, including outstanding mortgage payments, overdrafts and loans.
Choose the appropriate people to act as your executor/s, who will carry out the instructions in your Will.
Make a list of the loved ones and organisations that you would like to remember in your Will, and what you would like to leave to each of them.
Consider any other details that you might like to include, such as naming a guardian for any young children, funeral instructions and care of dependent relatives and/or pets.
Select a Wills and Probate solicitor via The Law Society in England and Wales (lawsociety.org.uk) or The Law Society of Scotland (lawscot.org.uk). Or contact us about The National Free Wills Network to potentially have your Will written or amended for free .

You can update an existing Will with a simple legal document called a Codicil.

We strongly recommend that you visit a solicitor to make a Codicil, to avoid any legal problems later on. For some people, making a new Will from scratch may be the best way to make changes, especially if there is already a Codicil in existence. To find a local Wills and Probate solicitor, visit lawsociety.org.uk (in England and Wales) or lawscot.org.uk (Scotland).

Our downloadable Legacy pack includes information on making and updating a Will as well as a form for changing your existing Will using a Codicil and a form for the Free Wills Network

Download our Legacy pack

You can also consult the National Free Wills Network in the section below.

Making a will for the first time

Make a list of everything that you own, including property, bank accounts, shares and possessions and so on.
Make a list of any debts, including outstanding mortgage payments, overdrafts and loans.
Choose the appropriate people to act as your executor/s, who will carry out the instructions in your Will.
Make a list of the loved ones and organisations that you would like to remember in your Will, and what you would like to leave to each of them.
Consider any other details that you might like to include, such as naming a guardian for any young children, funeral instructions and care of dependent relatives and/or pets.
Select a Wills and Probate solicitor via The Law Society in England and Wales (lawsociety.org.uk) or The Law Society of Scotland (lawscot.org.uk). Or contact us about The National Free Wills Network to potentially have your Will written or amended for free .

Updating an existing will

You can update an existing Will with a simple legal document called a Codicil.

Our downloadable Legacy pack includes information on making and updating a Will as well as a form for changing your existing Will using a Codicil and a form for the Free Wills Network

Download our Legacy pack

You can also consult the National Free Wills Network in the section below.

National Free Wills Network

As a member of the National Free Wills Network, Children with Cancer UK is pleased to be able to offer all supporters aged 55 or over a free Will writing service. The National Free Wills Network is a national network of local law firms, offering Will writing services to supporters of UK charities. Law firms can also offer amendments to an existing Will free of charge too. You are under no obligation to leave a gift to us in your Will, but we would be delighted if you did.

Our downloadable Legacy pack includes information on making and updating a Will as well as a form for changing your existing Will using a Codicil and a form for the Free Wills Network

Download our Legacy pack

Alan – 020 7404 0808

legacies@childrenwithcancer.org.uk

Why should I make a will?

We want to give children diagnosed with cancer a brighter future, and a gift in your Will can help achieve this. Children with Cancer UK’s long-term goals are simple. We want to…

Find a cure for all types of childhood cancer.
Develop life-saving treatments without life-changing side effects.
Learn more about the causes of childhood cancer to help prevent it.

That’s why gifts in Wills are so crucial. These are huge long-term goals, and as we receive no help from the government we need long-term funding in order to achieve them.

We are a small charity with few overheads, so you can be assured that a gift in your Will will be invested wisely to help the 3,600 children and young people diagnosed with cancer every year in the UK.

Save

FAQs

A Will is a legal document and so for peace of mind we always recommend that you ask a solicitor to draw it up for you.

To find a local Wills and Probate solicitor, visit lawsociety.org.uk (in England and Wales) or lawscot.org.uk (Scotland).

The cost will vary depending on the complexity of your Will, but if your requirements are simple, it need not be expensive.
You can also make use of the National Free Wills Network, see further details in the downloadable legacy pack.

Download our Legacy pack

Make a list of your assets and decide how you would like to divide them up amongst family, friends and charities.
Take a note of any outstanding debts you may have too.

All gifts, large and small, could make a real difference to a child in the future who is suffering from cancer.
With nine children and young people being diagnosed every day in the UK, whatever you can give will be hugely appreciated.

You may know that inheritance tax applies to any part of your estate that is worth more than £325,000.
Any amount above this value will be taxed at 40%.
If you leave a charitable gift in your Will, it will be taken into account before any inheritance tax is calculated.

Types of gift

To leave a share of your estate

A residuary legacy

A residuary legacy is a share of your estate, once gifts and debts have been paid.

"I give the whole/………. percentage share [delete whichever does not apply and, if leaving a share, insert the share] of the residue of my estate after payment of my debts, funeral and testamentary expenses and any legacies contained in my Will or any Codicil to it, to Children with Cancer UK (registered charity number 298405) of registered office address 51 Great Ormond Street, London WC1N 3JQ. I direct that the receipt of the duly authorised officer of Children with Cancer UK shall be a sufficient discharge for my Executor/Trustees."

To leave a specific amount

A pecuniary Iegacy

A pecuniary legacy is a fixed sum of money.

"I give the sum of £…………………… (pounds) free of tax to Children with Cancer UK (registered charity number 298405) of registered office address 51 Great Ormond Street, London WC1N 3JQ. I direct that the receipt of the duly authorised officer of Children with Cancer UK shall be a sufficient discharge for my Executor/Trustees."

To leave a particular item

A specific legacy

A specific legacy is a specific item, such as a personal possession.

"I give my (include short description of the specific item) free of tax to Children with Cancer UK (registered charity number 298405) of registered office address 51 Great Ormond Street, London WC1N 3JQ. I direct that the receipt of the duly authorised officer of Children with Cancer UK shall be a sufficient discharge for my Executor/Trustees."

Whatever size or type of gift you leave, you’ll be helping to save lives.

Thank you!

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