Leave a gift in your Will

A Will makes sure your loved ones are taken care of and your wishes are clear. It makes things simpler for those you leave behind and avoids conflict at an already difficult time. If you don’t make a Will, the government decides how to share out your estate and they might not do it in a way you feel is fair or benefits the people and organisations you want to. You also can’t leave money to charity without a Will.

When Heart Research UK started over 50 years ago, more than 70% of heart attacks ended in death, but today, at least 70% of people survive. But we have so far to go to prevent, treat and cure heart disease – it is still one of the single biggest killers in the UK!

Over half of our work is funded by gifts in Wills and they enable us to make big plans for the future.

Heart Research UK are dedicated to funding pioneering research projects, accessible education programmes and vital work in communities. We want to reduce the number of people developing and dying from heart disease, while improving and extending the lives of those affected. You can help achieve this by leaving a gift in your Will

There are different ways of giving to charity in your Will, so you can choose the best one for you.

• A percentage of all your estate (the money and property you own once all other payments, gifts or deductions have been made).
• A fixed amount of money.
• A specific item or value such as possessions, property of shares.

Always speak to your solicitor and/or financial advisor when deciding what kind of gift to leave in your Will.

You can speak to your solicitor about updating an existing Will or creating a new one.

You can also use our free Will writing service to write a new Will to include any updates. In some circumstances, you can use a Codicil to change your existing Will for minor amends. Codicil’s are not always appropriate, therefore it’s always best to speak to a solicitor when considering this option.

Download our codicil form here

It’s best to speak to a legal advisor when writing your Will. Click here to see the suggested wording we recommend taking to your solicitor if you decide to leave a gift to Heart Research UK.

You don’t have to tell us but we would love to hear from you if you have so that we can thank you properly. Simply send us an email to let us know you have left us a gift in your Will.

Making a charitable donation may be effective in reducing the amount of Inheritance Tax payable in cases where the value of an estate exceeds the nil rate band.
If you think this could apply to you, you can calculate your predicted inheritance tax liability, and how this can be reduced with a gift to us using the government’s inheritance tax calculator. Always speak to your legal advisor if you think your estate may be liable for Inheritance Tax.
Use the Governments Inheritance Tax calculator

You can leave a gift to a particular area of work, for example research or education but the most valuable gifts are not restricted. This is because we don’t know exactly what will need funding in the future and will allow us to put your money where it is needed the most.