Make the Ayrshire Hospice’s care your legacy. Help it live on for all, for now and forever by leaving a gift in your Will.

The Ayrshire Hospice is proud to be one of 127 hospices across Scotland, England and Wales taking part in the ground-breaking “This is Hospice Care” campaign, brought together by Hospice UK. The campaign aims to raise awareness about the vital role hospices play in communities and to shift public perceptions of hospice care.

Hospices like ours are at the very heart of our communities, offering compassionate care and support when we need it most. For many of us, a hospice will touch our lives, whether for ourselves, a loved one, or a friend, providing comfort, dignity, and expert care through life’s most challenging times. 

We’ve come together to shine a light on the essential role hospices play in our communities and protect our futures. 

We’re asking you to consider leaving a gift in your Will to the Ayrshire Hospice. By doing so, you can help us continue to provide this vital care, ensuring that everyone has the support they need for generations to come.

How to include us in your Will

The first decision to make is what you would like to give. There are a number of different types of gifts that you can make including Pecuniary gifts where you gift a specified amount, Specific gifts where you life a particular item such as jewellery or art, and Residual Gifts where you leave a specific percentage of your estate.

When you have decided what you would like to give you should make an appointment with a professional Will writer.

You may also want to consider speaking with a financial advisor before making contact with the will writer. A financial advisor will be able to provide advice on how issues such as inheritance tax will impact your financial situation and help you understand the options available to you before making any decisions regarding the estate.

Once at your appointment with the professional will writer, the only information to take with you to make sure we are included in your Will is the name of our charity (the Ayrshire Hospice) and our charity number (SC011390).

Creating a will can be a daunting process involving some complicated legal terms. To aid you in creating your legacy one of our local supporting solicitors has kindly helped us create a collection of some frequently asked questions.

This is a specific bequest made by a person in their Will to a relative, friend or, frequently to a charity.

This is a short document that amends a Will.

This lets others know how to distribute your estate. Often used for pensions to help pension administrators decide which relatives should receive payments.

This is a legal document where a person nominates and authorises another person to look after their affairs on their behalf if that person is incapacitated and is no longer able to look after their own affairs themselves.

This is called ‘dying intestate’. Where there is no Will, Scottish Law will determine who inherits your Estate, whether this corresponds with your wishes or not. The administration of an intestate estate is also more expensive and takes longer to complete than if a person left a Will. If you have no family, all your estate passes to the Crown.

It’s very easy, just phone or email your solicitor and arrange a time that suits you

Of course. You can discuss this with your solicitor.

Yes, there are a wide variety of online will writing services available, at a variety of costs, but these often place the responsibility on you (not a solicitor) to get the wording correct. This is hard to achieve without properly talking through what your wishes are. It is also up to you to ensure it is signed and witnessed correctly.

It is very easy to make a simple mistake which can alter or even invalidate a Will. It is far better seeking the advice of an experienced solicitor where you can chat through your wishes and ensure that your Will is correctly drawn up and accurate.

The Ayrshire Hospice team can signpost you to trusted solicitors in your area throughout the year, as well as part of the Make a Will campaign.

Yes, you would need to specifically mention The Ayrshire Hospice in your Will or Codicil. Their registered charity number is SC011390.

Yes, there can be, but it is essential that you have proper financial and legal advice to ensure that you benefit from any tax advantages available.

Aside from tax advantages, charities rely heavily on the generosity of the general public, both during their lifetimes and when they are no longer with us. Leaving a legacy is often a good way to thank a charity for their help and support during someone’s lifetime. It is rewarding to know that your legacy will be put to good use and that you will continue supporting the charity after your life has ended.

You can leave a share of your estate (known as a residual legacy), a fixed amount of money (known as a pecuniary legacy), and specific items to charities. Some people write a combination of these into their Wills.

Everyone should have a Will! With the help of an experienced solicitor, it should be quite an easy task to complete, usually quite quickly, and it gives you peace of mind to know that your affairs will be handled the way you want them.

1 in every 4 of our in-patients’ care is provided for by gifts in Wills

Whether you’ve decided to leave a gift in your Will or would like more information, we’d love to hear from you!

For more information on gifts in Wills, please contact us on 01292 269200, send an email to donate@ayrshirehospice.org or fill our our Gift in Will form.

Alison’s mum, May received care in the Ayrshire Hospice in 2002. She and her family have never forgotten the care May received.

Alison’s dad – May’s husband – John, supported the Hospice for the rest of his life as a volunteer driver and regular supporter. He also gave the gift of a lifetime –  a gift in his Will to the Ayrshire Hospice.

That was the ultimate, final thank you from my dad

Alison

Find out about the family’s experience with the Ayrshire Hospice and why legacies like John’s are so important.

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Make a Will Fortnight

Every October, a number of local solicitors from across Ayrshire & Arran support the Ayrshire Hospice by kindly waiving their fees for writing or changing your Will in return for a donation to the Hospice. The Fortnight gives you the opportunity to prepare for the future while helping our patients and their loved ones today. 

This year’s Fortnight will run from Monday the 19th of October until Monday the 2nd of November. 

We suggest a donation of £100 for making or changing a single Will, or £150 for a pair of basic mirror Wills for couples. These suggestions are lower than the current market rate, and all funds raised will directly support our work, and the patients and their families who need us.

Find a participating solicitor near you in our Make a Will Fortnight booklet.

Here are some of our participating solicitors discussing our Make a Will Fortnight in 2022 and why having an up-to-date Will is so important:

Advice for legal advisors

Specifically for legal advisors, we have created some initial FAQs about legacies and gifts in Wills. If you have any other queries or questions, please get in touch with our Fundraising Team on 01292 269200, email donate@ayrshirehospice.org

Registered Office: 29 Miller Road, Ayr, KA7 2AX.
Scottish Charity no: SC011390
Company no: 102741

Please make the cheque payable to ‘Ayrshire Hospice’ and send it to our Fundraising Office:

29 Miller Road
Ayr
KA7 2AX

As a charity, the Ayrshire Hospice is obliged to take steps to protect and maximise the legacies left to us, and as such, when we are a beneficiary of a Will, we require documents for audit purposes. During the administration of an estate, we will request a copy of your client’s Will and a copy of the estate accounts for our files.

We ask you to pass on a thank you letter to the Next of Kin so that we can thank them personally for the deceased’s gift. We know that supporters like to be valued and we want the Next of Kin to know how much we appreciate their loved one’s gift.

No – the Ayrshire Hospice is unable to act as an executor for your client’s Will. Only charities with Trust Corporation Status can be nominated as executor and can carry out the duties of this role in their corporate capacity. The Ayrshire Hospice does not have trust corporation status.

Yes, we’d be happy to forward more information about the Ayrshire Hospice on to you or your client, either by post or email. If your client leaves a gift in their Will to the Hospice, please ask them to let us know. We’ll then be able to thank them and keep them up to date with our work.

Yes, we’d be delighted to welcome your client along to one of our Legacy information Days.

Yes – please contact our fundraising team on 01292 288 488 or email inmemory@ayrshirehospice.org for details.

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Ways to donate

Every donation helps us bring compassionate care, comfort, and support to people across Ayrshire and Arran when they need it most.

Afternoon Tea by the Sea

Join a fundraising group

We are supported by dedicated fundraising groups across Ayrshire.

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