Thinking about leaving a legacy?

Helping to Safeguard our Future14_its-a-long-hill

If you are considering leaving some money to a charity in your will, you may have in mind choosing a charity that is involved with animals, or perhaps one which helps people with special needs. Here is your opportunity to do both with a single legacy and you will be helping to ensure that this riding group can continue to offer its very special services into the future.

Stratford upon Avon RDA is a self funding Local Charity run by a group of committed volunteers. Every week people of all ages with special needs benefit from the freedom and stimulation of riding.

The group, which opened in 1968, relies entirely on volunteers both for manpower and for fund-raising, and all offers of assistance are gratefully received.

We have 4 ponies and horses which cost us nearly £5,000 each to keep at livery for a year.Clywd_27

At the present time: £100 will buy a new rug for a horse; £500 will fund a rider for a year; £3,000 will buy a new horse.  Our current annual running costs are upwards of £25,000.

Our aim is to provide people of all ages with special needs the opportunity to ride.

80% of our income is from voluntary donations, legacies and sponsorship, and so we should be grateful for any support you can give — because that generosity can and will change peoples’ lives.

Our Promise

You do not have to tell us that you have included our charity in your will as we will not contact you unless you contact us and then we will only write to say ‘Thank You’.

Making Your Will; the basic steps.

Decide on your beneficiaries.
Appoint executors to implement your will.2011_funday_05
Write down your wishes.
Go to a solicitor, or use DIY will-forms from a stationer if you feel confident.
Have your will witnessed.
Review your will from time to time to keep it up-to-date

If you would like to contact us about a gift by e-mail, please click on this link.
Contact us

Types of LegacyChris-with-Liz
There are a few different kinds of gift you can leave in your Will. The most common are described below.

Residuary bequest – A gift of the remainder of the estate after all other bequests have been made and debts cleared is called a residuary bequest.

Pecuniary bequest – A gift of a fixed sum of money in your Will is called a pecuniary bequest. The value of pecuniary legacies will decrease over time, as the cost of living increases.

Specific bequest – A particular named item left as a gift in your Will is known as a specific bequest – for example, a piece of jewellery.

Contingent bequest – A gift in your Will that depends upon the occurrence of an event which may or may not happen is known legally as a contingent bequest. An example is a bequest to a charity which applies only if other beneficiaries named in the Will die before the testator (person who made the Will).

Examples of Wording
Should you wish to remember Stratford upon Avon RDA in your Will, you might wish to take the following wording suggestions for a residuary bequest and a pecuniary bequest to your solicitor. They will ensure that your wishes are accurately followed:

Residuary bequest (a proportion)
I give (%) of the residue of my real and personal estate which I can dispose of by Will in any manner I think proper to Stratford upon Avon RDA (A Company Limited by Guarantee no.7623057 & Registered Charity No. 1142590) of Field House, School Lane, Wiggington, Banbury, Oxfordshire OX15 4JX and the receipt of the Honorary Treasurer or the proper officer for the time being of Stratford upon Avon RDA shall be a complete discharge to my Executors.

Pecuniary bequest (a set sum)
I give the sum of …… pounds to Stratford upon Avon RDA (A Company Limited by Guarantee no.7623057 & Registered Charity No. 1142590) and the receipt of the Honorary Treasurer or other proper officer for the time being of Stratford upon Avon RDA shall be a complete discharge to my Executors.

Important Clause
It is important to ensure that the following clause is inserted, whichever wording you need to use:

If at my death any charity named as a beneficiary in this Will or any Codicil hereto has changed its name or amalgamated with or transferred its assets to another body then my Executors shall give effect to any gift made to such charity as if it had been made (in the first case) to the body in its changed name or (in the second place) to the body which results from such amalgamation or to which such transfer has been made.

Important information relating to Inheritance Tax

The other thing that might useful for you to know is the new IHT tax relief whereby if you give 10%+ of your estate to charity, the IHT rate applied to your estate comes down from 40% to 36%.

There is a draft clause suggested by HMRC which you could pass on to your adviser:

I give to [name of charity] such a sum as shall constitute a donated amount equal to 10 (or larger figure) per cent (%) of the baseline amount in relation to the [general component] [aggregate of the general, [survivorship], [settled property] components and [reservation of benefit property]] of my estate.

The legacy given by this clause shall in no event:

(i) be less than £nn whether or not the lower rate of tax shall be applicable; and

(ii) exceed £nn (the upper limit) even if in consequence of this restriction in the value of the legacy the lower rate shall not apply. [If this proviso shall apply and in consequence the lower rate of tax shall not be payable, the amount of this legacy shall [be equal to the amount of the upper limit] [be reduced to £nn] [lapse]].

Please also remember to use our full name Stratford upon Avon RDA and the correct registered address and charity number. 87 Rugby Road, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire  CV32 6DH

Charity number: 1142590

Thank You

Thank you for considering Stratford upon Avon RDA for a gift which will give immense pleasure to deserving people who have a variety of special needs, and will help to ensure the future of the group.