Legacies

Why a gift in your Will is important

Our work relies entirely on voluntary donations from individuals, groups, companies and grant-making bodies. Leaving a gift in your Will helps us to continue to support excellent and novel, peer-reviewed scientific research into the ageing process where the impact will be an improvement in quality of later life.

Writing a Will is an important step towards making sure your wishes can be respected. It does not have to be expensive, or complicated.

Making your Will

We strongly recommend that you take legal advice when making your Will. A Will is a legal and binding document, and there are specific rules about how it should be drawn up. If it fails to meet the legal requirements, it can be found invalid or can cause difficulties for those named within it.

It is important, therefore, that your Will is drawn up professionally. If you do not have a solicitor, the Law Society can help you find one. You can call them on 020 7320 5650 and they will put you in touch with a solicitor in your area. Alternatively, you can go online and research their database http://solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk/

What type of gift can I leave to the BSRA?

There are three main types of gift you can make.

Residuary gift

A share of your estate (also called a residuary gift) is when you choose to leave a percentage of your estate to a loved one or a charity of your choice.

Pecuniary gift

A cash gift (also called a pecuniary gift) is when you give a specific sum of money. Because of inflation, the value of this gift will reduce over time so you can choose to index link it, if you wish, so that it keeps pace with rising prices.

Specific gift

A specific gift is when you leave a particular item such as jewellery or a piece of art.