Published on: 13th September 2016

Record number of charitable legacies left in 2015

A report of the number of legacy donors was published as part of the "remember a charity" awareness week, which showed that 2015 was a record year for charitable Wills.

37,261 Wills included a legacy donation in 2015, up from 34,908 in 2014. This is the highest number to ever be recorded. It was averaged that donors included three charities in their Will, with over 121,000 bequests recorded in 2015 - a 10% growth from the year before. The total legacy gifts across the UK had also increased to be worth approximately £2.5 billion. The report also stated that six in ten charitable estates in 2015 came from people born between 1925 and 1945. But donations from the baby-boomer generation (1946-1964) are also becoming more and more common, currently accounting for 10% of charitable estates (increased from 6.3% in 2010). At the moment, only 7% of British people include a charity when writing their Will, but gifts in Wills are the foundation of many British charities. It's positive to know that the number of people leaving a legacy is growing. Although many people regularly support or donate to a charity, very few consider leaving a legacy in their Will. This is why "remember a charity" awareness week is trying to change this. For more information on "remember a charity" awareness week, please visit: http://www.rememberacharity.org.uk/

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