A guide to gifts in Wills
How leaving us a gift in your Will today helps children for years to come.
Help us make memories of love and laughter At Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, we care for children and young adults with life-shortening and life-threatening conditions. We are currently supporting around 250 families, both in our hospice and in family homes. In just one year, Bluebell Wood provides more than 50,000 hours of care. Our building is welcoming and homely for families facing the toughest of times; our care team members are on hand to provide specialist support tailored to each child or young adult. We have plenty of fun activities for families to create special memories together, including soft play, large gardens, a sensory room and play and music therapy areas. It costs more than £4 million a year to keep our doors open for families across South Yorkshire, North Nottinghamshire, North Derbyshire and part of North Lincolnshire. Bluebell Wood receives around 10% of our funding from government sources. We are one of only 53 children’s hospices nationally. By leaving us a gift in your Will, you’ll be able to help us continue to create memories for more children and their families in If you have any questions about the years to come. Without you, we simply wouldn't be able to help as many children as we do.
leaving a gift in your Will please get in touch.
The details of our Trust and Legacy Fundraiser are attached. Registered charity no: 1076958. Company no: 3809663
William's story It was during their 20-week pregnancy scan that Liz and Will Butterell got the news no parent ever wants to hear. Their child had hyperplastic left heart syndrome, which meant the left side of their baby’s heart was not developing properly. William David Butterell was born on 1 September 2015 and passed away peacefully in his parents’ arms at Bluebell Wood just 13 days later. Will said: “When we were first told about Bluebell Wood we hated the idea of a hospice, but we eventually realised this would offer us a chance of some family life, love and support. “When William was born I cried my eyes out. He was beautiful. We held him and told him we loved him and couldn’t for a minute imagine that there was anything wrong with him. We were up for most of the night watching him sleep. “The next day we dressed William in his little Superman outfit and took him to Bluebell Wood. I sat with him on a trampoline and put him on a big swing. Liz took him on the roundabout and we went under the palm trees so he could feel the rain on his face. We walked through the beautiful gardens and laid him on the ground and watched as he ran his hands through the grass. “Bluebell Wood We read The Gruffalo to William, a book that still makes me cry helped us have a life because of what it means to me. Bluebell Wood staff made casts with William and make from his hands and feet. wonderful memories. "When he was a week old, we had a birthday party with cake, presents, jelly and ice cream and everyone sang Happy Birthday to him. Family were always welcome and our mums visited every day. We could see Angie the counsellor whenever we needed to and someone was always there to have a cup of tea, a chat or a good cry with.
We can never thank them enough for everything they did and still do.”
“On 14 September 2015 our little man took his last breath in our arms while we told him how much we love him and always will. We moved into the ForgetMe-Not suite, where we stayed with William until his funeral, giving us time and space to say goodbye, along with friends and family. “Bluebell Wood was our home for nearly a month and our son’s only home. We can never thank them enough for everything they did, and still do."
Winnie's wonderful gift Winnie Daley was aged 91 when she passed away at Nightingale Care Home in May 2015. Before she died, she decided to leave £40,000 from her Yorkshire home to Bluebell Wood, which could pay for over 1,900 hours of specialised nursing care. Andrew Bramhald, a Senior Carer at Winnie’s care home, said: “Winnie was a true comedian. She loved to dance, have a laugh and a joke and go on trips out and about.” Andrew, his colleague Sonia Williams, and Winnie’s nephew Tim Lowe, visited Bluebell Wood in February to present the hospice with Winnie’s gift. Andrew added: “Bluebell Wood is such an amazing place; we were really wowed when we turned onto the driveway and saw the huge building and grounds.” Julie Booth, Trust and Legacy Fundraiser at Bluebell Wood, said: “We are so grateful to Winnie for remembering Bluebell Wood in her Will. “Our vision at Bluebell Wood is living with love and laughter. Thanks to Winnie’s wonderful gift, we can continue to create special memories for our children and families; whether they have days, weeks, months or years together.”
Important steps in making your Will Decide who will be named in your Will as your executors as they will be responsible for making sure your wishes are fulfilled. Calculate the value of your assets, making sure you include property, investments and any debts. Choose the family, friends and charities you’d like to remember in your Will. Some people leave a specific amount of money to charity, others prefer to leave a percentage of their estate (having first looked after their loved ones). Visit a solicitor to have your Will drawn up. Bluebell Wood holds a Make a Will Month each year, where certain solicitors will draw up your Will in return for a donation to the hospice. Please contact us for details. Your solicitor could look after your Will for you, but you may wish to keep your own copy for your records. Put it in a safe place and tell someone close to you where it’s stored.
Did you know a gift of £4,000 could pay for 48 hours of end of life care? Issabelle Futter passed away at Bluebell Wood after a three-year battle with neuroblastoma; a rare childhood cancer. Her family were all able to stay together in one room at Bluebell Wood, to be by Issabelle’s side. Her mum, Wendy, said: “We could all be a family again. We were all together the night Issabelle passed away; we could see she was peaceful and comfortable and that was so very important.”
Legal terms Administrator: If you die without a Will or without appointing an executor, an administrator will be appointed to handle your estate. Beneficiary: A person or organisation who receives something in your Will. Bequest: A gift in your Will. Chattels: Personal property including furniture, furnishings, moveable goods and, under English law, your animals. Codicil: A separate legally binding document for making a simple change or addition to your existing Will. Conditional bequest: A gift that will only take effect if a certain event occurs. Estate: The total value of all your assets at the time of your death. Executor: Someone you appoint to carry out the terms of your Will. Grant of probate: A court document confirming the authority of an executor and the Will to administer the estate. Intestacy: When someone dies without having made a Will, or where their Will fails to dispose of all of their estate. Inheritance Tax (IHT): This is tax payable on the proportion of the estate that is over the current threshold. You can find out more about this at www.bluebellwood.org.
explained Legacy: A gift in your Will. Letters of Administration: A court document to verify the person(s) who are administering the estate (when no Will has been made). Life Interest: Where a beneficiary is given an asset (e.g. the house) during their lifetime. After their death the asset passes to a second beneficiary (such as a charity). Pecuniary legacy: The gift of a specified sum of money. Probate: The legal process that proves the Will is genuine and enables executors to deal with the estate. Residuary legacy: Where the residue of your estate (see below) is set aside for, or to be divided between, named beneficiaries. Residue: The remainder of your estate after payment of debts, funeral expenses, and the costs of the administration of the estate, and all specific and other gifts in the Will have been paid. Specific legacy: The gift of a specific item (e.g. a painting, car, property etc). Testator/Testatrix: The person making the Will. Trustee: An individual appointed to look after any part of your estate for the benefit of others. Will: A legally binding document giving instructions about what to do with a person’s estate when they die.
What happens if I don’t make a Will? Everyone should make a Will. In particular, anyone with dependent relatives, anyone who owns a property, or has any type of asset. Around a third of people in the UK die without making a Will. Making a Will with a solicitor is the best way of making sure that the people and things you care about are looked after and your wishes are carried out. If you don’t make a Will, part, or all, of your estate could end up going to people who you never intended to benefit. Not only will the law decide who inherits your property, but you are likely to leave your loved ones with an administrative burden at a very difficult time for them. Without a Will your loved ones may also have to pay more inheritance tax than necessary.
Dougie and his mum Beth enjoying our garden
How do I leave a gift to Bluebell Wood in my Will? When deciding to leave a gift to Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, there are many things to think about. Naturally, you will want to make sure you take care of your loved ones first; making sure that any gift you may choose to leave to us does not impact on your ability to provide for them. Leaving a gift to Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice in your Will can be as simple as adding to your existing Will, (known as a codicil) although we do recommend using a solicitor when making or updating your Will. Leaving a gift could also reduce your inheritance tax bill, because gifts to charities are removed before the value of your estate is calculated for tax. You could even avoid inheritance tax completely by pledging to give everything over and above the inheritance tax threshold. When you write your Will, your solicitor can advise you further on this. Any type of gift to Bluebell Wood will have a huge impact. But many supporters decide Last year, to leave a share of their estate (or our counsellors residuary gift) because it keeps pace with inflation and also means that helped 14 children and they can make sure that their loved 98 adults. ones are well looked after before making their gift to Bluebell Wood. A gift of £3,354 could let
us run our counselling team for a month.
Suggested wording if you choose How will you use the gift I toleave leave Bluebell Wood youa ingift my toWill? Residuary gift (a share of your estate):
Subject to the payment of my debts, funeral and testamentary expenses, I give [...] % of the residue of my estate to Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, Registered Charity No: 1076958 of Cramfit Road, North Anston, Sheffield, S25 4AJ and I declare the receipt of its Treasurer or other proper officer shall be a full and sufficient discharge.
Pecuniary gift (a specific amount):
I give free of tax the sum of £[...] to Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, Registered Charity No: 1076958, of Cramfit Road, North Anston, Sheffield, S25 4AJ and I declare that the receipt of its Treasurer or other proper officer shall be a full and sufficient discharge.
Specific legacy bequest (a named item):
I give to Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, Registered Charity No: 1076958, of Cramfit Road, North Anston, Sheffield, S25 4AJ absolutely, my [name and description of item...] Although the above wording is a guideline on how to include a gift to the hospice in your Will, we strongly advise you to seek legal advice to ensure the wording is correct and does not compromise the validity of your Will. If you would like to leave a gift to Bluebell Wood, please make sure your solicitors use our full name, address and charity number in your Will. Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, a charity registered in England and Wales no. 1076958. Registered Office: Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, Cramfit Road, North Anston, Sheffield, S25 4AJ.
Our commitments to you If you are considering leaving a gift to children in your Will through Bluebell Wood, we want you to feel completely comfortable about it. These are our promises to you: • We will always respect your privacy; we recognise and appreciate that your Will is completely personal to you. • Because we are committed to making a difference to children, we always encourage people to leave something to Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice. But we recognise that it’s your decision and you need to make it in your own time. • You can tell us that you’ve left a gift if you want to, and we’d love to hear about it. If you do choose to tell us, we will give you the choice about how we talk to you in the future about our work with children. We'll also give you the chance to see for yourself what a difference your gift can make. • We will use your gift carefully and cost effectively so that it has the greatest impact for children. • At any time in the future, you have the absolute right to change your mind about a gift in your Will to Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice. • We will handle your gift with care, sensitivity and respect.
A gift of
£1,113
could sponsor a nurse for a week
"Being told that your child has a life-limiting condition and that one of these illnesses could take him away is soul destroying. Bluebell Wood gives me and my family strength so Jack can enjoy his life to the very max, which he certainly does... they support me through very hard times."
Vicki, Jack's mum