L E AV I N G A LEGACY
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LEAVING A LEGACY
A GIFT OF A LIFETIME
ASHBURNHAM PLACE
For m any of yo u , as Fr i e n d s of A s h b u r n h a m P la ce , regu l ar an d s a c r i f i c i a l g i vi n g to t h e work of A s h bu rn h am C h r i s t i a n Tr u s t (ACT ) h a s be en a l o n g- s tan di n g a n d fa i t hf u l p a r t of yo u r love a nd s u ppo rt of th e Tr u s t ’s vi s i o n to ex te n d the King do m of Go d. By l e a vi n g a l e g a c y yo u w ill b e a bl e to s u ppo r t ACT a n d i t s vi s i o n l o n g af ter yo u h ave go n e to b e w i t h t h e Lo rd .
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LEAVING A LEGACY
A MESSAGE FROM PAUL AND ANDY o u r Gen e ra l Di re c to r s
From t h e o u t s et, A s h b u r n h a m P l a c e h a s b e e n de p e ndent o n l eg a c i e s , i n d e e d i t s ve r y existe nc e was t h e re s u l t l e g a c y g i vi n g . O ve r rece nt years we are d e l i g hte d , w i t h yo u r h e l p , to ha ve reac h ed a m o re s u s ta i n a b l e f i n a n c i a l foot ing wh i c h en ab l e s u s to ma i nta i n o u r week–by - week s erv i c e to g u e s t s . We t h an k Go d fo r t h i s b u t a re a l s o c onsta nt l y aware of t h e ma j o r wo r ks a n d project s t h at we wo u l d l ove to b e a b l e to d o i n o rd er to i n c reas e t h e g i f t of A s h b u r n h a m P la ce . Ty pi c al l y t h e s e a re exc i t i n g a n d im p a ct in g pro j ec t s t h ey a re b eyo n d o u r c urre nt fi n an c i al c ap a c i t y to a c h i eve , t h i s i s w here yo u r l egac y g i vi n g c a n ma ke s u c h a hug e d i fferen c e. We f i r ml y b e l i eve t h e re i s s t i l l much m o re t h at Go d wa nt s to u s e A s h b u r n h a m P la ce fo r an d t h at i t i s to b e a g i f t fo r ma ny ge nera ti o n s to c o m e , we a re wo r k i n g to t h i s end a n d hu m bl y as k yo u to c o n s i d e r s ow i n g into t his l o n g-term fu t u re by l e a vi n g a l e g a c y. To m ake t h i s as ea s y a s p o s s i b l e we o u t l i n e the b a s i c l egal s teps of l e a vi n g a l e g a c y ove r the next pages . We h a ve i n c l u d e d a s i mp l e form a t t h e bac k fo r yo u to f i l l i n s o t h a t we c a n ke ep in to u c h w i t h yo u .
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LEGACY
HOW WE HAVE USED LEGACIES AND MAJOR GIFTS IN THE PAST Lib ra ry – we t ran s fo r me d t h e b e a u t i f u l b u t ra t her t i red an d u n d e r u s e d L i b ra r y i nto a s t unnin g s pac e de s i g n e d fo r s t u d y a n d le a rning . It i s n ow u s e d by l o c a l b e l i eve r s w h o n eed a qu i et pl ac e to s t u d y t h e o l o g y o r to refle ct i n peac e. Survival – in the past 15 years legacies have ensured the survival of the trust in exceptionally difficult financials circumstances. New O n l i n e B o o k i n g S ys te m – A s a re s u l t of a sig nifi c ant gi ft we h a ve b e e n a b l e to l a u n c h an onlin e bo o k i n g s ys te m o n o u r we b s i te t h a t ena b le s gu es t s to b o o k a ret re a t a t Ashb urn h am Pl ac e a t a ny t i me of d a y o r n i g ht Wit ho u t s u c h gi ft s i t i s h a rd to s e e h ow we ’d s t ill b e serv i n g as ACT to d a y.
AS H BU R N H A M T E O LOGI C AL LI BRARY , refu r b is h ed
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LEAVING A LEGACY
HOW WE PLAN TO USE LEGACY GIFTS IN THE FUTURE
ASHBURNHAM PLACE
Looking to t h e fu t u re , we h a ve s o me s p e c i f i c project s t h at we b e l i eve c o u l d b e ma d e possib le by l egac y gi vi n g : ORA NG ERY K ITCHEN EX T EN SI ON – T h i s wo u l d
ena b le u s to m eet t h e g row i n g d e ma n d fo r t h i s sp e cia l fac i l i t y fro m l o c a l p e o p l e a n d g u e s t s . TE NT HILL – T h i s wo u l d b e a s i g n i f i c a nt p roject i nvo l v i n g t h e c o mp l ete re d e s i g n a n d b uild of a beau t i fu l , a c c e s s i b l e a n d f i t fo r p urp ose m eet i n g an d a c c o mmo d a t i o n s p a c e . CA R E
AND RECOVERY – W i t h s i g n i f i c a nt l eg a cy fu n di n g we c o u l d c re a te a p u r p o s e b uilt le arn i n g area fo r t h o s e re c ove r i n g f ro m crisis a n d i n c reas e t h e c a p a c i t y of t h i s p ro j e c t for t hos e m o s t i n n ee d .
BOAT H OUSE RESTOR AT I ON – We wo u l d l ove to
restore t h i s n ow u nu s a b l e b u i l d i n g i nto a uniq ue prayer s pac e ove r-l o o k i n g t h e l a ke . TH EO LOGICAL STUDY BUR SA R I ES – We wa nt
to ena b l e deep an d i mp a c t i n g t h e o l o g i c a l st ud y h ere at A s h bu r n h a m P l a c e p a r t i c u l a r l y for t hos e wh o m ay n ot ot h e r w i s e b e a b l e to a f ford to do s o .
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LEAVING A LEGACY
Wills are legal documents and as small errors can cause big problems it is preferable to have someone legally qualified to draft it for you. If you do not have a lawyer, ask someone you trust for advice or look on review sites on the internet. There are some low cost options if you think that you only have limited assets to distribute. Options can be found on the internet or through companies such as Saga or Which. Also, you can make a will online but this option may not provide any tangible professional advice to help you with all the legal details. Lastly, if you feel very brave you can write a will yourself using a template. Such templates are available from stationers or once again the internet. It is perfectly legal to write your own will but few of us have the skills needed to do this properly so think carefully before taking this option. For the sake of a relatively small saving there is a far greater risk that mistakes could be made that could mean that your will is invalid! If you already have a will in place, congratulations as this is the most important thing. Should you want to make changes to your existing will it is not difficult. There may be a number of times during your life when your circumstances change and as a result you may wish to change your will. Unfortunatelt, you cannot simply write changes onto an existing Last Will and Testament.
ASHBURNHAM PLACE
HOW CAN I MAKE A WILL? However, a will can be changed or additions made to it by:
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LEAVING A LEGACY
1. MA KING A CODICIL – This is a legal document
giving details of the changes you wish to make which is then signed, dated, witnessed and attached to your existing will. 2. MA KI N G AN ENTIRELY N EW W I L L .
As a rule, it is probably simpler and more straightforward to use the codicil for relatively small changes or additions to your existing will. Writing a new will is more suitable if the changes are more substantial or significant. Generally, it is best to seek legal advice as to which option is more appropriate for your particular circumstance. If your will is more than 5 years old it is probably a good idea to review it to see if it still fulfils your wishes and takes into consideration any changes in your circumstances.
ASHBURNHAM PLACE
IF I WANT TO LEAVE A LEGACY wh at t y pe of g i f t s c a n I l e a ve?
There are three main types of gift: 1 . A share of what’s left of your estate once all other gifts and expenses have been deducted –this is called a residual gift 2 . A specific fixed amount of money – this called a pecuniary gift 3. A particular item an asset or money – this is
called a specific gift The most valuable gift is the residual gift but any gift in your will, however large or small, will be most appreciated by the beneficiary.
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LEAVING A LEGACY
W H AT S H O U L D I DO NOW?
ASHBURNHAM PLACE
Firstly, thank you for taking the time to read this leaflet. If something you have read strikes a chord in your heart – pray about it and explore whether God is speaking to you about leaving a legacy to Ashburnham Christian Trust? If after praying you feel that this is right, talk to a solicitor about making a will or changing your existing will to include a legacy to ACT. If yo u h ave al rea d y i n c l u d e d a l e g a c y to Ashb urn h am C h ri s t ia n Tr u s t i n yo u r w i l l – tha nk yo u . I n any eve nt, we a re g ra tef u l to yo u for your c o nt i nu i n g s u p p o r t fo r t h e wo r k of ACT and p ray t h at Go d w i l l c o nt i nu e to b l e s s yo u i n the d a y s an d years to c o me . If you wo u l d l i ke to d i s c u s s t h i s f i r s t w i t h o u r Ge neral D i rec to rs , Pa u l a n d A n d y, t h ey wo u l d be ha p py to tal k to yo u i n c o nf i d e n c e a n d h e l p you wit h t h e n ex t s te p . C onta ct u s fo r fu rt h e r i nfo r ma t i o n : P hone: 01424 894201 Em a il: legac y @as h bu r n h a m. o rg . u k Web site: w w w. as h bu r n h a m. o rg . u k Pa ul Wen h am & A n dy P ro u d fo ot Ashb urn h am Pl ac e, Ba t t le, Ea st S u s s ex T N33 9NF
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