Record number of charitable legacies left in 2015

As part of the ‘remember a charity’ awareness week, a report into the number of legacy donors was published, showing that 2015 was a record year for charitable Wills. 

In 2015, 37,261 Wills included a legacy donation, up from 34,908 in 2014, which is the highest number ever recorded. On average donors included three charities in their Will, with over 121,000 bequests recorded in 2015, a 10% growth from the previous year. The total legacy gifts across the UK had also increased to an estimated £2.5 billion.  

The report also indicated that six in ten charitable estates in 2015 came from supporters born between 1925 and 1945. However, donations from the baby-boomer generation (1946 – 1964) are becoming increasingly common, now accounting for 10% of charitable estates (up from 6.3% in 2010). 

Tom Curran, Chief Executive at Kings Court Trust, said: “Currently, only 7% of Britons include a charity when writing their Will, yet gifts in Wills are the foundation of many British charities – so it is great to see that the number of people leaving a legacy is increasing. Although many people support charities regularly, very few people consider leaving a legacy in their Will which is why the ‘remember a charity’ awareness week is aiming to change this.”

This data has been released as part of the ‘remember a charity’ awareness week, which encourages the public to leave a gift to charity in their Will. The week runs from 12 – 18 September, for more information please visit, www.rememberacharity.org.uk.