Legacies
Currently celebrating 20 years of providing specialist palliative care to Rochdale Borough, Springhill Hospice is asking people to remember the charity in their will.
An important source of income to meet the Hospice’s current running costs of £6,500 per day comes from bequests made by supporters. Statistics show, however, that only three out of every ten people actually make a will. Ian Jenkins, Hospice Fundraising Manager, says, “Without a will, those you leave behind could be faced with confusion, delay and legal problems – and your money may not go to where we want it to. Obviously you have to look after your loved ones first, but if your estate is worth more than £312,000, or £614,000 for a couple, those loved ones will have to pay 40% inheritance tax.
"After remembering your family and friends, leaving a gift in your will to Springhill Hospice will help reduce the amount of inheritance tax payable on your estate - and as any legacy left to charity is free of tax, if your gift reduces the value of your taxable estate enough to bring it below the threshold, it will no longer be liable for inheritance tax.
“If leaving a gift to Springhill Hospice is something you would consider, we can provide you with a leaflet giving guidance on making or amending a will, and it explains how your gift can help safeguard the future of the Hospice.”
Sir Cyril Smith says, “Rochdale folk are generous and caring people, and Springhill Hospice is a permanent testimonial to their generosity. Keep it going, remember your Hospice in your will – I have!”
John and Shirley Pickett have been connected with Springhill Hospice since they both retired in 1997 - Shirley has worked in the charity’s Yorkshire Street shop all that time, and John, a former Director of the NSPCC’s Children’s Services Department, gives of his time and experience to the Fundraising team. They say, “The skill and caring of the Hospice is a great comfort to so many – we must all help to keep it going. We have remembered Springhill Hospice in our wills and hope lots of folk will do the same.”
Hospice Trustee Diane Bailey, who runs a very successful business consultancy, is another Rochdale resident who has remembered Springhill Hospice in her will. She says, “When revising my will some years ago I realised that I wanted to continue supporting the Hospice after my death. I therefore specified that Springhill would receive a percentage of my estate. This and other legacies will allow its excellent work to continue.”
Geoff Gardiner, former MD of Gardiner Technology, passed away in 2008 and left a
substantial legacy to the Hospice that was used to pay for a brand new kitchen that was part of the recent refurbishment project. His son, Lee, told us, “My Dad felt passionate about the work of the Hospice and after he retired in 2001 he wanted to put something
back into the community. “He’d built up a relationship with the Hospice, frequently asking whether he could provide anything for their wish-list - and he was about to begin working there as a volunteer driver when he took ill. Dad was a great one for rewarding people for their efforts and I knew before he died that he was leaving a legacy to the Hospice.”
Christine Webb, Chief Executive at the Hospice, added, “If and when the time is right for you to consider leaving a gift to charity in your will, please remember us”.
Donate online: www.springhill.org.uk/donations/index.html