Leaving a gift in your will

Leaving a gift in your will means you could make a real and lasting difference for those people affected by ovarian cancer now and in the future.

Leaving a legacy does not have to involve huge sums and there are a number of ways you can do so. It is one of the easiest, and most cost effective ways of making a gift to the Helene Harris Memorial Trust, as such legacies are exempt from inheritance tax, capital gains tax and income tax.

Preparing a will is very straightforward, you can even purchase prepared packs and follow the set instructions, or you can consult a legal advisor, who will deal with all the paperwork, making sure your wishes are carried out to the full.

There are several ways to give to HHMT in your will:

• A specified amount of money, highlighted as a stand alone clause.
• The residue from your estate after all debts and other legacies have been settled.
• A percentage of your estate. This means you would choose to leave a specified proportion of your estate to HHMT. For example by leaving 10% of an estate valued at £80,000 would give HHMT £8,000 to use towards essential research into ovarian cancer.
• Through a specific gift such as an item of jewellery, furniture or a painting.
• Through an in memoriam gift. Often for funerals nowadays, people are requesting that their friends and relatives make a donation to a charity such as the Helene Harris Memorial Trust, instead of sending flowers and wreaths. This can be specified in the will.

If you have already made out your will, you can make changes by adding a codicil, a written provision, to your will. Your solicitor will be able to advise you.

If you plan to help the future of ovarian cancer research by leaving a gift to the Helene Harris Memorial Trust in your will, we would be most grateful if you could let us know. This in no way binds you to leaving us a gift, but it would allow us the chance of thanking you appropriately.