Leaving a Legacy
We enjoy a great heritage. Help us to ensure that this is passed on to future generations…
By leaving a legacy to Winchester Cathedral you can not only express your thanksgiving for centuries of worship here, but also help to ensure that, like you, future generations will be able to enjoy this great building, with its daily worship, so much of it enhanced by beautiful music. Anyone can do this, of whatever faith they may be, or none. People who would not regard themselves as rich and powerful but who have found themselves moved by all that the Cathedral represents, as a place of worship, history, art or culture, can make a difference by including the Cathedral in their Will.
A legacy made in general terms allows the Chapter to put available funds towards areas of greatest need, offering it more flexibility in ensuring that its work as a whole is adequately supported.
If you prefer, you could make a legacy towards a particular area of activity, which might reflect an individual interest.
A Will ensures that your estate is distributed in the manner that you determine…
f you die without making a Will, then legal rules will determine the distribution of your estate for you. A legally correct Will allows you to make sure that members of your family and those whom you choose will be provided for, as well as any good causes you wish to support and name. Furthermore, leaving a legacy to a charity like Winchester Cathedral or Friends of Winchester Cathedral could help to reduce any tax burden on your estate since, as the law stands at present, there is no Inheritance Tax on gifts to charity.
If your estate is liable for Inheritance Tax, a gift to a charity may reduce the excess over the tax threshold and thereby reduce or even eliminate the amount of Inheritance Tax to be paid. You may wish to discuss this aspect with your tax adviser or solicitor.
If you would like to help Winchester Cathedral you need to put in place a valid Will or Codicil…
First you need to decide what you want or can afford to give – a fixed cash sum, a specific item or property (e.g. a painting or a house), or a share or proportion of your estate. Then in order for the gift to be legally effective it has to be set out correctly in a Will or Codicil. A Codicil is a supplement to a Will and is particularly useful for adding a legacy to a Will. It is not necessarily difficult or expensive to make a Will, but it is advisable to take professional advice in order to ensure that it is legally correct and that the wording makes your intentions clear.
It is a good idea to review your Will regularly and on any
major change to your family or financial circumstances. A review of your
Will can include:
• Provision for your family and friends
• Arrangements for beneficiaries under
the age of 18
• Gifts to your favourite charities
• Inheritance Tax planning
• The appointment of executors to carry
out the terms of your Will
• An expression of wishes concerning
burial or cremation
If you would like to talk to somebody about making a legacy in favour of the Cathedral, in general or specific terms, or the Friends of Winchester Cathedral, please contact one of the following:
The Receiver-General
Cathedral Office
1, The Close
Winchester
Hampshire SO23 9LS
Telephone: 01962 857200
Facsimile: 01962 857201
E-mail: adrian.munns@winchester-cathedral.org.uk
The Development Officer
Cathedral Office
1, The Close
Winchester
Hampshire SO23 9LS
Telephone: 01962 857217
Facsimile: 01962 857201
E-mail: cathedral.office@winchester-cathedral.org.uk
The General Secretary
Friends of Winchester Cathedral
2, The Close
Winchester
Hampshire SO23 9LS
Telephone: 01962 857244
E-mail: friends@winchester-cathedral.org.uk
(Registered Charity No. 220218)