Thank you for considering the Museum as a possible beneficiary for a legacy from your will.
The Museum is not permitted to offer legal advice on the drawing up or amendment of your will and you are advised to seek professional help to do this.
However, the following are a few points to consider.
Types of legacy
There are basically three types of legacy:
- Residuary legacy ie a share of your estate. Once you’ve worked out what you would like to leave to family and friends, you can donate a share (or all) of what’s left.
- Pecuniary legacy ie a specific sum of money. You specify the cash amount that you want to leave to the Museum.
- Specific legacy ie a very specific item is left to the Museum.
Inheritance tax
Donations to charities, whether in your will or during your lifetime, are generally exempt from inheritance tax. In other words, they reduce the taxable value of your estate. But please seek professional help on this aspect if you want to know more.
To leave a legacy specifically for use by the Museum
The Museum is run by the Dorking Society, which is the registered charity. The registered address of the charity is the Museum address. If you wish, however, your legacy to be specifically applied for the benefit of the Museum, then a certain form of words is recommended. Example if you wish to leave a pecuniary legacy:
I leave the sum of £x (with amount also in words) to the Dorking Society (Registered Charity number 1107459) c/o Dorking Museum, 62 west Street, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 1BS (the ‘Legatee’) absolutely and IT IS MY WISH that this is for the sole use of the Dorking Museum.
(A similar (but adapted for the specific type of legacy) form of words would also be used if you wanted to leave a residuary or specific legacy).
In the event that the Museum is merged with another charity, wound up or otherwise permanently closes
It is advisable to provide for the possible winding-up or other closure of the Museum. If you are happy for your Trustees/Executors to make the decision to leave your legacy to a similar charity, then a suggested form of words would be:
Subject to the provisions of S311 of the Charities Act 2011 if at the date of my death the Dorking Museum is no longer in existence or is subject to a winding-up order my Trustees shall pay the Charitable Legacy to such other Charity or Charities having the same or similar objects as my Trustees shall select.
Sue Tombs
Treasurer – Dorking Museum
April 2017
