Why gifts in wills are important

Gifts in wills are a very special and profound way to support the future of our charity.

For over 45 years, Candlelighters has been there for hundreds of families across Yorkshire affected by childhood cancer – providing emotional, practical and financial support, bringing light and hope at an incredibly difficult time.

The donations that some supporters choose to leave us in their will are essential to our charity’s income.

Whatever the amount, by leaving a donation to Candlelighters in your will, you are leaving a lasting legacy that will help us continue to invest in life-changing research, and support future generations of children and families facing childhood cancer – from diagnosis to recovery and beyond.

Did you know…?

When leaving a gift in your will, there is no minimum amount. You can even specify that you want to donate whatever is left after all other gifts have been given out. All donations, whatever the size, are incredibly gratefully received.

Unlike other gifts in wills, legacy donations to charities are exempt from inheritance tax. You can also reduce the amount of inheritance tax you might pay on the rest of your estate if you gift over 10% of the net amount to charity.

How to leave a gift in your will

Whether you have an existing will or haven’t ever made one, there are straightforward ways to leave a gift in your will to Candlelighters.

Make your will for free with our free will writing service

For our supporters who don’t yet have a will, we offer a free will service – a quick and easy way to create a new will, for free. This is available through our carefully-selected and fully-accredited service provider, Bequeathed.

If you access this service, there is no obligation to leave a gift in your will to Candlelighters. However, if you do choose to support Candlelighters in this special way, you can leave a gift of any amount, big or small, for which we would be immensely grateful.

What people have said about making their will with Bequeathed:

“Very easy to complete and all done professionally and properly for no charge. Amazing!” – Carol

“The legal jargon is kept to a minimum and there is an easily accessible help chat-line to offer any support that may be required.” – Adrian

“It seemed to be very straightforward anything I needed to understand was explained. Thank you so much for giving me peace of mind. I will recommend you to everyone I know.” – Jackie

Update your existing will

If you have already made a will and would like to leave a gift for Candlelighters, there are a couple of simple ways you can do this.

The first is to write a new will; once a new will is written, it makes any wills made by you in the past, void. In fact, most wills will state at the start that by making a will, you’re revoking any previous wills.

In order to amend a will, you can use something called a codicil. A codicil is a document used to change a will that has already been made. You can use a codicil to make simple additions or amendments to an existing will, such as changing the amount of a gift of money, or the addition of an executor or gift.

If you’d like to leave a gift to Candlelighters, you will need to make a note in your will of our registered charity number, which is 1045077, and our address: Candlelighters, 8 Woodhouse Square, Leeds LS3 1AD

Please ensure that when creating or amending a will, you seek proper legal advice.

Find out more

To learn more about how you can support future generations of children in this special way, or for any help relating to leaving a gift in your will to Candlelighters, please email [email protected] or call us for a chat on 0113 322 9283. We’d love to help in any way we can.