Charitable bequests are a way to keep one’s ideals, compassion for others, and legacy alive and can benefit recipients for years to come.

A bequest may be in the form of personal property, pre-loved items or a monetary donation, that is left to a person or organisation in one’s will. Many people choose to make bequests to a Charity so that the organisation whose cause they support can continue to provide care and/or services to recipients of the cause that is close to the heart of the person who makes the bequest.

If you have already created your Will, you can update it to include a charitable bequest through the addition of a codicil. It is best to consult with a professional when drawing up your will or amending it in any way. Lawyers, accountants, bankers and financial consultants are skilled at drawing up wills.

When you leave a legacy to hospice care, you provide vital funds that will help ease the final months, weeks and days of patients who are celebrating their life to the fullest. Your gift will provide practical help, relief from pain, emotional support and spiritual comfort at a time when it is needed most. You may also decide on leaving a specific percentage of your estate, or make HospiceWits the beneficiary of a life insurance policy.

There are no capital gains taxes payable in the case of leaving a charitable bequest. This means that this could reduce the amount payable on estate duty.

HospiceWits would use any charitable bequest to continue their work in caring for those in need, such as medication, housing of patients, continuous homecare nursing visits, and staff costs. HospiceWits also provides counselling and spiritual support to patients and their families. If you wish, your gift could have an even greater impact – perhaps providing new hospice facilities in places where our services have not yet reached. Or it could be used to provide bursaries to train more nurses in palliative care.