Gifts in wills

A legacy, or gift in Will is a sum of money or item that is left in a Will to a charity. A legacy is the impact you continue to have when you are no longer here. Legacy gifts are one of the most significant contributions you can make to a cause you care about. There are three types of gift  you can include in your Will:

• A Residuary gift: This is a share of your estate, or the whole of the remainder of your estate once your other wishes and expenses have been met.  
• A Pecuniary gift: This is a specified sum of money that is fixed within your Will.
• A Specific gift: This is the gift of a particular physical item or items in your Will. 

Gifts in Wills account for over 50% of our income, they’re an incredibly important source of funding. We are incredibly grateful for any donation received, but the great thing about gifts in Wills is that they help us plan ahead for the future and help us protect vulnerable working horses, donkeys and mules for generations to come.  

Gifts in Wills make sure we can direct funds to the working horses, donkeys and mules that need them most, and focus on areas where we know working animals’ needs are greatest. Including a  gift in a Will won’t cost you anything today but  means that you can let your compassion for working animals live on long after you’re gone. 

Our free Will service allows anyone aged 18 or over to write or update a simple Will at no cost to you.  

We offer three ways to do this, and you can choose the option that suits you best:

• online
• over the phone
• face-to-face.  

All options are straightforward and delivered by our trusted partners Farewill and National Free Wills Network. There is no obligation to include a gift in your Will to Brooke if you use this service. However, by choosing to include a gift in your Will to Brooke, you can ensure your passion for helping vulnerable working animals around the world will continue for generations to come. 

Over half of our income comes from gifts left in Wills. Thanks to generous people like you, we have been able to support millions of working horses, donkeys and mules around the world.  

Our mission is to transform the lives of vulnerable working horses, donkeys and mules - by relieving immediate suffering and creating lasting change through partnerships with people, communities and organisations across the world.

By including a gift in your Will, you can be part of this journey. What began as a single act of compassion by Dorothy Brooke can live on through your own lasting legacy.

We will use your gift in the most efficient and effective way possible, directing it to projects where the need of vulnerable working animals is greatest. And because we work within communities to create change at ground level, the impact of your gift will be long-term and sustainable.

So whatever gift you make, big or small, your legacy will build a brighter future for vulnerable working horses, donkeys and mules around the world far into the future. 

A single Will is a Will for one person. Mirror Wills are two separate Wills which set out the same wishes, and they are often used by couples. For example, each person will have their own Will but the contents will be the same.

Download your free step-by-step Will Planner to help you prepare before you meet with your solicitor or Will-writing service.

No, it's a common myth that you have to leave a large amount of money to a charity in your Will to make a difference. Even a small gift in your Will can transform the lives of working horses, donkeys and mules and help protect them for generations to come.

If we know that you plan to remember us in your Will, we can plan better for the future. You will also be able to receive invitations to exclusive in-person and virtual events as a thank you from us.

 If you’d like to speak to a member of our legacy team, you can  call us on 0207 470 9343  anytime from 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday or email us at [email protected].

Alternatively, you can tell us that you’d like to leave a gift to Brooke by filling in the form in your  free legacy guide. 

Yes. If you already have a Will and only want to make a small change, you can do this without rewriting it entirely. Instead, you can update your Will with a document called a Codicil.  

A Codicil acts as an amendment to your Will and will need to be properly drawn up and signed in the same way as a Will for it to be valid. This means you’ll need to speak to a  a solicitor.  

All types of gifts to charity can be added to an existing Will using a Codicil.

If you change your mind about leaving a gift in your Will, that is absolutely fine. We understand that circumstances may change – this is your choice and we completely respect that.  

Changing your Will can be done at any time. If the change is simple, this can be easily done with a Codicil - a legally binding document used to amend or update a Will. For more complex changes, you may need to create a new Will may be necessary.  In either case, you will need to speak to your solicitor or a Will-writing service about this.

No. Any gift you leave to a charity is usually exempt from Inheritance Tax.  

If you’re worried about the Inheritance Tax that might have to be paid when you die, donating some of your money to charity – in your Will – can reduce the bill.  

Leaving a part or your entire estate to charity can reduce, and in some situations, eliminate the Inheritance Tax liability. This is due to the rule that states if you leave something to charity in your Will, then it won’t count towards the total taxable value of your estate.  This is called leaving a ‘charitable legacy’.

If you choose to leave 10% or more of your taxable estate to a charity, not only will you save inheritance tax on the gift, but the tax liability on the rest of the estate will drop from 40% to 36%. Using these rules can reduce the cost of leaving a gift to your preferred charity.  

Your Solicitor or Will-writer should be able to provide more detailed advice on inheritance tax planning to enable you to maximise your gifts to your family, your friends and your preferred charity.

See the HMRC website for more details. 

Gifts in Wills are incredibly important to Brooke, as over half of our income comes from supporters like yourself who have kindly left a gift in their Will. Thousands of supporters have generously left a small share of their estate to ensure that working animals can be protected today, tomorrow and always.

If you choose to include a gift to Brooke in your Will, you’ll need our registered charity number and registered office address, as this must be included in your Will.

Registered office address: The Brooke Hospital for Animals, 66 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3LH.

Registered charity in England and Wales (Charity No. 1085760) and Scotland (Charity No. SC050582).  

If you’d like to speak to someone about leaving a gift in your Will, our team of legacy experts can help with any questions you might have. Give us a call on 0207 470 9343 any time between 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday. You can also email us at [email protected].  

Alternatively, you can write to us at: The legacy team, Brooke, York House, Wetherby Road, Long Marston, York, YO26 7NH.

Please note this is our correspondence address, not our registered office address, which you’ll need to include in your Will if you decide to leave a gift in your Will to Brooke.

Also, while we can answer questions about the Will-writing process, we can’t give legal advice. Please contact a solicitor or Will-writing provider for guidance. 

These are things you own that are worth money. They could be your house, your savings or shares. They could also be smaller items, such as jewellery or paintings.

This is a person or institution (such as a charity) who receives a gift from a Will.

This document acts as an amendment to your Will (instead of rewriting it), but which is signed and witnessed in the same way as a Will.

This is the total value of everything you own.

The person named in a Will to make sure the person who has written the Will’s wishes are carried out. This can be a friend or family member or can be a solicitor.

This is what the estate of a person who dies without having made a Will is called.

This is a gift of assets (such as money or property) in a Will.

This is the process of dealing with the estate of someone who has died, where their debts are cleared, and the remaining assets are distributed according to their wishes.