Legacy Gifts

---

How your legacy will make a difference

By leaving a legacy to The Friends of Chalfont St. Giles Parish Church in your will, you have made the decision to support future of the Church and village.  You will be helping us improve and maintain the fabric of this important historical Church, its art, history and the centerpiece of our village.

What kind of legacy can I leave?

You can leave The Friends of Chalfont St. Giles Parish Church a share of your estate, a sum of money, or a specific item.  Because we are a charity, the value of your gift will be deducted from the value of your estate by HM Revenue & Customs before any inheritance tax liability is calculated.

Can I define how my gift is used?

Supporters might state in their will that they are happy for Friends of Chalfont St. Giles Parish Church to decide how to use their legacy, allowing the charity to utilise their gift in an area we feel it would have the most significant impact at the time the donation is made.  If you would like to specify an area of work you would like to support (in accordance with our constitution) or would like to leave a restricted gift, please contact our Treasurer, at info@friendsofchalfontstgilesparishchurch.co.uk.

I would like to give some of my estate

After you have ensured your family and friends receive exactly the percentage of your estate that you want them to, you may wish to leave a percentage of what is left to the Friends of the Church. This is called a residuary gift.

Suggested wording for a residuary gift

I give __ per cent of my residuary estate to The Friends of Chalfont St. Giles Parish Church c/o the Treasurer, Chalfont St Giles Parish Church, High Street, Chalfont St Giles, Bucks HP8 4QF , for its general purposes and I declare that the receipt of an authorised officer shall be full and sufficient discharge to my Executors.

Leaving a sum of money

A gift of a specified sum of money is called a pecuniary gift. You can arrange for it to be 'index-linked' so that its value doesn't get eaten away by inflation over the years.

Suggested wording for a pecuniary gift

I give the sum of £__ to The Friends of Chalfont St. Giles Parish Churchc/o the Treasurer, Chalfont St Giles Parish Church, High Street, Chalfont St Giles, Bucks HP8 4QF for its general purposes and I declare that the receipt of an authorised officer shall be full and sufficient discharge to my Executors.

Suggested wording for a pecuniary gift that keeps up with inflation

I give the sum of money produced by dividing the sum of £__ by the index figure in the Index of Retail Prices ('the Index') for the month in which this will is executed and (having made allowances for any re-basing of the Index which may have happened in the meantime) multiplying it by the Index figure in the Index for the month in which my death occurs, to The Friends of Chalfont St. Giles Parish Church c/o the Treasurer, Chalfont St Giles Parish Church, High Street, Chalfont St Giles, Bucks HP8 4QF, for its general purposes and I declare that the receipt of an authorised officer shall be full and sufficient discharge to my Executors.

Giving a specific item

Sometimes people wish to leave us a specific asset from their estate. This might be a portfolio of shares, or the proceeds from the sale of a house.

Suggested wording for the gift of assets

I give ______ to The Friends of Chalfont St Giles Parish Church c/o the Treasurer, Chalfont St Giles Parish Church, High Street, Chalfont St Giles, Bucks HP8 4QF and I declare that the receipt of an authorised officer shall be full and sufficient discharge to my Executors.

Suggested wording for the sale of assets

I instruct my executors to sell for the best possible price the following: ______ and to give the net proceeds free of all tax to The Friends of Chalfont St. Giles Parish Church, cc/o the Treasurer, Chalfont St Giles Parish Church, High Street, Chalfont St Giles, Bucks HP8 4QF for its general purposes and I declare that the receipt of an authorised officer shall be full and sufficient discharge to my Executors.

What should I do now?

There are various options when it comes to making your will, but we recommend consulting a professional. A professional will ensure that all the legal formalities are correctly followed and that your will is valid.  You can find a solicitor in through the Law Society. Professional will writers are another option, but they are currently less regulated than solicitors. It is important to check that they belong to a professional body and follow a code of conduct. The Institute of Professional Will writers is just one of the bodies that can help you find a will writer in your area. Many high street banks are also able to assist with will writing.

Codicil form 

If you have already made a will you can make a simple addition or change by adding a codicil. The codicil will need to be signed and witnessed in the same way as your existing will and should then be stored with the original copy of your will. A codicil should be written in conjunction with your legal advisor. 

Thank you for thinking of our work, Church and village.