Leave a gift in your Will - Case studies

Somerset Wildlife Trust is the county’s largest conservation charity and all the funding we receive is spent on rescuing and restoring Somerset’s wildlife and wild places. Since 1964, we have been working across the county to ensure it remains one of the most varied and wildlife-rich places to live, work and explore.

20% of our income comes from regular donations from our amazing members, therefore we rely heavily on other donations, including gifts in Wills, to continue our challenging work of protecting the wildlife and wild places of Somerset. And, given the uncertain times we are operating in and the expected decline in other funding sources, the income from gifts in Wills is more vital to our work now than ever before.

We sincerely hope that any Will made in our favour will not be read for many years and whether you decide to leave part of your estate to Somerset Wildlife Trust or not, please do decide to make a Will!

Gifts in Wills have enabled us to plan for future projects, react to emergency situations, buy land adjacent to our reserves to create wildlife networks and engage with schools and local communities.

Small or large, EVERY gift in every Will is valuable to us. Some are expressed as cash or a share of an estate. All are welcomed and will be used to support our work.

Even a gift of 1 percent of your estate could make a real difference to our work and, the great thing is, it does not cost you anything now and allows you to continue supporting our work well into the future. You could even save on inheritance tax if you leave a gift to charity.

Somerset Wildlife Trust are proud to have a Legacy Charter, which details our commitments to legacy-leavers and their families.

Legacy Charter

• We will not put pressure on you to include us in your Will – it is your decision
• We will never ask you the size or type of gift if you decide to support our work this way
• We absolutely recognise your loved ones come first in your Will
• We will respect your privacy. Your Will is a personal document expressing your wishes, and we will treat any information you provide to us as confidential
• We’d love to hear from you if you would like to let us know you have left us a gift in your Will. Equally, we respect your decision if you prefer not to
• We fully understand that personal circumstances change and there might be a time when you must take us out of your Will
• The aims and objectives of Somerset Wildlife Trust will not change in the foreseeable future. We will use your gift carefully and cost-effectively so that it has the greatest possible impact on wildlife conservation and education in Somerset.
• We will handle whatever gift you leave us with care, sensitivity and respect

Thank you to our amazing members whose donations support 20% of our conservation work. Gifts in wills are also really important as these wonderful gifts enable us to buy land to create more nature reserves across the county, protect endangered species and engage local schools and communities with the wildlife on their doorstep.

If you would like to become a Wildlife Guardian by letting us know you have pledged a gift in your Will, please do get in touch. Wildlife Guardians choose to receive updates on our work and invites to our annual thank-you events, where they learn more about our work, meet the teams involved and understand how their gifts may be used.

By filling out the pledge form below you are not committing yourself and the form is not legally binding! By informing us of your intentions, you are simply allowing Somerset Wildlife Trust to confidently estimate future support for its cause.

Please help us create a greener and wilder future for the next generation by becoming a Wildlife Guardian today!

Make a pledge