When it comes to making a will, we all quite rightly think of family first. But it’s also possible to leave a gift to a cause close to our hearts. If you are thinking of making a will, or amending one, we’d be really grateful if you would consider including a gift to Peace News.
Legacies have been enormously important for PN, including the £5,000 that Tom Willis inherited in 1958, which he decided to give to the paper, enabling it to buy the building at 5 Caledonian Road, London (see PN 2516-2517 for an interview with Tom telling the whole story). This building has given us a secure base for over 50 years!
This year, two smaller legacies have made a big difference to PN, including helping us to carry forward our social audit, working out in what areas we need to improve and what we’ve done well. That work will bear fruit next year when we make some exciting changes to PN.
By remembering Peace News in your will, you can provide support for a newspaper that supports the movements you care about, and help to ensure that the paper remains strong, with no cost to you now.
You don’t have to be wealthy to leave a gift: every gift in every will makes a difference, however large or small.
If you have already made your will, but would now like to leave a gift to Peace News, it is a simple process to update your will.
Updating your will
For minor changes to your will, you may just need to add a ‘codicil’. By doing so, you can add gifts or alter amounts without having to draft a new will.
Some general guidelines are:
- A codicil must be signed and witnessed by two people in the same way as a will. They need not be the same people who witnessed the original will. They (and their partners) should not be beneficiaries of the original will, or the codicil.
- A codicil should be attached to the original will, and indicate that the codicil is an alteration to the original will.
Please consult a solicitor if you have any questions regarding the principle or practice of leaving legacies.
If you do decide to leave Peace News a legacy, we would be very grateful if you could let us know when you update, amend or create your will. (We will never ask you how much you’re leaving to the paper.)
Because PN is a small organisation, leaving a legacy to the paper makes a really big difference. A significant part of our work over the past 78 years has only been possible due to the legacies of our supporters.
Writing your will
If you are making your will for the first time, you could use these kinds of wording:
For a share of your estate: ‘I give all/a share (please state fraction/percentage) of the residue of my estate absolutely to Peace News, 5 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DY, and I further direct that the receipt of the Treasurer or any other proper officer of Peace News for the time being shall be sufficient discharge to my executors.’
For a specific sum: ‘I give to Peace News, 5 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DY, absolutely, the sum (amount in figures, then the amount in words), and I further direct that the receipt of the Treasurer or any other proper officer of Peace News for the time being shall be sufficient discharge to my executors.’
Giving a specific item (for example, your house, jewellery, or other personal possessions): ‘I give the (please state the item/equities you would like to give) to Peace News, 5 Caledonian Road, London N1, and I further direct that the receipt of the Treasurer or any other proper officer of Peace News for the time being shall be sufficient discharge to my executors.
Codicil to an existing will
[It might be best to complete this in block capitals]
I [full name]
Of [full address]
Declare this to be a codicil to my Will dated [date of last will]
In addition to any legacies given in my said Will I give to Peace News, 5 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DY,
[‘the sum of £.... ‘]
[or ‘a ……% share of my estate’]
[or a specific named item]
for its general purposes.
I declare that the receipt(s) of the Treasurer or other duly authorised officer shall be a full and sufficient discharge to my executors. In all other respects I confirm my said Will and any other codicils thereto.
Signed [only sign in front of your witnesses]
Date
Signed by the above named in our presence and witnessed by us in the presence of [him/her/them] and each other.
Witness One
Signature
Name
Address
Occupation
Date
Witness Two
Signature
Name
Address
Occupation
Date