“I love visiting the wonderful gardens and shows, and I have learnt a great deal too. I want to leave a legacy so that the RHS can continue its vital work for the enjoyment and benefit of generations to come.”
Mrs Linda Knight
Suggested wording for leaving an RHS legacy
Here is some suggested wording to assist you when including a gift in your Will to the RHS. We recommend using a solicitor when making or updating your Will.
If you leave a gift in your Will to a charity, like the RHS, the gift is exempt from inheritance tax. Your solicitor will be able to offer you further advice and guidance on efficient tax planning.
1. Leaving the residue of your estate to the RHS:
This is when you leave the residue of your estate after all other gifts, costs and so on have been deducted. This type of gift will ensure that once these have been dealt with, the remainder of your estate (or a percentage of it) will be passed to the RHS.
We suggest the following wording:
I leave to the Royal Horticultural Society (registered charity number 222879/SCO38262) of 80 Vincent Square, London SW1P 2PE (“all” or state fraction) of the residue of my estate absolutely and direct that the receipt of an authorised officer of the said charity shall be good and sufficient discharge to my executors.
2. Pecuniary or fixed amount legacy:
When you want to leave a specific amount to the RHS:
I leave to the Royal Horticultural Society (registered charity number: 222879/SCO38262) of 80 Vincent Square, London SW1P 2PE absolutely the sum £... for its general purposes.
Or, if you wish to secure the value of your gift against the effects of inflation:
I leave to the Royal Horticultural Society (registered charity number: 222879/SCO38262) of 80 Vincent Square, London SW1P 2PE absolutely for its general purposes the sum of money produced by dividing the sum of £... by index figure in the Index of Retail Prices ('the index') for the month in which this will be executed and multiplying it by the index figure in the index month in which my death occurs. I declare that the receipt of an authorised officer shall be good and sufficient discharge to my executors.
3. Leaving a specific item
Your solicitors will be able to advise if you wish to leave a particular item to the RHS, preparing appropriate wording for your Will. Remember to give your solicitor a clear description of the possession.
4. If you want to change your existing Will
You can easily add a gift to the RHS to your existing Will using a short document called a Codicil. Your solicitor will advise you how to do this so that no legal or technical mistakes occur. No matter whether your gift is large or small, the RHS is extremely grateful for your support.