Threads of hopeDesigned by artists, supporting the Homes – meet the alumni’s new T-shirt rangeIt’s never easy thinking about what will happen after we pass away. Writing a will can feel daunting or uncomfortable – a task that, if we’re honest, we would all rather postpone till another day.
But wills, bequests and legacies are the lifelines that secure the future of Dr Graham’s Homes and its work with vulnerable children. Because every single penny goes directly to the Homes, a gift of any size is incredibly valuable to us.
They directly support the 150+ young people we currently sponsor at the school and in further education colleges across India. They help us guarantee the food, shelter and course fees the children need now and in the years ahead – and to extend that support to new families who desperately need it.
“Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to study”
While your generosity as a sponsor is what enables a child to live and study at DGH, legacies provide the bedrock guarantee that we can support them throughout their time there. That’s potentially a significant sum: if a child joins the Homes as an infant, it will likely cost around £30,000 in today’s money to support them until they graduate.
But that guarantee makes all the difference in the world. David is a former sponsored pupil who lost his father during his time at Dr Graham’s Homes: “I was totally reliant on my sponsorship,” he explains. “If it weren’t for that [funding], I simply wouldn’t have been able to study.
“The quality of education I received – the support and encouragement I had from my mentors, teachers, sponsors – completely opened my eyes… If I get a good job in the future, I’d like to sponsor a child. I want to continue the legacy – to pass on the gratitude I feel to someone else, so they can grab this opportunity and use it to make the best of their life.”
How can you leave a gift to Dr Graham’s Homes?
So if you’re interested in committing funds to DGH in your will, how do you go about it? Here’s a brief summary:
Adding a “Codicil”
If you already have a will, you don’t need to start again from scratch to include a gift to the Homes. You can adjust your instructions with what’s known as a codicil. This is a simple legal document that outlines your further intentions and sits alongside your original will.
Exempting from Inheritance Tax
Because DGHUK is a registered Scottish charity, any bequest you leave to us is exempt from Inheritance Tax. Currently in the UK, Inheritance Tax of 40% applies if the value of an estate exceeds the £325,000 threshold after bills are paid. But anything you leave to your spouse or to a registered charity is exempt from this rule.
Creating a will for the first time
If you’re drawing up a will for the first time, we’d recommend getting professional advice from a solicitor. They will be able to steer you through the process, help you avoid any ambiguous wording and make sure you’ve catered for unexpected events.
During that process, you can explain that you’d like to make a gift to DGHUK. It’s worth knowing you can make three different types of gifts in your legacy:
Residuary Gift
This is a gift of whatever is left in your estate once any other gifts have been given and all debts, taxes and expenses have been paid. Many people choose to leave a residuary gift to charity because it doesn’t lose value over time. As a percentage of your estate, it stays the same no matter how your circumstances change in the future.
Pecuniary Gift
This is a gift of a fixed amount of money – for example, £1,000. It’s simple and specific; but it’s also worth noting that, because it’s a set figure, its real value can shrink over the years as the cost of living rises. If you choose this option, it’s a good idea to review the amount every few years to make sure it still reflects what you intended to give.
Specific gift
This is a particular named item you leave to someone in your will, like a piece of jewellery, a painting or shares in a company. Because it’s tied to a specific item, it’s worth double-checking your will from time to time to make sure you still own it.
👉 For step-by-step guides on how to create a will for the first time, see Citizens Advice guide on wills or the official Gov.uk guide on making a will.
“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments – but what is woven into the lives of others.”
Pericles, 431 BC
What to do next
If you’d like to leave a gift to the Homes in your will, we’d love to hear from you. To get started, you may find our one-page Legacy Explanation Sheet useful. It contains some practical guidance about giving to DGHUK and the wording you can use to support us in your will, to ensure the executor and solicitor pass your gift on to DGHUK. You can download that document here: DGHUK Legacies & Bequests.
Planning a will is, of course, a very personal matter. If you’d like to register your interest or discuss your options in complete confidence, please email our Treasurer, Gordon Coupar, at treasurer@drgrahamshomes.co.uk. Gordon will be delighted to guide you through the process.
🙏 Thank you for considering the Homes in your thinking! Any gift you’re able to pledge will make a powerful difference to the lives of the young people in the great family of Dr Graham’s Homes.
Legacies that built the Homes
Dr Graham’s Homes wouldn’t exist today without the generosity of some amazing individuals. Here are just some of the people whose bequests have transformed the school.
Betty Sherriff
Betty was Dr Graham’s youngest daughter. Her bequest enabled the school to build two floors of what is now the Betty Sherriff Memorial Block, which contains a cluster of modern classrooms and laboratories.
Maurice Shellim and Winifred Hinderwell
Maurice and Winifred, from Kolkata and Troon respectively, were two supporters who left money to the Homes when they passed away. Gifts given in their memory were used to refurbish the Central Kitchen and Kindergarten play area following the 2011 earthquake.
Jane Pratt
Jane’s donations to the Homes were a bit of a mystery! Despite having no links to DGH, she gave regular gifts and, in 1982, left a bequest that funded classrooms and an audio-visual centre. Later, it transpired she had seen Dr Graham preach at St Andrew’s Church in Kolkata in the 1930s. From that tiny seed, an entire lifetime of giving had grown.
Will, Bequest or Legacy: What’s the difference?
The names can be a little confusing! In everyday speech, they tend to overlap. In legal terms, however, they mean slightly different things:
· Will – a legal document that sets out what should happen to your property, money and possessions after you die. It’s known as an instrument – essentially, a container for all the instructions about what happens to your estate.
· Bequest – a specific gift you leave to someone in your will – usually personal property, money or a named item (for example, a watch or a painting). In other words, a Bequest is a single entry within a will.
· Legacy – a gift of money (rather than an object or property), although, in practice, people often use the word to describe something you leave behind – your impact, reputation or a gift left in your memory
💡 The short version
A Will is the document with all your instructions, a Bequest is a specific gift within that document, and a Legacy is a gift of money within your instructions.
Threads of hopeDesigned by artists, supporting the Homes – meet the alumni’s new T-shirt range
