Leaving a Legacy

A Gift in Your Will

For those who valued their time at The Beacon, a legacy is a way of giving something back, as well as a means of providing for future generations. A gift in your Will could help The Beacon in many ways; by funding transformational bursaries for gifted boys, contributing towards the creation of state-of-the-art facilities and resources, or as an unrestricted bequest. If you have a particular area of interest, we would be delighted to discuss it with you.

Making a bequest to The Beacon can also lessen the burden of inheritance tax on your estate. As a registered charity (number 309911), all legacies left to The Beacon are exempt from Inheritance Tax (currently at 40%), and for estates leaving 10% or more to charity, there is a reduction in Inheritance Tax from 40% to 36%.

There are various ways by which you may choose to support The Beacon in your Will. You can leave an exact sum of money (a pecuniary bequest), the balance of your estate (a residuary bequest), some particular possessions (a specific bequest), a gift to pass to us after another named recipient has enjoyed the income during their lifetime (a reversionary bequest) or a gift to pass to us if none of your named beneficiaries survive you (a conditional bequest).

Making or changing your Will to include The Beacon need not be complicated or expensive. If you would like more detailed information on how you can do this, we recommend that you consult a solicitor. You may also find the following wording helpful to include in your Will:

“I give tax free to The Beacon (charity registration number 309911) the residue / a portion of the residue of my estate / the sum of £ (amount) to be used for the benefit of the school’s bursary fund or for the benefit of other charitable purposes in connection with The Beacon. I confirm that the receipt of a person who appears to be a proper officer of The Beacon shall be a good discharge to my executors.”

Keeping The Beacon Informed

If you have chosen to leave a gift to The Beacon in your Will, thank you. It would be wonderful if you were able to let The Beacon know of your plans, as this ensures that we are able to thank you in person and keep you informed about the impact that your gift can make, as well as keep you up to date with developments at the school. If you are comfortable doing so, please complete our Legacy Form. This is not a binding commitment, but simply a statement of your present intentions and will be used to help us in our long-term planning. Your response and any subsequent correspondence or discussion will be treated in the strictest confidence.

To discuss legacies in more detail or to find out about our current projects, please contact our Head of Development Charlotte Buswell on 01494 736167 or at cbuswell@beaconschool.co.uk.