• Legacies & Wills

  • Making a lasting difference to St Paul's


    For many people, leaving a gift in their will is a final opportunity to make a lasting gift to God. Making a will is not a prospect most of us relish, which might be why only 42% of UK adults have a will.

    For a church, discussing gifts that could be left in a wills is also a challenge. Perhaps for that reason, Church of England members are three times more likely to leave a legacy to a charity than to their church. Most say no one has ever asked them to consider leaving a gift in this way as they believe the Church of England is very rich, and parish churches get hand outs from both the Diocese of Ely and the Church of England. Sadly, it is the other way round, St Paul’s gives money to the Diocese of Ely to support ministry costs.

    In thanksgiving, we should also take will writing seriously. Setting our affairs in order and stewarding them wisely to the end of our time on earth and beyond. Free will writing and Discount Schemes Wills are legal documents, and as small errors can cause big problems, it’s vital to have someone legally qualified to draft it. There are several low-cost wills, or individual and charity-based schemes available.

    All gifts to charities (including churches) in wills are tax-free. Gifts to your local church and other charities would be deducted from the value of your estate when inheritance tax is calculated.

  • What to say


    To leave a share of your estate (Residuary Bequest), this is the gift of all or part of the value of your estate (after debts, other legacies and liabilities have been met). This has the advantage of automatically keeping up with inflation.
    To leave a fixed sum of money (Pecuniary Bequest) You can choose to leave a sum of money, which you can arrange with your solicitor to be increased in line with inflation.
    The suggested wording for a bequest is:
    “I give _______% of my residuary estate OR I give the sum of £ ____ pounds only free of all taxes to the Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Paul, Cambridge (registered charity number: 1132965) in the Diocese of Ely for its general purposes, and I declare that the receipt of an officer of the Parochial Church Council shall be a sufficient discharge to my executors and trustees.”
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