Leaving a legacy to Holy Trinity Church, Idle, however large or small, will make a real difference to our work. The Church of England has partnered with Farewill.com which gives friends and supporters of Holy Trinity the opportunity to have a simple will written at no cost.  It is as much about getting rid of the hurdle of getting ‘around to it’ as anything else; we so often attend to the urgent things, but we forget the really important ones!

A will is a legal document that sets out your wishes regarding the distribution of your wealth and possessions. It is also where you can include a charitable legacy once loved ones have been provided for.

A charitable legacy is a gift of money, property or an item left to an organisation in a will. This type of giving to charity is commonly referred to as gifts in wills. Gifts in wills can be left to parish churches, cathedrals and dioceses and are exempt from inheritance tax.

Each year around 4,000 people leave a gift in their will to their church, funding mission projects, maintaining beautiful church buildings and growing faithful communities. For many people, leaving a gift in their will is a final opportunity to make a lasting gift to God.

Many supporters would like to know how they could leave a gift in their will to their parish church but may not know how or who to speak to. It is important for all churches to make information available and to inspire members about the difference gifts in wills, no matter how large or small, can make.

“This page is about the significant role that legacies have in supporting Holy Trinity Church that we all love.  I commend it to you, as it comes to help us all to think through this important part of our lives, and the impact that our legacy can have upon so many.  After all, we are in the business of ‘lives shared, lives transformed’, and this can transform so many by leading them to the love of God.”  Phil Cavalier-Lumley

You can simply use Farewill.com’s website to complete the basic details and farewill will do the rest for you.

If you have more complicated financial affairs Farewill.com will probably make a charge for their services.

At the centre of our faith is the desire to give! The good news of the gospel is the most important part of that: we have received so much and we want to give what we have discovered to others.  Many of us have been brought up to give materially, too. Whether it is a tithe (10% of our income; or less, or more) we see the need to reflect the generosity of God’s love for us by helping others.

A legacy is, if you like, the final expression of what we want to give to others.  It is made up of so much: our life and values, the things we have done, and the people whose lives we have touched. If we have been blessed with material riches, we will want to find a safe home for them too. Obviously, we want to see our ‘nearest and dearest’ looked after, but we can also give part of our estate to the work of the gospel.

Please ensure that you name as your beneficiary the charity name: PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF IDLE PARISH and charity registration number: 1159198 -This exact wording is important to avoid your legacy going to a different charity.

There are three types of legacy you could leave:

• A residuary legacy – a gift of all or a percentage of your estate
• A pecuniary legacy – a gift of a specified sum of money
• A specific legacy – where you would donate a specific item, such as a painting.

We are very thankful to people who do this!  It ensures that we are doing our bit to hand on the blessings that we have known to succeeding generations.  It means that the truth of ‘lives shared, lives transformed’ will carry on, and we will be able to be ‘fit for purpose’ and blessing people’s lives into the future.

If you have any questions please get in touch with treasurer@holytrinityidle.org.uk