Legacy FAQs

How to write my will and include Medical Detection Dogs

A Will is an important legal document therefore we recommend using a solicitor either in person, or over the phone, and via verified online platforms to make yours. It is important to make sure that it is done properly otherwise, it may not be valid and your wishes will not be carried out as you would want.

A solicitor will be able to provide valuable advice for your personal circumstances including complex matters like inheritance tax. This can mean that, at the time of your death, your loved ones are not left with additional stress and upset trying to make sense of complex matters without your help.

Once you have provided for family and friends in your Will, we hope you will consider leaving a gift for Medical Detection Dogs too.

If you already have a Will it is worth reviewing it from time to time and at key moments during your life. A wedding, or birth of a baby can change how you want to distribute your estate. If there are only small changes you can use a Codicil, which is a simple legal document that changes the existing will.  You can use a Codicil to include a charity like Medical Detection Dogs. As a codicil is also an important legal document we also recommend speaking to a solicitor before writing one.

If you need to write your Will for the first time or need a new Will, as there are more than simple changes to make, and you are over 50, you can make your Will for free with our Free Will Writing partnership. There is no obligation to include Medical Detection Dogs but, we hope that this is something you will chose to do.

We appreciate that making a Will is a very personal matter however, if you’d like to talk to us in confidence, about the type of gift you’re considering or to find out more about the Free Will Writing Scheme you’ll find our details on the inside cover of this booklet.

There are three main types of gift that apply whether the gift is for a family member or friend, or a charity like ours. There is no right or wrong type of gift, and each one has practicalities to consider. Any gift you leave for charity is exempt from inheritance tax so therefore could reduce the amount of inheritance tax that would otherwise be payable on your estate.

So that the charity is properly identified in your will and there is no confusion over which charity you intended to benefit, it is important that you include the charity’s full name, address, and charity registration number.

Medical Detection Dogs Registered Charity No. 1124533

3 Millfield, Greenway Business Park, Great Horwood, Milton Keynes, MK17 ONP    

What type of gifts can I leave?

A Specific Gift: this is a particular item or items, such as jewellery, furniture, artwork, stocks or a house. It is worth considering that these might be your most precious possessions of huge sentimental value, however as a charity we are obligated to convert them into funds to deliver our work so would seek to sell them.

A Pecuniary Gift: this is a sum of money specified by you, and is paid first after any debts and estate expenses have been settled. It is worth considering in certain circumstances if you leave lots of pecuniary gifts, they add up and erode the value of your residuary estate. This could mean your loved ones are left with less as a residuary gift than any charities.

A Residuary Gift: this is what remains of your estate after debts and estate expenses have been settled, and after any specific or pecuniary gifts. A residuary gift is specified as a percentage, either whole 100% or in part determined by you. It is worth considering that this can be the most straightforward and ‘safe’ way to distribute your estate ‘fairly’ and in line with your wishes; percentages remains static even when the total can change over time.

Whatever gift you might chose to include will be greatly appreciated and put to the very best of use delivering our mission.

There may be a part of our work that you are particularly interested in, and would want your gift to be used for that purpose. In those circumstances we would always encourage you to talk to us before including a gift like that to make sure it is possible for us to do. The last thing either party would want is for the gift to fail and your last wishes remain unfulfilled because of a technicality.

Therefore, unless you specify otherwise, your gift to Medical Detection Dogs would be applied wherever the needs are greatest, including supporting our dogs through training, providing ongoing support for our client partnerships, research projects and deployment, purchasing equipment or helping to maintain our training centre.

Hopefully, it will be many years in the future before your Will is read and the distributions made, many things can change in that time including how, where, and for whom we deliver our services.

What if I want to change my existing will? 

Many people make a Will and assume that’s all they need to do.  But circumstances change, so it’s a good idea to review it every few years to make sure it reflects your wishes and is appropriate to any changes in your circumstances.  These could be:

• Marriage, divorce or separation
• Children born since your last Will
• Death of named beneficiaries
• A change in your financial circumstances.

A codicil is a simple way to make specific changes or additions to your Will while leaving the remaining provisions untouched.  For example, if you decide to add a gift to Medical Detection Dogs to your Will, a codicil is a simple and inexpensive way to do this.  You will need to ask your solicitor to draw a codicil for you.