Leave a Gift in Your Will

A charitable gift in your Will to Friends of the Elderly can help to fund the incredible work that gives older people experiencing loneliness, poverty or age related conditions, including dementia, the companionship, support, and physical care they’ll need in years to come.

You can help give older people a future to look forward to by leaving a specific amount or gift of residue in your Will.

After you have provided for those closest to you, please will you leave us a legacy?

How to leave a legacy to charity

The information you need to include Friends of the Elderly in your Will:
Charity name: Friends of the Elderly
Address: The Bradbury Centre, Smiles Place, Woking, Surrey, GU22 8BJ
Registered charity number: 226064

We always recommend that you seek professional advice from a Solicitor when making your Will or any subsequent amendments to your Will.

Senior woman getting care and assistance

The difference you will make

It is brilliant we can now live longer lives thanks to advances in medicine and technology. In 50 years’ time there will be an additional 8.6 million over 65’s in the UK*.

Sadly, a longer life doesn’t necessarily lead to a better, more enjoyable one. We are not meant to live out our days without companionship or conversation, without care or access to basic essentials.

Our vision is clear. We want to give every older person the opportunity to live a fulfilled life. A gift in your Will will help us provide the highest quality of care and support to the growing number of older people who will depend on our essential services.

If you leave us a legacy – no matter what the size – we promise it will make a difference.

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100 years of support

Since 1905 we have achieved so much thanks to the generosity of our supporters.

After World War 1, our grants service provided “Penny Dinners” in some of the poorest districts in London. We then began to establish our network of residential and nursing homes in response to the increased need for support during the Second World War, particularly in areas devastated by bombing.

Today, we are helping people to remain living in their own homes for longer, and our care homes are providing essential residential, nursing and specialist dementia care. For pensioners living in poverty, our grants service provides relief and comfort through one-off grants to cover heating bills, pay for vital disability adaptations, basic household necessities and so much more.

We constantly adapt to meet the changing needs of our society and we know there will be more challenges ahead.

We are privileged to be supported by the Royal Family for over 60 years. Find out more about our Royal president and patrons here.

Common questions

What happens if I don’t have a Will?
If you die without leaving a Will, everything you own is distributed according to Intestacy law, which may not necessarily reflect your wishes. Having a Will gives you the opportunity to make sure your money, property and possessions are shared exactly how you want them to be.

Do I need a solicitor to write my Will?
It is recommended to seek advice from a solicitor so they can assist in making sure that your Will is an accurate record of what you want to do, leaving little room for any misunderstanding or disputes.

Are there any monetary benefits to leaving a gift to charity?
Including a gift to a charity in your Will can reduce the amount of inheritance tax due and in some cases eliminate it altogether. Estate planning with your solicitor will identify if leaving a gift to your favourite causes can benefit you and those closest to you.

Can I choose how my gift is spent?
Most people choose to leave a gift without any conditions so in the future Friends of the Elderly can use the gift where it is most needed at that time.
You absolutely can ask for your gift to go to a particular service within a charity. Having restrictions can sometimes mean a charity has to refuse a gift if they cannot uphold the obligations of the gift wording so please do bear this in mind when speaking to your Solicitor and we advise you contact us if you have any concerns. If a wish is included in the Will, rather than a direction, we would always do our utmost to use the gift as requested.

Do I need to be rich to leave a gift in my Will?
No. As a small charity that puts the people we support at the heart of everything that we do, a gift in your Will – no matter what the size – will have a very real and direct impact. Just 1% of the residuary of your estate can make a big difference.

Do I have to tell Friends of the Elderly?
It is always lovely to know if we are included in someone’s Will so we can say a proper thank you, but we understand this is very personal and we will be completely led by you if you want to share this information.

Contact us

Leaving a gift to a charity in your Will is a very special, personal decision and so our team is here to talk through it with you and provide further information. We would be very happy to hear from you so please get in touch on 0207 881 1169 or at legacies@fote.org.uk