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SAFEGUARDINGWESTMINSTER ABBEY...

Your Legacy for its future

11th Century 13th Century 16th Century 18th Century Today The Future

But what next? How do we maintainthis special place, its worship and itsfabric, yet at thesame time help itcontinue to evolve?

St Edward theConfessor refoundsthe 10th centurymonastery of St Dunstan in 1065.

Henry III begins to rebuild the Abbeyin 1245.

Henry VIIcompletes the nave and builds the awe-inspiring Lady Chapel.

NicholasHawksmoor’s West Towers arecompleted in 1745.

21st Centuryadditions of aneducation centre, a restaurant andQueen’s DiamondJubilee Galleries.

LEGACIES:YESTERDAY, TODAYAND TOMORROWLegacies and vision. These are what have provided the foundations for theAbbey’s development over the centuries. From St Dunstan’s establishmentof a Benedictine monastery here in the 10th century to our 21st centuryadditions of an education centre (opened in May 2010 by HM The Queen),a first ever restaurant for visitors (2012) and the conversion of the triforiumlevel of the Abbey into new gallery and exhibition space (2018), the Abbey’sdevelopment as a place of worship and wonder for all never stops.

Your legacy, as partof a centuries-oldtradition of giving,can help to make that difference.

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The Abbey receives nofunding from the Crown,the Church of Englandor the Government.

The most common misconception aboutthe Abbey is that it is wealthy. The mostcommonly asked question is ‘Why do wecharge visitors to come in?’ For many theidea of paying to enter a place of worshipdoes not seem right. The answer is quitesimple. Although the Abbey is one of the country’s most famous and iconicbuildings, it receives no funding from theCrown, the Church of England or thegovernment. It is entirely self-supporting.

Whilst the Abbey is always free toenter for anyone who wishes to pray orworship, our visitors who pay to cometo the Abbey as a tourist attractionproduce sufficient funds to meet oureveryday running expenses and support

a limited programme of routineconservation and maintenance work onthe fabric of the Abbey. But no more.To safeguard our future, to carry outany major restoration work, planned ornot, and to improve and enhance theexperience of visitors and pilgrims tothe Abbey, we have to find other sourcesof additional funding.

This is where a legacy from youcould make a real difference.

Why leave a legacy to Westminster Abbey? Does it really need it?

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Why it is important to make a Will

A misconception by many people is thatthey don’t need a Will. Some think theydon’t have very much to leave so it is notworth it, or that, even if they don’t havea Will, their money and other assets willautomatically go to their family. Thesimplest thing to say about this is thateveryone should have a Will as it isthe only way to be sure that your wishesare fulfilled after your lifetime and thatyour estate and assets go to the peopleor organisations you wish to rememberor to benefit.

Is it complicated to make a Will?

In fact, to make a Will is a simple processprovided you follow a few basic steps:1) Always use a professional advisor

or solicitor;2) Determine the value of your estate

and who you wish to benefit;3) Choose executors, people you trust, to

discharge your Will and your wishes;4) Keep your Will in a safe place and

always make sure to keep it up to date.

Can you specifywhere your legacy is to be used?

A legacy may be specified for any area ofthe Abbey’s work that you choose. Butthe gifts most useful are those with theleast ties and restrictions. Inevitably, theAbbey’s needs and priorities change over time. A legacy limited to a specificpurpose may not, in fact, meet theAbbey’s particular needs at that time.That is why it is often most helpful toleave a general legacy to allow the Abbeyto use your legacy wherever the need isgreatest at the time of receiving your gift.

Can you leave an item or property to the Abbey?

Of course. The Abbey would be pleasedto accept individual items or property,but for either of these we would suggestthat you speak to the Abbey first toensure that your wishes can be fulfilled.It would be sad if you wished to leave apiece of jewellery, a painting, books orsomething very special to you and then,for whatever reason, the Abbey wereunable to accept or use the item. Itmight possibly have to refuse the gift, orin some circumstances sell it.

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In addition to being the Coronation Church, the Abbey is also the Churchof the Commonwealth.

Whatever your area of interest or passion for theAbbey, a legacy of any size can make a difference.Please remember that bequests left to registeredcharities are exempt from inheritance tax. Thefollowing are examples of the areas to which alegacy could be applied.

WHAT CAN YOU DOWITH A LEGACY TOWESTMINSTER ABBEY?

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Music

Since the Abbey’s foundation in 960,music has been integral to its life andworship. Choral services, open to all, takeplace nearly every day throughout theyear, and some of the nation’s greatestmusicians – including Henry Purcell,Orlando Gibbons and George FredericHandel – have worked here, or beenclosely associated with the Abbey. Weneed to safeguard the continuation of thisgreat tradition, and maintain its qualityand range. A legacy to support theAbbey’s music will help us to do this, andalso enable us to continue commissioningnew works, help provide bursaries for theyoung choristers of the Abbey’s small andunique choir school, and help develop theAbbey’s programme of concerts andother musical activities.

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Mission & Worship

Westminster Abbey is first and foremost aChristian place of worship; that is why itwas built and has been cherished over theyears. Over one million visitors and500,000 worshippers come to the Abbeyeach year, to whom we minister throughpublic daily services and by providingplaces for private prayer. The Abbey is alsothe place of numerous special services andevents. Some, like the Remembrance Dayservice and the Commonwealth Observance,are held annually; others, such as the 2011memorial service for victims of theJapanese Earthquake, are a directresponse to national or internationalevents. A legacy left to the area of Abbeymission will help make sure that theAbbey is always here to serve visitors,worshippers, and the nation as a whole.

Fabric, Conservation & Collections

We all know the costs of maintaining ourown homes so you can imagine the costsof the on-going care and maintenanceof the Abbey’s fabric and collections.Whether medieval mosaic pavements andtombs, stone work, roof repairs, stainedglass, rare textiles, or our collection ofover 14,000 books and illuminatedmanuscripts, there will always be a greatneed in this area. Any substantial workto the fabric is immensely costly, andcannot be made out of annual revenue.

A legacy to this area could alsosupport apprenticeships, internships andthe training of future generations ofconservators, librarians, archivists andcraftsmen to care for our great heritage.

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Education

Providing educational opportunities forchildren, students, adults and visitorswhich bring the Abbey, its history and itsrole to life is of key importance to us.

Support for our educationalprogrammes, and active work andupkeep of our Education Centre wouldbe greatly welcomed. For example, alegacy to support educational bursarieswould ensure that children and schools indeprived areas are able to come and visitthe Abbey. The Abbey subsidises themajority of the costs of these visits butsome students and schools are unable toafford even a few pounds as a smallcontribution to help cover costs.

St Margaret’s Church

St Margaret’s Church and WestminsterAbbey have been closely linked for manycenturies. The Benedictine monks of theAbbey built St Margaret’s as a parishchurch to serve the spiritual needs of thelocal community that had grown uparound their monastery and the nearbyPalace of Westminster.

St Margaret’s has also long beenknown as the ‘parish church of theHouse of Commons’. Over the past 400years, Parliamentarians have valued it astheir local church and members of bothHouses of Parliament attend the regularand special services there.

In 1972 an Act of Parliament placed St Margaret’s under the governance and care of the Abbey and with thatcomes responsibility for its fabric,maintenance and well being. Support forSt Margaret’s would help to ensurestability of the fabric, its musicprogramme and the various aspects ofcommunity and government outreach.

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1) A GIFT For GENErAL PurPoSES

The most useful legacies received by theAbbey are those for general purposes,enabling us to direct your gift whereverthe need is greatest at the time your giftis received. You can either leave a specificamount of money (a Pecuniary Bequest),or a percentage/share of the remainderof your estate after all your otherbequests have been distributed (aResiduary Bequest). For legacies of eithertype, the suggested wording below mayhelpful for your solicitor.

For a General Pecuniary Bequest‘I bequeath to the Westminster AbbeyFoundation*, The Chapter Office, 20 Dean’sYard, London SW1P 3PA, Registered CharityNo 1116371, the sum of £_______ to beused by the Foundation at its absolute discretion.’

For a General residuary Bequest‘I give the whole (or a share, for example onehalf/one third, etc.) of the residue of my estateto the Westminster Abbey Foundation, TheChapter Office, 20 Dean’s Yard, London SW1P3PA, Registered Charity No 1116371, to beused by the Foundation at its absolute discretion.’

†† The Dean and Chapter of the Collegiate Church of St PeterWestminster (otherwise known as Westminster Abbey). * The Westminster Abbey Foundation is the working name forthe Westminster Abbey Trust which benefits Westminster Abbey.

2) A GIFT For A SPECIFIC uSE

Should there be a specific area of theAbbey’s work that you would like tosupport such as music, worship,education, conservation, St Margaret’sChurch – to name a few possibilities –the following wording may be helpful foryour solicitor. Please note that it is best tomake the use as broad as possible toensure the gift can be used.

For a Specific Pecuniary Bequest‘I bequeath to the Westminster AbbeyFoundation, The Chapter Office, 20 Dean’sYard, London SW1P 3PA, Registered CharityNo 1116371, the sum of £_______, andexpress the wish that they should apply the moneyto __________________. Should this areaof work not be in need at the time of my death,the Westminster Abbey Foundation may use thefunds at its absolute discretion.’

For a Specific residuary Bequest‘I give the whole (or a share, for example onehalf/one third, etc.) of the residue of my estateto the Westminster Abbey Foundation, TheChapter Office, 20 Dean’s Yard, London SW1P3PA, Registered Charity No 1116371, andexpress the wish that they should apply the moneyto __________________. Should this areaof work not be in need at the time of my death,the Westminster Abbey Foundation may use thefunds at its absolute discretion.’

If you would like to be a part of the centuries-oldtradition of supporting Westminster Abbey

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, there aretwo basic ways in which you can leave a legacy tothe Abbey in your Will.

LEGACIES: IN DETAIL

Your Legacy willreally make adifference to theAbbey’s future.

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OUR LEGACYFor centuries, the vision and determination of kings, queens, monks, clergy, congregations,and everyday worshippers and visitors havecreated and continued to sustain the legacyand wonder of Westminster Abbey. Throughthis commitment, the Abbey has become thespecial place we enjoy and love today.

There are countless ways in which we can express our affection for this beautifuland precious place, or demonstrate our wishto help safeguard its future.

Leaving a legacy to the Abbey is one verygenerous – and personal – means of doing so.This booklet is designed to give you a betterunderstanding of the real help to the work of the Abbey which a legacy may provide.I do hope you will find it useful. Andwhatever your response, be assured that weshall always value your interest in the futureof this glorious testimony to the centralimportance of God in all our lives.

The Dean of WestminsterThe Very Reverend Dr John Hall

We want to preserve,enjoy and evolve thisinspiring building at the heart of our nation.

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Do you need to tell us if you areleaving a legacy to the Abbey?Legacies are a very personal matter.We do not need to know in advancethe details of a legacy, but it issometimes helpful to know if someonehas decided to remember the Abbeyin this way.

ChoosingWestminster Abbey

Leaving a legacy is always an intenselypersonal choice. We are grateful to youfor having expressed an interest in theAbbey, and hope you will have found thisbooklet helpful as you reflect on theseimportant matters.

LEAVING A LEGACY TOWESTMINSTER ABBEY

Further information

To ensure that you haveeverything that you need, or ifyou still have questions, pleasecontact us directly in confidencevia the details below or completeand return this tear-off form to:

Mrs Valerie HumphreyDirectorWestminster Abbey FoundationWestminster Abbey20 Dean’s YardLondon SW1P 3PA

Tel: 020 7654 4872

Email: valerie.humphrey@westminster-abbey.org

What you can do next

Please complete and return the information below to help usplan and to ensure that you have everything that you need.

Title:

Name:

Surname:

Address:

Postcode:

Please tick the appropriate boxes:

n I intend to leave a gift in my Will to Westminster Abbey or St Margaret’s Church (Please indicate which.)

n I have already left a gift in my Will to Westminster Abbey or St Margaret’s Church. (Please indicate which.)

n I have questions and would like to speak to someone. Please contact me during the day on phone number:

n I have everything that I need, thank you. There is no need to contact me further about leaving a legacy.

Your details remain confidential to Westminster Abbey and itsassociated trusts/organisations and will never be used by or sharedwith third parties. If you would like to receive further informationabout the Abbey or St Margaret’s and their services and activities,please provide your email address below:

Email:

Mrs Valerie HumphreyWestminster Abbey20 Dean’s YardLondon SW1P 3PA

Tel: 020 7654 4872

Email: valerie.humphrey@ westminster-abbey.org

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