Types of legacy and wording for your Will

Making a Will

Making a Will is not complicated and need not be expensive but, in order to prevent potential problems, we do urge anyone making a Will to seek professional advice. It is also important to review and update your Will at regular intervals to make sure it continues to reflect your wishes and circumstances.

The Foundation and Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Registered Charity number 603428 (registered in England and Wales), is the charity which raises funds for Kew.

Find out more about the different ways that you can leave a gift in your Will to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew below, or contact us to find out more.

T: 020 8332 3249 | E: legacies@kew.org

Residuary legacies

A residuary legacy is where you leave whatever is left over from your estate once all other gifts and expenses have been deducted. You can leave the entire residue to one beneficiary (a person or charity for example), or it can be divided among a number of beneficiaries. An important aspect of residuary legacies is that they do not lose their value over time, so it is not so important to review your Will regularly.

Suggested wording for your Will: “I give to the Foundation and Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond Surrey TW9 3AB (Registered Charity Number 803428) all of the residue of my estate for its general purposes.”

Pecuniary legacies

A pecuniary legacy is a fixed sum of money. When making this sort of legacy it is well worth reviewing your Will regularly, as specific amounts will decrease in value over time.

Suggested wording for your Will: “I give to the Foundation and Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond Surrey, TW9 3AB (Registered Charity Number 803428) the sum of £X for its general purposes.”

  Specific legacies

A specific legacy is an individual item of value, such as a property or an item of jewellery. It may be that you wish us to add an item to our collections; if this is the case please do discuss this with us before making your Will.

Reversionary legacies

Here you can leave assets to be used by a named beneficiary during their lifetime, after which the assets pass to Kew.

Conditional legacies

This would name Kew as a beneficiary should any or all of your other named beneficiaries die before you.