Cancer Research Gifts In Wills

THE POWER OF A PLEDGE – How Gifts in Wills Help Cancer Research

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Support research into cancer and fund over one-third of researchers’ life-saving research by participating in the Free Will Scheme. Your donation will enable long-term research projects allowing scientists to achieve breakthroughs every day and leading to new treatments to continue saving lives for generations to come.

Since joining the Free Will Scheme in 2013, Passmores have written 789 wills with a total pledge amount of £1,217,445.

To put that value into perspective, £1.2m could fund the STAMPEDE trial in Cardiff, which is finding new treatments for people with advanced prostate cancer for over 7 years. With the help of funding like this, the STAMPEDE trial has already made a breakthrough in finding that adding abiraterone to hormone therapy at the beginning of treatment can greatly improve survival.

How to contribute:

Simply choose to leave a gift in your will to Cancer Research UK. There are many ways in which gifts can be left to Cancer Research UK, all you need to do is ask a legal professional who will advise you on how best to leave gifts.

Gifts can include:

RESIDUARY GIFTS

A residuary gift is a share of your estate rather than a fixed amount. These gifts retain their value and will not be affected by inflation. They can also grow over a lifetime, i.e., if you leave a 5% gift aged 25, this gift will grow alongside your net worth.

PECUNIARY GIFTS

A pecuniary gift (also known as a “cash gift”) is a specific sum of money given in a Will.

INDEX-LINKED PECUNIARY GIFT

An index-linked pecuniary gift is a specific sum of money given in a Will which is linked to the index of retail prices. Its sum will vary in line with any possible inflation increases however the gift is also protected against inflation eroding/decreasing its value.

SPECIFIC GIFT

These gifts include more specific items such as jewellery, stocks and shares, or a property. Recent examples include a Cartier ring worth c. £100k and a classic car worth £150k. Cancer Research UK will use their knowledge, expertise and contacts to maximise the value of specific gifts.

“We are absolutely honoured to be working with such a life-changing and positive charity to help support people who are suffering from cancer. We are thrilled that we have raised over £1m through this scheme and thank you for your continuous support.”

Carli Evans, Director at Passmores Solicitors.

Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading Cancer research charity and in the past 40 years, has helped to double the cancer survival rate. This could not have been possible without the funding of Cancer Research UK’s supporters who have funded over 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses across the UK.

1 in 2 people will get cancer in their lifetime.[1] Cancer Research UK aims to accelerate progress and see 3 in 4 people surviving their cancer by 2034 but this will not be possible without the help of their supporters.

For more information about Cancer Research UK, the operation of the Free Wills Service and how gifts can make a difference please call 0300 123 7733 (Monday – Friday: 8am – 5pm) or email supporterservices@cancer.org.uk

[1] Ahmad AS et al, British Journal of Cancer, 2015.

Article by Elin Jones, Paralegal