Legacy giving

A meaningful way of giving back to the future, legacy gifts are an especially important source of funding. Legacy donations are currently used to fund life-changing bursaries, helping to unlock the extraordinary of more local children who may not otherwise be able to come to the schools.

Add us to your will and you will be enrolled into the Devonshire Society, the schools’ legacy club. These special members have generously pledged to help fund the future of the schools via a gift in their will.

So do please consider joining them. Obviously, your family should come first, but once your loved ones have been taken care of, we hope you will think about leaving a gift to Eastbourne College Incorporated.

The Devonshire Society

Founded in 2002, the Devonshire Society is the schools’ legacy club. Currently over 80 strong, our members are men and women who plan to invest in the schools’ future through legacy giving.

One of our members, governor James Fok (Pennell 1997-2002) told us why he signed up: ‘I am so grateful for the vision and generosity of Eastbournians before me, leaving me with a legacy and a school that has prepared me for the challenges in the wider world. Joining the Devonshire Society is my way of paying it forward to future generations of Eastbournians to share the same experience.’

We appreciate and aim to recognise all those who intend to leave a gift in their will – just let us know your intention. Contact Development Officer, Liz Silvester, contact details below, with any queries you may have or to let her know you would like to join the club. Members are invited with their partner to the annual Foundation Day lunch at the College with the headmaster. We will also keep in touch to let you know the latest development news about the schools – it's our opportunity to acknowledge and thank you during your lifetime.

Why donate a legacy gift?

Apart from the charity benefitting from your kindness, it’s good to also note that:

Legacies are made from the value of your estate rather than from cash flow.
Legacies made to charities are exempt from Inheritance Tax (IHT). So, if you leave £10,000 as a gift in your will, this could save your estate 40% in IHT (£4,000), thereby ‘costing’ your estate just £6,000.
Under current legislation, a deceased’s estate that gives at least 10% to charities reduces the amount of IHT paid from 40% to 36%. Consequently, if you leave 4% to charities, you may as well leave 10% since the net effect to your other beneficiaries will be identical.

Types of legacy gift

Specific – a specific item, so it could be property, a painting or an item of jewellery for instance.
Pecuniary – this is a set sum of money. Problems can arise if there are insufficient assets to pay these gifts, and the value of the gift may go down in real terms as inflation rises.
Residuary - a gift made from the residue of the estate once pecuniary and specific gifts have been made and expenses paid. A residuary gift is usually made as a share in the residue.

Legal advice

Please note, we cannot offer legal advice and suggest you speak to your solicitor, but a codicil or letter of wishes may be all that you need. You will need to know the charity name and address:Eastbourne College Incorporated,Old Wish Road, Eastbourne,East SussexBN21 4JY

and the Registered Charity Number: 307071

Make your will for free

If you don’t already have a will, we offer a free simple will-writing service for Eastbournian Society members through Farewill, the UK’s leading online will-writing service.

This gives you access to this fast and easy-to-use platform. Once checked by one of Farewill’s team of specialists, printed, witnessed and signed, you will have a legally-binding will ensuring that your wishes are carried out.

During the process you will be asked if you would like to leave a legacy gift to Eastbourne College Incorporated (Registered Charity Number 307071). There’s no obligation to do so, but if you are able to contribute to our bursaries fund, we would be so grateful. Your generosity, regardless of its scale, will help unlock extraordinary futures by giving the life-altering gift of education.

Simply the button below to get started.

Get started

A living legacy

Some people like to see their money in action, using their income now to transform lives for the future. This form of in-life giving can bring tremendous joy, seeing the difference your donation makes. Do please let us know if you would like to know more – the contact details are below.

Contact

Email Development Officer, Liz Silvester or call her on 01323 452261 if you’re interested in becoming a member of the Devonshire Society. She can also point you in the right direction for any other information you may need regarding legacy giving.

Eastbourne College Incorporated is a Registered Charity (number 307071)