This week marks Remember a Charity week, and to coincide with the week, Co-Op Legal Services has released its business data which has demonstrated that in the last 12 months legacy gifting to charities has increased by 56%.
Between mid-March and June, the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, the organisation saw an 81% increase in people leaving gifts to charities in their Wills.
Cancer charities have topped the list for the third year running when looking at the most common causes UK adults are choosing to leave gifts to. In the last year alone, legacy giving to cancer charities has increased by three quarters (77%).
However, the community spirit that has undoubtably risen as a result of the pandemic has seen a shift in the types of charities that people leave gifts for, with more opting to leave legacies for local organisations ahead of the traditional national charities.
James Antoniou, Head of Wills for Co-op Legal Services said:
“It’s moving to see that at such a difficult time for so many, people are still including gifts to charities within their wills. Interestingly, in addition to monetary gifts, we’ve seen some unique personal effects such as a collection of guitars and a classic red mini being left to charity through wills.
“This increase in generosity will make a huge difference to charitable causes and just shows why it’s so important for people wanting to make this difference that they do put a will in place.”
