Donkeys in Tanzania forest
Donkeys in Tanzania forest

Leave a kinder future for working animals with a gift in your Will

This is difference your legacy can make

Including a gift in your Will to SPANA means you will help transform the lives of sick and injured working animals long into the future.

Gifts in Wills are vital as they fund approximately half of everything we do for working animals. In fact, around 300,000 veterinary treatments for sick animals are only possible each year because of gifts in Wills. These gifts help pay for veterinary medicine, vital equipment and keep our mobile clinics on the road in the remotest areas. Gifts in Wills also help us teach thousands of animal owners how to look after their animals, and they give children – the next generation of animal owners – the vital knowledge needed to look after animals in their care.

 

Here is a message from one of our vets in Morocco about the difference gifts in Wills make to the animals he treats.

I've chosen to work for SPANA because they do tremendous work in providing treatment for animals and also in educating their owners. Nearly half of everything I do is possible because kind people remember SPANA in their wills.
SPANA vet Dr. Youness El Ouasbi from Chemaia, Morocco
Two boys smiling with SPANA workbooks

Why SPANA?

Our vision is a world where every working animal lives a healthy and valued life. Including a gift in your Will to SPANA will help us make that world a reality. SPANA’s unique combination of treating, training and teaching projects will transform working animal welfare and create a more compassionate future. But we can’t do it without you. With gifts in Wills funding around half of everything we do, your legacy could play a vital part. 

A gift in your Will could relieve the immediate suffering of horses, donkeys and other working animals through our veterinary care. Your gift could help fund life-saving medicines or a new mobile clinic. 

Your legacy could be a better future for working animals through our children’s education programme. Fostering knowledge and understanding about animals in children – the animal owners of tomorrow – can’t be done overnight. But your gift for the future could help make this possible, and ultimately make a lasting difference to the lives of working animals. 

A SPANA vet stands look at a brown horse wearing a blue harness

All you need to know

If you have decided to make or update your Will and include a gift to SPANA – thank you!

To include a gift to SPANA in your Will is really quite straightforward. All you need to do is give your solicitor our name, address and registered charity number and your solicitor will do the rest.

SPANA, PO Box 79509, London, EC4P 4ND
Registered Charity Number: 209015

If you have any questions, please contact our friendly legacy team at 020 7831 3999 or giftsinwills@spana.org.

If you would like any help writing your Will, please see below.

Writing your Will

Writing a Will doesn’t need to take much time.  We have produced a guide to help answer some of the questions you may have.  Our guide also shows how leaving a legacy will make a difference. Help us be there for working animals and the people who depend on them from one generation to the next.

Download our guide to gifts in Wills

Your legacy can help to make the world a more caring place for working animals

Horse standing next to woman sitting

Write Your Will For Free

SPANA have teamed up with a trusted partner called MyIntent. They can help you to write or update your Will for free.

White working horse pulling cart in Morocco

Update Your Will

If you already have a Will and would like to add a gift to SPANA, you can download a Codicil form to add your gift.

Download our guide to gifts in Wills

Your legacy can help to make the world a more caring place for working animals

Horse standing next to woman sitting

Write Your Will For Free

SPANA have teamed up with a trusted partner called MyIntent. They can help you to write or update your Will for free.

White working horse pulling cart in Morocco

Update Your Will

If you already have a Will and would like to add a gift to SPANA, you can download a Codicil form to add your gift.

Order your guide by post

Please fill in a few personal details below to order your guide to gifts in Wills. This guide includes a Q&A leaflet and a Codicil form.

Guide to gift in Wills

Please enter a few personal details to order your guide to gifts in Wills by post.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  • We’ll use your details to fulfil your request. There are many simple, fun and inspiring ways you can help us reach more animals in need and the communities who depend on them. By submitting this form you are demonstrating an active interest in SPANA’s work and we will contact you by post with information about our activities and other ways you can support and donate to our work, unless you tell us otherwise by ticking the box above.

Contact us

If you have any questions, please contact our friendly legacy team at 020 7831 3999 or giftsinwills@spana.org.

In some places in the world, it seems people don’t matter and life is cheap, so what chance for the animals on whom they depend? I so admire the work SPANA do on my behalf because I want to ease their suffering but cannot do it myself. I will continue to support SPANA during my lifetime and beyond, through a legacy in my Will. It is a modest amount but I could not overlook your fantastic work.
Linda Cameron-Bell

Frequently ask questions

We have compiled a list of frequently asked Wills and legacy related questions and answers. These include suggested wording for a legacy to SPANA which your solicitor might find useful. Please click below.

FAQs

Will my gift be exempt from inheritance tax?

As SPANA is a UK registered charity, so any gift you give to us will be exempt from inheritance tax. Charitable gifts are exempt from inheritance tax and they can reduce or even eliminate the overall tax on your estate altogether.

Do I need a solicitor to write my Will?

We recommend you seek advice from a solicitor so that they can make sure that everything is covered by law and what matters to you is protected – a properly drafted Will can help reduce the amount of tax paid by your estate, ensuring it goes to the loved ones and causes that you have chosen to benefit. You can find a local solicitor who specialises in Wills by calling the Law Society on 020 7242 1222 or online at http://solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk/

What kind of gift can I leave?
  • A residuary gift is a share of your estate after all other legacies have been made and all costs have been met. Residuary gifts are expressed as a percentage so they remain proportional to the value of your estate.  Residuary gifts can reduce the number of times you need to update your Will, as they change accordingly with your financial circumstances.
  • A pecuniary gift is a stated sum of money.
  • A specific gift is a particular item or items such as jewellery, paintings, shares etc. This is a good way to pass on cherished belongings to loved ones.
How should I word my gift?

It is important that SPANA is correctly identified and that your chosen gift is described in enough detail.  We recommend that you take the following suggested wording to your solicitor:

For a residuary legacy (a percentage of your residuary estate)

“I give <insert percentage of your estate>% of my residuary estate to SPANA of PO Box 79509, London, EC4P 4ND, Registered Charity Number 209015 for its general charitable purposes and I declare that the receipt of the proper officer of the charity shall be a full and sufficient discharge.”

For a pecuniary legacy (a set amount)

“I give <insert amount> to SPANA of PO Box 79509, London, EC4P 4ND, Registered Charity Number 209015 for its general charitable purposes and I declare that the receipt of the proper officer of the charity shall be a full and sufficient discharge.”

Can I leave SPANA a gift if I have already written my Will?

If you already have a Will and would like to update it to include a gift to SPANA, you can use a Codicil. You can download a Codicil form here.  However, if you wish to make a number of changes to your Will, it is recommended that you consult a solicitor as it may well be that your Will needs to be rewritten.

Ginger foal lying down

Other helpful resources

Citizens Advice: Advice on creating a Will and why it’s important

Law Society: Run by the Law Society, Find a Solicitor is a free service for anyone looking for information about people providing legal services in England and Wales that are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).

Law Society Scotland: Run by the Law Society of Scotland.

HMRC: Learn more about Inheritance Tax

Discover other ways to get involved

Horse standing next to woman sitting

Philanthropy and major gifts

Discover how a major gift can help promote the wellbeing and welfare of working animals in need.

Sponsor a stable

Our stables are a lifeline for thousands of donkeys, horses and mules. Sponsor a stable and provide a haven for sick and injured working animals.

Horse standing next to woman sitting

Philanthropy and major gifts

Discover how a major gift can help promote the wellbeing and welfare of working animals in need.

Sponsor a stable

Our stables are a lifeline for thousands of donkeys, horses and mules. Sponsor a stable and provide a haven for sick and injured working animals.