Leaving a legacy

Leaving money in your will can transform a young Herioter’s future.

In 1624, George Heriot bequeathed part of his estate to establish a school for the ‘fatherless bairns’ of Edinburgh. From this point onwards, legacy gifts have supported our operation – especially the Foundation.

 

Why leave a legacy?

It is natural that family and friends are provided for first in your Will. Once they have been taken care of, would you consider leaving a gift to Heriot’s?

Perhaps you would like other children to have the same opportunities in life that coming to Heriot’s afforded you. Or perhaps you want to ‘give back’ simply because you love Heriot’s.

In leaving a proportion of your Estate, of whatever size you choose, you can help to inspire, encourage and support children for years to come.

By leaving a legacy gift to Heriot’s you are giving the most valuable gift of all – an education.

 

How a legacy gift can help

A legacy gift does not need to be complicated, nor must it be a vast sum of money. It is an easy process to add a gift into a new or an existing will, and a gift as low as 1% of your estate will make such a difference to the lives of children who have faced hardship and distress from a young age. Every legacy is greatly appreciated.

Leaving a legacy can take many forms to reflect your intentions; we would be delighted to work with you to create a meaningful legacy. Your legacy can benefit an area of Heriot’s that particularly inspires you and could range from supporting an academic subject or extra-curricular activity to establishing an endowed place for a Foundation pupil or creating a bursary to support bright pupils who cannot afford fee-paying education. Alternatively, you can leave it to the discretion of the school to use where it is most needed at the time your gift is received. Whatever you choose, you can be assured your gift will enrich the lives of all Herioters.

Your legacy will change a life. Please consider leaving a gift to Heriot’s.

 

Tax efficient wills

As Heriot’s is a registered charity (George Heriot’s Trust, SC011463), all legacy donations made to the school are exempt from UK Inheritance and Capital Gains Taxes. Under current rules, leaving 10% or more of your taxable net estate to charity reduces the Inheritance Tax rate on the whole of your taxable estate from 40% to 36%.

This may mean leaving a gift to Heriot’s has no impact on the level of inheritance your loved ones receive from your estate.

 

1628 Society

The potential impact your legacy could have on the future of George Heriot’s School and its pupils is vast.

Whatever your motivation, we will recognise your pledge to leave a legacy by inviting you to join The 1628 Society – an exclusive community of Heriot’s legators – which includes invites to annual school events and donor receptions, a Heriot’s lapel pin and a copy of the most recent issue of the school Memories Book.

After a legacy gift is realised, the donor will be honoured on our Legators Board, displayed in the Refectory.

 

Further information

For further information on legacy giving, get in touch with the Development Office to request a legacy brochure, or discuss your intentions with one of the team.

We would be delighted to answer any questions you have regarding a legacy gift to Heriot’s.

We would advise speaking with your solicitor to assist with the writing your will or adding a codicil.