You can do something special that will make a real difference to future generations.

In a mainly heterosexual world, Lesbians, Gay Men, Bisexuals, and their families and friends will continue to need the help of London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard. You can help provide this assistance by including Switchboard in your Will.

Over the past five years the legacies we have received have:

• helped us to keep the phone lines open
• helped pay for a Volunteer Co-ordinator
• kept our phone and computer facilities up to date

However it's not just about the big projects as all have helped us continue to be here listening and providing calm words when they are needed.

For the future we will need to:

• maintain our high standards of volunteer training;
• continue to keep our web sites up to date;
• respond to emerging technologies;
• provide information in new areas – for example, we are increasingly being asked for information by the staff of schools and colleges; and
• most importantly, increase the number of calls that our volunteers answer. We answer and average 30,000 calls per year with many going unanswered due to lack of capacity.

Without a Will:

• your property and money may not go to the people and charities you would wish. For example, if you died without a Will and left no civil partner, spouse or children, your estate could, under special rules known as the Intestacy Rules, pass to distant relatives that you may not know or, failing that, to the Queen.
• it could be stressful and distressing for your family or friends to sort things out.

In your Will you can say who should deal with your estate and how you want your assets to be divided.

Is your Will valid?
Generally Wills should be updated every five years. For example, Wills are revoked following a civil partnership/marriage and on dissolution/divorce.

How to make a Will?
It's best to have your Will drawn up by a Solicitor. It may not cost more than about £100 plus VAT; ask for a quote. If you don't already have a Solicitor you could obtain recommendations from family or friends. Alternatively, you can look up a gay friendly one on the our information Web site at www.queery.org.uk

Giving to Switchboard
Switchboard is a registered charity and any donations, including legacies, are currently tax - free.

Legacies can be:

• for specific amounts of money left, for example, to an individual or a charity (a “Pecuniary legacy”);
• for the residue of an estate (the “Residuary Estate”) after all other gifts and administrative expenses have been settled from the estate;
• or a percentage of your Residuary estate.

Residuary gifts have the advantage that they keep pace with inflation and your changing financial circumstances, so may not need to be updated so frequently.

Because it is so easy to make an error when preparing your Will, we recommend you do not do this yourself, but ask a Solicitor to do this for you.

Your solicitor will need to know our charity number, which is 296193.

If you or your solicitor has any questions or would like an information pack on this matter please email our Chief Executive at chiefexecutive@llgs.org.uk

Other ways of giving after you have gone