Thank you for your interest in leaving a will to the Co-operative Party.

Leaving a legacy must be done either as part of creating your will or as an amendment (codicil) to an existing one. Choose from one of the options below to see what you should do to leave a gift.

I do not have a will

If you have not already made a will, we would recommend that you contact a solicitor to help you through this process. You may be entitled to free will writing services if you are disabled or over 70 years old, and many unions also provide a discounted or free will writing service for their members. Please contact your solicitor or union for further details.

I already have a will

If you have already made a Will, leaving a legacy to the Co-operative Party is even simpler. You can add a ‘Codicil Form’ to your will in order to make the necessary amendment.

Below you will see three different types of legacy and a suggested paragraph to include in a codicil for each, which you can send to your solicitor to add to your will.  Additionally, we recommend including the paragraph at the end of this page as well, as it will make sure your final wishes are fully met.

 1. Residuary legacy

What does it mean? This is a gift of the remainder or percentage of your estate after all other legacies have been made and debts cleared.

Residuary legacies are an effective way to divide the value of an estate between a number of people and causes that are important to you.

Suggested wording: “I GIVE the whole of my estate or X per cent of the residue of my estate after payment of my funeral and testamentary expenses and debts and all legacies given by this my will or any codicil hereto and all inheritance tax payable upon or by reason of my demise to my [Executor(s)/Trustees] UPON TRUST for the Co-operative Party of 77 Weston Street, London, SE1 3SD”

 2.  Pecuniary legacy

What does it mean? A gift of a fixed sum of money.

Suggested wording:  “I GIVE to the Co-operative Party of 77 Weston Street, London, SE1 3SD, the sum of XX pounds [sum in words] £XX [sum in figures] free of Inheritance Tax for its general purposes and I direct that the receipt of the Treasurer for the time being or other duly authorised officer shall be sufficient discharge to my [Executor(s)/Trustees]”

3.  Specific legacy

What does it mean? A particular named item left as a gift in your Will is known as a specific legacy, for example, a piece of jewellery.

Suggested wording: “I GIVE to the Co-operative Party of 77 Weston Street, London, SE1 3SD, for its general purposes free of Inheritance Tax and other fiscal impositions and costs of transfer my [description of the item] for its general purposes absolutely and I direct that the receipt of the Treasurer for the time being or other duly authorised officer shall be sufficient discharge to my [Executor(s)/Trustees]”

 Recommended Additional Paragraph

If you decide to remember the Co-operative Party in your will we also recommend taking the following paragraph to your solicitor. It is important that the following clause is included in your will, whichever type you choose:

“If at my death any charity or organisation named as a beneficiary in this Will or any Codicil hereto has changed its name, amalgamated with or transferred its assets to another body, or changed its address, then my executors shall give effect to any gift made to such charity or organisation as if it had been made (in the first case) to the body in its changed name or (in the second place) to the body which results from such amalgamation or to which such transfer has been made or (in the third case) to the organisation based at their new address