header-logo header-logo

Legacies in the time of COVID

51879
Debra Burton & Tamsin Wooldridge outline the sobering impact of the pandemic on charities & its effect on legacy income
  • Will writing increase.
  • Challenging wills.
  • Legacy income: a short-term dip?

COVID-19 has had a devastating impact across the world with the highest level of deaths recorded in the UK in any year since the Second World War.

As of May 2021 (according to the Charities Commission), there are about 185,000 registered charities in England and Wales. Charities are hugely reliant upon the good will of the public in order to raise funds. Almost overnight, COVID-19 restrictions meant many income streams were turned off—charity shops shut their doors, large fundraising events were cancelled and staff were furloughed. For some charities, legacies were their only income stream.

However, legacies did not escape unscathed from the pandemic. Research from Smee & Ford shows that in 2019 legacy income was worth over £3bn to the charity sector and though we await the final statistics for

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Gardner Leader—Charlotte Botham & Belinda Sinnott

Gardner Leader—Charlotte Botham & Belinda Sinnott

Law firm strengthens real estate team with two new partners

DR Solicitors—Sarah Cook

DR Solicitors—Sarah Cook

DR Solicitors strengthens primary care expertise with appointment of legal director

Womble Bond Dickinson—David Varney

Womble Bond Dickinson—David Varney

Womble Bond Dickinson appoints David Varney to strengthen digital practice

NEWS
A deputy costs judge correctly exercised his discretion to allow late service rather than strike out the point of dispute, the Court of Appeal has held
Prince Harry, Baroness Doreen Lawrence and five others have lost their case against the publisher of the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and MailOnline, in Various Claimants v Associated Newspapers [2026] EWHC 1637 (KB)
Public confidence in the justice system is being undermined by a lack of accessible, useable data, magistrates have warned
The Sentencing Council has launched draft guidelines for facilitation and endangering another person during a sea crossing to the UK
Government proposals to make independent written legal advice a prerequisite for workplace non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) may prove unworkable, according to a senior employment lawyer
back-to-top-scroll