Passing it On: Leaving a Gift to Charity in Your Will
5th March 2026
Leaving a gift to charity in your will means that you can support the people and communities you love. This month, Essex Community Foundation (ECF) shares how legacies they have received are making a difference and keeping memories alive.
Over the past 30 years, the independent charitable trust, Essex Community Foundation (ECF), has been helping people to leave a lasting legacy to support the causes they care about.
Each year ECF awards around £4 million in grants to local charities and voluntary groups that are tackling a wide range of issues. The funding comes from over 200 charitable funds that have been set up by local people and businesses who want to give back to their community during their lifetime, but also through their will.
Leaving a gift to charity in your will is one of the most meaningful ways to support the people and places you love. Across Essex, legacies left to ECF are quietly changing lives, while keeping the stories and values of donors alive for generations to come.
“Every legacy is personal, and every gift tells a story,”
“Making a will is about more than practical planning. For many people, it’s also an opportunity to reflect on what matters most to them and ensure their generosity continues long into the future.”
“When someone plans ahead, we can help turn their vision into action, strengthening communities and creating a lasting impact across Essex.” says Perry Norton, Head of Development at ECF.
We share three stories of people who left gifts in their wills to ECF and are doing just that.
A Life of Action: The Austin Hicks Charitable Fund
Austin Hicks, a man whose motto, according to his widow Anne, was simple:
“Just do it.”
Austin lived in Colchester for nearly 40 years and worked for 35 years at MLM Consulting Engineers, where he became a partner. A former Rotary president, keen musician and enthusiastic traveller, he was deeply involved in local life and passionate about giving back.
Before he died in May 2018, aged 65, following a battle with cancer, Austin asked that a charitable fund be set up in his name to support good causes in and around Colchester.
Since then, the Austin Hicks Charitable Fund, established with ECF, has awarded nearly £13,000 in grants to local charities supporting dementia care, mental health education, children and young people, and music.
“Austin was a real planner and a doer, he always had a great interest in supporting local charities. Before he died, he made plans and asked that the family set up a fund after his death to help local causes.” says Anne.
Their daughter Kathryn, who had encountered community foundations through her voluntary work, suggested ECF as the best way to ensure Austin’s wishes were carried out professionally and effectively.
“The fund is in the hands of professionals, we know the money will be properly administered and will go to organisations Austin would want to support, year on year.” Anne explains.
Grants from the fund have already supported projects including pop-up dementia cafés for carers, specialist support for families with young children with Down syndrome, and employment opportunities for young people with additional needs.
“It is wonderful to see his fund established as he wanted, it’s supporting charities he believed in and it will continue to do so.” Anne adds.
Austin’s wife, Anne, and his children, Kathryn and Jonathan, are all actively involved in the fund and committed to continuing his legacy. Anne has been able to visit several of the groups supported, seeing first-hand the positive impact the grants are making in local communities.
Through Austin’s legacy, and the continued involvement of his family, his spirit of action and generosity continues to strengthen grassroots charities and support meaningful local initiatives across Essex.
Examples of projects supported by the Austin Hick Charitable Fund include:
Age Well East – £1,444 to support pop-up dementia cafés, helping to improve the mental health and wellbeing of carers.
Candles, the North Essex Down Syndrome Support Group – £1,021 to fund activities and specialist sessions for families with young children with Down Syndrome.
Market Field Farm – £1,271 towards equipment costs and creating employment opportunities for young people with additional needs.
Austin’s story is one of several legacies helping Essex communities thrive.
Professional advisers, including solicitors, can work with their clients to advise them on how giving through ECF can be tax efficient and means that their gift will support causes close to their heart in perpetuity.
Fiona Ashworth, a director at Thompson Smith and Puxon (TSP) solicitors has introduced several of her clients to ECF.
Barbara Huntley, who died aged 89 in 2022, lived in Boreham and had no children of her own. After discussions with Fiona, her solicitor, she decided that, after providing for family members, the remainder of her estate was donated to ECF to support a wide range of causes across Essex, particularly those helping young children have the best possible start in life.
Another client of Fiona’s was Gwendy Marrs, a woman remembered for her warmth, energy and love of performance. Born in 1930, Gwendy spent four years as one of the famous high-kicking Tiller Girls, touring South Africa in 1952 before returning to Essex, where she worked for the Colchester Lathe Company for more than three decades.
After her husband Colin died, Gwendy returned to performing, appearing as an extra in well-known television programmes including Hi-De-Hi and Lovejoy, while remaining deeply involved in local clubs and community activities.
“As solicitors, we help clients think carefully about their legacy’ ‘For people like Barbara and Gwendy, knowing their gifts would continue to support their community brought real comfort and joy.” says Fiona.
What Kind of Legacy Will You Leave?
The legacies left by Austin Hicks, Gwendy Marrs and Barbara Huntley are reminders that generosity doesn’t end with a lifetime. Each gift is a story of a life lived, values shared and a community strengthened.
If you would like to explore leaving a legacy, a good place to start is by speaking to your professional adviser, or by contacting Perry Norton at Essex Community Foundation on 01245 355947 or via essexcommunityfoundation.org.uk.
Did you know:
By leaving 10% of your estate to charity, you will benefit from a reduction in Inheritance Tax from 40% to 36%.
It is estimated that of the 75% of people who give to charity in their lifetime, only 7% leave a gift to charity in their will.
In 2024, charities in the UK were gifted a record £4.5 billion from legacies.
Free Wills Month happens in March and October, offering people aged 55+ the chance to get simple wills drafted by solicitors for free, with details available via the freewillsmonth.org.uk website.
Types of Legacy
- A residuary legacy: a gift made form the remainder of your estate once all other bequests to family and friends have been made and debts paid off. This can be a percentage of the remainder, or all of it.
- A pecuniary legacy: a fixed amount specified in a will
- A specific legacy: a particular item left as a gift in your will, for example, shares, property, jewellery or a painting
- A reversionary legacy: this allows the surviving partner to benefit from the estate during their lifetime and then for the balance of the estate to pass to the Foundation.
Leaving a gift in your will to ECF is a personal way to create a lasting connection with the causes you care about.
Find out more on our Leave a Legacy page – click here.