Charitable legacies estimated to be worth around £2.5 billion
The number of charities being included in wills in the UK is at an all-time high.
Last year 37,261 people from across the country included a charitable donation from their estate, up 7% from the previous year.
Almost 10,000 individual charities were named in 2015 – an increase of 10% – with charitable legacies estimated to be worth around £2.5 billion.
Remember A Charity revealed the statistics as it launched its 2016 Remember A Charity Week campaign which runs until September 19.
By making this donation they will be helping to leave behind a future they believe in
Formed in 2000 it has over 140 member charities, working together to encourage more people to leave a gift to charity in their will.
This year it wants people to not only consider leaving a gift but also to leave some words of wisdom to be passed on to future generations.
It has set up a website where people can submit and share the wisdom that they would pass on to their younger self.
Over 500 quotes have been crowd sourced from charity supporters and celebrities, including the likes of Alan Sugar who said "Don't worry if you make mistakes - they are the best way to learn" and Bill Bryson who said "Be kind, be decent and try to leave the world at least slightly better than you found it".
Aardman Animations Ltd, creators of Wallace and Gromit, has also released a new short film highlighting some wise words of wisdom that we all roll out every day without thinking about.
Voiced by poet and broadcaster Ian McMillan it includes quotes sourced from charity supporters including Eamonn Holmes and Rufus Hound.
Director of Remember A Charity, Rob Cope said: "This Remember A Charity Week we want to encourage people to consider leaving a gift to a charity in their will and pass on something as rich and powerful as the wonderful words of wisdom they share.
“By making this donation they will be helping to leave behind a future they believe in and crucially their donations mean many charities continue to survive."
