AWF was founded with a generous legacy from Colleen Macleod to improve the welfare of all animals through veterinary science, education and debate. Through AWF legacy funding, new diagnostics and treatments have been developed in a range of painful and contagious treatments in cattle, sheep, and horses, and cats have benefitted from pioneering work into pain management. We have recently launched several research projects, which will be addressing lameness in sheep and cattle, and grass equine sickness in horses.
"It has been known for a long-time that excessive body condition predisposed horses and ponies to laminitis. Our AWF study was important because it documented for the first time that not only does obesity increase the risk of laminitis, but when overweight horses get laminitis, they are more likely to die as a result compared to laminitis cases which are not overweight." Prof Celia Marr, Rossdales,
In addition to funding research programmes, legacies have been used to establish Animal Welfare Lectureships at three UK veterinary schools. This resulted in a framework for animal welfare teaching in all the UK veterinary schools, which runs through all five years of the undergraduate veterinary curriculum.
“….perhaps most importantly, students now recognise welfare and ethics as subjects in their own right and consider their impact throughout their whole veterinary training.” Dr Dorothy McKeegan, BVA Animal Welfare Foundation Senior Lecturer, University of Glasgow
AWF is very proud of the positive and practical impact it has made on the health and welfare of large and small animals over the last 30 years but we are entirely reliant upon the generosity of our kind supporters. With over two thirds of our income in the form of gifts included in people's wills, this is a vital source of funding.
When Colleen Macleod left a legacy that established the Animal Welfare Foundation her action had a beneficial impact on the lives of millions of animals. By leaving a legacy or bequest to the AWF you too will be helping improve the health and welfare of many different types of animal across the UK yet it will cost you nothing in your lifetime.
Read on to learn more about how to support AWF through a legacy.
Leaving a legacy: types of gift
There are many ways that you can leave a gift in your Will. Your solicitor will be able to give you more information and advice about which way of giving best suits your needs. These are the most common:
- Pecuinary legacy - a gift of a fixed amount of money.
- Residuary legacy - where you leave all or a percentage of your estate to AWF after all pecuniary gifts, debts, fees and other expenses have been paid.
- Specific legacy - where you choose to leave a gift of a specific item – such as land, buildings, stocks and shares, art or other valuables.
Have you already made a Will?
Many people make a Will and assume they don’t need to revisit it. But circumstances can change and it is worth taking a fresh look every few years.
If you are happy with your main provisions but want to make additional gifts you could do by codicil , a simple way to make specific changes or additions without affecting the earlier provisions.
Suggested wording:
“I (name) of (address) declare this to be my first codicil to my last Will, dated (date). I give (details of legacy) to the Animal Welfare Foundation, Reg charity 287118, of 7 Mansfield Street London W1G 9NQ
Are you are ready to make a Will?
If you just haven’t yet got around to it or if you have a Will, but your circumstances or wishes have changed and it needs completely revising you need to act now.
Having a properly written and witnessed Will is the only way to ensure that your money benefits the people or the causes that are important to you.
- Make a list of everything you could include (in a Will) including property, money, cars and other assets;
- Make a list of who you want to benefit (their names and addresses)
- Decide on who you would like to be your executors (this is usually two people, and it could include a solicitor)
- Make an appointment to meet with a solicitor who will draw up the Will for you to sign and keep a copy.
If you are considering leaving AWF a legacy, or have already done so, do please get in touch, we would love to hear from you to give you some updates about our work.
When Colleen Macleod left money that funded the Professorship of Animal Welfare in Cambridge University Veterinary School in 1985-6, her action had a beneficial impact on the lives of millions of animals. Professor Donald Broom, Cambridge
Animal Welfare Foundation
7 Mansfield Street
London W1G 9NQ
Tel: 0207 908 6334
email: helenb@bva.co.uk
