Leaving a gift in your will, and donating in memory
Sheringham Museum Trust Ltd is an independent heritage and education charity. Supporting the Museum in your Will is a wonderful way to help us continue our work to educate, conserve and enhance access to the diverse heritage of Sheringham and our collection of historic RNLI lifeboats and fishing boats.
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Why support us in your Will?
Remembering Sheringham Museum in your Will, also known as leaving a legacy, can help us safeguard and share Sheringham’s important heritage and continue to tell the story of a beautiful Norfolk seaside town and its people.
Any gift, no matter how big or small, makes a real difference and will help us to:
- Continue our conservation work and expand our collection
- Create experiences that educate and reveal how traditional and more modern practices have shaped a Norfolk seaside town
- Inspire younger generations about the Sheringham Shoal and the wind energy industry
How others’ generous legacy gifts have helped
A recent legacy gift enabled the professional framing of a number of John Craske paintings behind special glass to prevent fading while still being able to see the art work clearly, ensuring their long-term conservation and appreciation by a wider audience.
John Craske, a fisherman from Sheringham, became renowned for his evocative paintings and embroidery, capturing the Norfolk coast and seafaring life. Despite chronic illness, his paintings vividly capture the daily struggles and resilience of fishermen in the first half of the 20th century.
His paintings of fishing boats, stormy seas, and bustling harbours, reflected the harsh realities and beauty of coastal life and immortalised the cultural significance of a disappearing fishing industry.
The generous legacy gift we received has safeguarded important paintings that resonate deeply with many for their poignant simplicity and authenticity.
Already pledged your support or want to find out more?
If you have already pledged to support Sheringham Museum in your Will we would be grateful if you would let us know so we can thank you. Or if you would like to know more about leaving a gift to the Museum please contact Charles Chappell, Museum Legacy Lead, charlie@sheringhammuseum.co.uk
Donating in memory or in celebration of the life of a loved one
Do you have treasured memories of visiting Sheringham Museum with someone dear to you? Or your loved one had a passion for Sheringham and its traditions? Making a donation in their memory is a wonderful way to celebrate their life.
Your donation could be used to support vital conservation work, acquire new additions to our collection telling the story of Sheringham, fund new exhibitions and deliver engaging education programmes for children and adults.
If you would like your donation to go towards a specific area of Sheringham Museum’s work or collections, please let us know and we would be happy to discuss how your donation could be used.
To find out more, contact Charles Chappell, Museum Legacy Lead: charlie@sheringhammuseum.co.uk
Acknowledging your legacy gift or donation in memory
If we know that you are planning to leave a legacy gift or have made a donation in memory to Sheringham Museum we would love to invite you to events at the Museum and you will have the option to receive the latest news on the Museum’s heritage and education work.
Once a legacy gift or donation in memory is received, your or your loved one’s name will feature permanently on the Memory Wall facing the impressive Manchester Unity of Oddfellows lifeboat as a lasting reminder of your generosity and support or your loved one, or you can also ask for your gift or donation in memory to remain anonymous.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I donate in my Will?
There is no minimum or maximum monetary donation that you can make to Sheringham Museum, but please consider those closest to you first before deciding which charities you wish to support.
Leaving a monetary gift in your will, whatever the size, makes a lasting difference and we will always follow your wishes and work sensitively with your executors to allocate your gift appropriately.
You can remember Sheringham Museum in your Will by including:
- A residuary gift – this is a percentage or share of your estate after all other commitments have been settled. This has the advantage of automatically keeping up with inflation. Leaving a small percentage of the residue of your estate to Sheringham Museum would make a huge difference to our ongoing heritage and education work.
- A pecuniary gift – this is a specific sum of money. You may want to ask your solicitor to protect the value of this gift against inflation by ensuring that it is index-linked.
- A specific gift – this relates to an item that may be of interest or specific assets, such as a property, stocks and shares left to Sheringham Museum.
If you are thinking of leaving a specific gift to Sheringham Museum, please contact Charles Chappell, to discuss your gift: charlie@sheringhammuesum.co.uk
How do I leave a gift in my will to Sheringham Museum?
The gifts we have received previously have been for general purposes. This is valuable as it enables us to use the funds where they are needed most.
Leaving a gift to Sheringham Museum is easy. First you need to engage a solicitor and choose someone to be your executor (who will administer your estate). Once you’ve decided which type of legacy gift you wish to make, all you will need are the details of our registered charity numbers and administrative address to hand.
When discussing making a gift to Sheringham Museum with your solicitor please highlight the Museum has two charities overseeing its work and maintenance.
- Sheringham Museum Norfolk Trust Ltd (Company No. 05415828 Registered Charity No. 11144816) who are responsible for the structure, maintenance and running of the Museum’s premises (The Mo).
- Sheringham Museum Trust (Registered Charity No 802884) who are responsible for the Collections and all Artefacts held by the Museum.
Our address is: Sheringham Museum at The Mo, Lifeboat Plain, Sheringham, Norfolk, NR26 8BG
Please pass these details on to your solicitor when instructing them to name Sheringham Museum as a beneficiary in your Will.
The size of your contribution and proportion of any gift given to either maintaining the structure and running the Museum, or supporting the Museum’s collection and artefacts, is entirely your decision to make, but please ensure that your loved ones and dependants are cared for before considering any gifts to charity.
How do I find a solicitor?
If you do not already have a solicitor, friends and family members may be able to recommend a solicitor local to you. If you are in employment and /or in a Trade Union, your Human Resources team or Trade Union representative may also be able to help and provide details of reduced costs Will writing providers.
Alternatively, you can find a solicitor using the solicitor finder tool on the Law Society’s website.
You may also want to check that the person or organisation writing your will is STEP qualified. STEP stands for the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, which is a professional body for those who advise families on trusts, wills, and estates. Full STEP membership, or becoming a Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP), is a professional qualification for solicitors who specialise in wills, trusts, and probate.
Will I or my surviving relatives have to pay inheritance tax on any of my charitable donations in my Will?
No. All donations made to UK registered charities in a Will are exempt from UK inheritance tax. Everyone’s tax situation is different and, in certain circumstances, leaving a gift to a charity or charities may help reduce your tax liability.
This is our understanding of current Inheritance Tax rules as these are subject to change by the Government. We recommend you ask your solicitor about inheritance tax and you can also visit the HMRC website for relevant information.
I already have a Will, can I amend it to leave a gift to Sheringham Museum?
You can amend your Will at any time. If you have an existing Will and would like to add a gift to Sheringham Museum, the easiest way is to add a codicil.
A codicil is a legally binding document which enables you to make small changes to your Will, without needing to rewrite it entirely. We recommend that you consult a solicitor when making or updating your Will, to ensure that it is legally valid and reflects your intentions.
What should I do if I am an executor or solicitor for a legacy supporting Sheringham Museum?
If you are an executor or a solicitor for a legacy supporting Sheringham Museum, please get in touch at the start of the administration process so we can help in creating a meaningful legacy for the person in question.
Sheringham Museum kindly requests a copy of the Will and Grant of Probate to keep on file for audit purposes.
Please contact Charles Chappell, Legacy Lead
Email: charlie@sheringhammuseum.co.uk
Address: Legacies, Sheringham Museum at The Mo, Lifeboat Plain, Sheringham, Norfolk, NR26 8BG
Can I donate to the Museum even if my loved one didn’t leave a gift in their will?
Yes, you may wish to offer friends and family the option of giving a donation to charity at your loved one’s funeral or memorial service. Your funeral director can help arrange this for you, or you can send the donations directly to us.
Or alternatively you may want to make a donation to celebrate the life of a loved one, by donating to Sheringham Museum in their memory using Sumup via our Donate webpage.
Sumup uses 3D Secure 2, a security measure that helps to authenticate and protect any donation.
For more information on arranging a funeral collection or making a Sumup donation in memory of a loved one please contact Charles Chappell charlie@sheringhammuseum.co.uk