Leave a gift in your Will

More than 16,000 people die from bowel cancer in the UK every year, making it the second biggest cancer killer. We are determined to save lives and improve the quality of life of everyone affected the disease.

Anne Lenaghan’s good friend John died from bowel cancer aged just 48 in 2004. She has left us a gift in her Will and says:

How do I leave a gift in my Will?

You must consider the needs of your family and any dependents first. Once they have been taken care of, you can help us stop people dying of bowel cancer by leaving a gift in your Will (also known as a legacy). 

It is advised to have a Will drafted by a lawyer or a professional Will writer.  You should review your Will after major life events to ensure it reflects changes in your circumstances.

How your gift gives hope

Your gift will make a huge difference to our work to stop people dying from bowel cancer.  Our first round of research grants is focused on improving treatment and care.  These are some of the projects we are currently funding:

• Improving surgical techniques, to increase survival rates and reduce complications
• Investigating whether differences in the bacteria that live in the gut could be playing a role in the increasing number of young people diagnosed
• Innovative new techniques to improve screening and diagnosis of bowel cancer.

You can read more about our research projects here

Our research is complemented by our campaigning and awareness raising work, which is also focused on improving treatment and early diagnosis. We also support patients living with and beyond bowel cancer, through our support services.

Your legacy will drive real change in the way bowel cancer patients are diagnosed and treated. Until one day, no-one dies from bowel cancer.

Make your Will for free

McClure Solicitors are an established, national firm of solicitors who will make your Will for free (a Will can cost up to £150). They will also review any existing Will you may have to ensure it is watertight and does what you intend. They will ask you to just consider making a donation for Bowel Cancer UK instead of paying a fee. McClure Solicitors have 14 offices across England, Scotland and Wales.

We are also a member of Remember a Charity. You can find a solicitor and other useful advice on their website.

Download some useful questions and documents: 

• Questions to ask before you see your solicitor
• Table of Assets
• Jargon Buster
• Recommended wording
• Codicil form

We are hugely grateful for each and every gift left to us in Wills.  However, we often do not get a chance to say thank you. Gifts in Wills are an extremely generous and thoughtful way of giving and we would very much like to be able to thank you properly, so please do let us know if you have included us in your Will. 

Email legacies@bowelcanceruk.org.uk or call in confidence on 020 7940 1763 if you have any questions about leaving a gift in your Will.