What could your gift do?

A gift in your Will is a lasting legacy and act of solidarity and empowerment, ensuring that people in the performing arts industry have access towards financial support and retraining grants when they need it most. The creative industry is precarious at best, and sometimes one needs help when unforeseen circumstances arise.

 

The beauty of leaving a legacy gift is that it costs you nothing now. In fact, leaving a gift to charity in your Will can help reduce, or even remove, the tax burden on your estate. Your legal adviser will be able to explain how the Inheritance Tax rules apply to you and your particular circumstances.

 

You might be surprised how far a gift in your Will can go, even a small cash sum could assist a performer in their hour of need. And by a performer, we don’t just mean actors. We also mean choreographers, comedians, dancers, drag artists, theatre directors, models, singers, stage management, storytellers, stunt performers and co-ordinators, theatre designers, theatre fight directors, TV and radio presenters, variety, circus, cabaret and light entertainment artists, voice artists and supporting artists.

 

To give you an idea of the breadth and scope of our charitable activity, in the 2022/23 alone we gave 1,123 welfare, energy and education grants totalling £1,281,305. We’ve helped people keep a roof over their heads, food on the table and their heating on, throughout the ravages of covid, omicron and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. We’re proud of our achievements, and hope that you will consider becoming part of this ever-evolving success story.

 

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this matter in further depth, please drop us a line on info@equitycharitabletrust.org.uk or call us on 0207 831 1926.

Leaving your legacy is simple

You can do it by following the steps below.

STEP 1: Choose to recognise Equity Charitable Trust in your Will, once your you’ve considered family and friends. By remembering Equity Charitable Trust in your Will, you will help future generations of performers with retraining and welfare grants.

STEP 2: Decide the type of gift you would like to donate to the Equity Charitable Trust. There are two main types of gifts you can donate to the charity in your Will, either (1) a cash gift for a specific sum of money or (2) a percentage of your estate.

STEP 3: Contact your solicitor or Will writer. Provide your solicitor or Will writer with details of the charity. They will need the full charity name (Equity Charitable Trust), charity address (Unit Z, Vincent's Yard, 23 Alphabet Mews) and registered charity number (328103).

STEP 4: Let us know! People like you make the work of the Equity Charitable Trust possible. We're here to help performers a valuable lifeline at turning points and times of crises. Here are some testimonials that speak to the importance of what we do:

That is absolutely amazing. Thank you so much for your kind, prompt and sensitive response. It’s a huge weight off. 

THANK YOU! Thank you so so much. I am so grateful for your help.

Oh my goodness, I really do not know what to say. Thank you so much. I can not express the difference this will make to my life and stress levels. Once I am working again I aim to return the funds to the charity to help someone else in need. 

I feel very emotional that this service is able to help such people like myself. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. 

I just wanted to say a heartfelt thank you and the team, it will no doubt go a long way to helping me back on my feet for which I am extremely grateful for.

Oh my goodness thank you so much! You have no idea how much this means to me.
That’s AMAAAAAAAAZING!  Please, please pass on my most sincere thanks - I cannot express how much this has lifted my mood and eased my anxiety 

Omg thank you so much. Oh I'm actually crying. Thank you!

The generosity and understanding you have shown is a beautiful thing.

OMG! I cannot begin to express my gratitude! This has taken such a HUGE weight off my mind, and is really going to transform my living conditions!

I’m speechless!  An immense amount of pressure has been lifted from my mind and I can’t thank you all enough, really. Please do pass along my heartfelt thanks to all involved in the decision and have a wonderful week.

I'm overwhelmed, thank you so, so much, I've been praying for any help. This is going to make a big difference. Thank you.

Thank you so much for this update. This grant is going to make everything so much easier over the forthcoming months while I recover so I can return to work. Thank you so much for your diligence and support.

Oh my word, that is absolutely fantastic news! You have acted so quickly too. I'm quite speechless! Please thank everyone responsible for this amazing grant (my wife also says thank you!). Once again thank you to everyone there for making my day, week, month and year!

That is amazing news, thank you so much. We are so grateful for this support and humbled by this generosity