Leaving a Legacy to Support

Thank You

Thank you so much for requesting information about

leaving a legacy to support English Touring Opera. As I am

sure you know, ETO relies on the support of generous,

forward-thinking people like you to ensure we can

continue providing high quality, live opera experiences to

audiences across the UK.

After you have looked after you loved ones, leaving a gift in your Will to

ETO is a fantastic way to ensure that future generations get as much

enjoyment from our work as you do.

As you will see, there are a number of different ways you can support

ETO, depending on your interests and how you would like to be

remembered. We have included some examples but this is by no means

an exhaustive list.

Leaving a legacy is an important personal decision and there is absolutely

no obligation to tell us if you decide to leave a gift to ETO. However,

should you wish to, we would be very happy to talk to you about your

wishes to ensure your legacy is used in a way that is most appropriate for

you. We also want to make sure you are properly thanked, and that your

gift is remembered for many years to come.

Leaving a legacy to support a charity is one of the most amazing things

you can do so, on behalf of everybody at ETO, thank you again for

considering supporting us in this way.

James Conway General Director

English Touring Opera is proud to support Remember a Charity.

Supporting our Productions

As a charity, all of the things you see on stage (and most of the things

hidden from sight!) have been made possible by the support we receive

from generous individuals and organisations.

There are lots of different ways you can support our productions with a

gift in your Will. For example, you might like to support:

• A whole production (possibly of an opera from a certain period, or

by your favourite composer).

• A series of productions over a longer period of time, with a

proportion of your gift being used to support a series of work over

a number of seasons.

• Particular elements of our productions, such as supporting us to

make costumes and wigs.

• The technical equipment needed to make our work possible, such

as helping us purchase and maintain our lighting and sound

equipment.

However you support our productions, you will be ensuring audiences

continue to enjoy high quality live opera for many years to come.

Supporting our Education work

Each year our education department engages thousands of people of all

ages with opera-based projects. Many of our participants are experiencing

opera for the first time.

A gift in your Will could support a wide-range of projects. For example,

your legacy could help us to:

• Commission and tour a new opera for children and young people

• Engage children with profound learning disabilities

• Work with people with dementia and their carers

Your support can be for one year, or spread a number of seasons.

Our Education projects are only made possible by the generous support of

individuals and organisations. For every project we deliver, there are

many more we are unable to complete due to lack of resources. You may

like to use your gift to underwrite projects such as this, enabling them to

get off the ground whilst we secure the necessary funding.

However you choose to support our education work, you will be helping

to provide a life-changing opportunities for people across the UK.

Supporting our Young Artists

Each year, ETO works with a large number of talented young singers,

directors, designers, conductors and composers, helping them reach the

next stage in their career.

ETO’s Young Artist Programme helps us provide additional coaching for

our artists, beyond the training they receive through rehearsals and

performances. This includes offering vocal coaching and movement

training, creating opportunities for artists to shadow our creative teams

and providing performance opportunities for young singers to showcase

their talent. It also enables us to work closely with the Royal College of

Music, offering students professional experience and the opportunity to

learn from our artists.

There are many ways you can support our Young Artist Programme in

your Will, such as supporting an annual masterclass for singers or offering

an annual bursary for a young artist to receive additional training.

However you choose to support our Young Artist Programme, you will

be benefiting artists for the rest of their careers, whilst ensuring the high

quality of ETO’s productions for many years to come.

Writing Your Will

Making a Will is not as complicated as you might think, but it is important

that it is done correctly. We recommend appointing a professional adviser

(usually a solicitor) to make sure your Will is written correctly.

Sometimes it is easiest to write a new Will. This new document makes any

Will you have made in the past void. In fact, most Wills will start by

reciting that you’re writing a Will and that you’re revoking previous Wills.

If you don’t want to do this, you can add a Codicil. A Codicil is a document

used to change a Will that has already been made. It’s used as a way to

make simple additions or amendments to an existing Will like a change in

the amount of a gift of money, or the addition of an executor or gift.

Please be aware that Codicils are not automatically cancelled when you

write a new Will, so be sure to check with your adviser.

There are different types of bequest you can leave in your Will, including:

• A pecuniary bequest – this is where you leave a fixed amount of

money. This can be index-linked to rise with inflation, to prevent the

value of the gift declining over time.

• A residuary bequest - this is where a gift is made of what is left of your

estate after all other gifts have been distributed and debts paid off.

You may leave either the total of the residue or a percentage.

• A reversionary bequest – this enables you to leave your assets to a

named beneficiary (for example your spouse) for their lifetime, with

the whole or a proportion reverting to ETO on their death.

• A specific or non monetary bequest – this allows you to leave shares,

property, stocks, pictures or furniture to ETO either on terms that they

be retained or that they may be sold when advantageous to provide

funds for ETO.

Legacy and Inheritance Tax

Did you know that leaving a gift in your Will to English Touring Opera

could help reduce your Inheritance Tax liability?

Gifts to charities such as ETO are deducted from your estate before the

amount of Inheritance Tax is calculated.

Following changes to Inheritance Tax, anybody leaving at least 10% to

charitable causes will be able to take advantage of a reduced rate in

Inheritance Tax, from its current level of 40% down to 36%. As a

registered charity (279354), gifts to ETO in your Will could be eligible.

We recommend you speak to your solicitor or financial advisor for more

information about Inheritance Tax.

More Information The Remember a Charity website has lots of useful information to help

you write a Will and leave a gift to charity, including:

• A step-by-step guide, with some of the key things to consider

when writing a Will

• A handy “Jargon Buster” to help simplify the process of writing a

Will

• Information about finding your nearest Will-writing adviser, such

as a solicitor

• A Gift Calculator to help you work out the value of your estate and

your likely Inheritance Tax liability

www.rememberacharity.org.uk

Saying Thank You

However you choose to support ETO in your Will, we would like to make

sure you are properly thanked. There are a number of ways we would like

to make you feel more engaged with our work during your lifetime, and

ensure you are remembered in the future.

This could include:

• Invitations to attend rehearsals to see how our operas go from

design to stage

• Opportunities to see first-hand how our education work benefits

people across the UK

• Crediting your support in our season programmes and on the

surtitle screens prior to performances

• The chance to name a specific bursary, project or series of work

If you would like some more information about leaving a legacy and to discuss

how your gift can help English Touring Opera, please contact David Burgess,

Head of Partnerships and Development on 0207 833 2555 or email

david.burgess@englishtouringopera.org.uk.