Legacy Gifts and in Memoriam

Leave a gift in your will

You may wish to bequest a gift to Compton Verney in your will. As well as supporting us, charitable legacies can be beneficial from an estate tax standpoint, as leaving at least 10% of your estate to charities decreases the amount of inheritance tax on your estate.

Making a gift to us allows you to share some of your lifetime achievements with us, as well as make a real impact on the future success of the art gallery and park. With a gift in your will, you can choose to support us more generally, or you can specify specific aspects of Compton Verney that most reflect your interests and passions, such as: sponsoring exhibitions, preserving collections, restoring and maintaining the park or supporting our educational and events programmes.

By informing us that you have left a gift in your will, you will also be treated as a life-time donor and have access to a range of exclusive benefits.

In-memoriam

You can also nominate Compton Verney to receive donations in lieu of flowers, if our gallery holds fond and special memories for a loved one.

Elizabeth Coxon was a primary school teacher who treasured her garden, her friends and visiting places like Compton Verney. When Elizabeth planned for the future, she wanted to make sure that through her will she could make a difference to other people’s lives and felt that a small independent charity such as Compton Verney might need help to do just that. Her legacy has allowed us to transform our Folk Art galleries for the enjoyment of all our visitors, young and old. In thanks, the Coxon Reading Room, named in her memory, will be part of the galleries forever.

One of our benefactors explains why she will be remembering Compton Verney in her will:

‘It took me a long time to get round to writing my will: this was partly indolence, partly the fear of tempting fate but largely, because I have little remaining family, so there was a determination to get it right, enabling any legacies I was able to make to somewhere I admire and where I could be confident that they would be well used.

Compton Verney fits the bill: I’ve enjoyed its art and landscape for many years, but what sets it apart for me is that it’s an institution with a human face. The staff are warm, friendly and knowledgeable and I became aware of their strengths some while ago when visiting with my elderly, wheelchair-bound mother. She discussed her love of art and trees with Sigrid Holmwood who was working in the gallery at the time and was subsequently touched to receive a small oil sketch of a Compton Verney tree. It brightened her final months in a nursing home.

Compton Verney has vision, combines conservation with challenge, and I hope that my legacy will help sustain a long and happy future that will give pleasure to other visitors.’

Another explains:

‘When I bring friends to Compton Verney they are always impressed by how professional it is. This extends across the permanent exhibits; the special exhibitions; the parkland; educational activities; relations with the armed forces; and outreach to the local community. Much has been achieved, but much remains to be done’

Peter Ashley-Smith was a great supporter of Compton Verney’s educational programme. Thanks to contributions made at his funeral, we have been able to develop a sensory wall in our café area for visitors with special needs. Compton Verney is indebted to Gillian Ashley-Smith for choosing to honour his memory in this way.

For more information on the above, please contact our Development Team: development@comptonverney.org.uk or call 01926 645500