Leave a legacy for Barn Owls

Memory Tree

Our Memory Tree – legacies and donations ‘in memoriam‘ are recorded with a handmade wooden leaf.

Leaving gifts to charity in your Will:

Why we need your legacy

Legacies provide us with essential funds to carry out our educational and conservation work and run our owl sanctuary and are an extremely important part of our income.

Make a donation in Memoriam

Many people now ask their families and friends to make a donation to charity rather than send flowers to a funeral. You may like to suggest that donations are made to the Barn Owl Trust in your memory.

We will remember

Each legacy or donation in memory, is marked with a leaf on our Memory TreeThis beautiful nine foot high wooden tree is a constant reminder of all those that have remembered the Trust with a bequest or for whom we have received donations in memoriam.

If you’d like more information about leaving a legacy or donating in memory to the Barn Owl Trust, please contact our Legacy Officer, Sam Tully on sam@barnowltrust.org.uk.

LLP Wildlife Tower 2012

John Woodland’s donation provides a potential home for a huge range of wildlife.

How legacies and donations in memory have benefitted wildlife

In 2001 our first large legacy came from Vivien Lennon. We used this to purchase land (26 acres) adjoining our offices and create the Lennon Legacy Project (LLP) which we manage for Barn Owls and other wildlife.

Legacies from Major Charles Oakley and Florence Parsons enabled us to add two large ponds, the Oakley Pond and the Flo Pond, to the LLP, increasing the biodiversity of the site.

Our Wildlife Tower was constructed in 2010 in memory of Friend of the Trust, John Woodland. It now provides a lasting home for a wide variety of insects, amphibians, bats and birds.

LLP Solar panels and volunteers who erected the fence [David Ramsden]

The solar panels were paid for with a legacy from Peggy May Fullman. They paid for all of the electricity we used last year.

Following a legacy from Norman Alderson we were able to build a much needed Meeting Room in 2011.

In 2012, a legacy from Peggy May Fullman provided an array of Solar Panels. These generate some of the electricity we use and also raise funds for the Trust.

Where there is a Will there is a way….

Legacies help us to plan ahead and take on major projects – habitat improvement in areas where Barn Owls are struggling to survive due to lack of food and places to nest; educational resources for both adults and children; research projects to improve our understanding of the species… the list goes on. There are so many things we’d like to do if the funding were available.

Leaving a legacy to the Barn Owl Trust is a very worthwhile way to make a difference and to be remembered in years to come. This is, after all, a final opportunity to have a positive influence on the heritage we leave for future generations.


Law society gazette charity logo

Supported by The Law Society Gazette

How to leave a legacy or bequest to the Barn Owl Trust

What is a legacy?

A legacy or bequest is a gift of either money or an item that is left to someone, or an organisation, when somebody dies.

How can I leave a legacy?

The best way to do this is by making a Will in which you specify what you wish to leave and to whom. Just telling someone or an organisation that you are going to leave them an amount or a gift when you die is not enough. Your wishes need to be clearly set out on paper (preferably in a Will) so that those you leave behind can follow your instructions easily.

How to make a Will

Lennon Legacy Project Llp Aerial Flowers

We used our first large legacy to purchase 26 acres of land and set up the Lennon Legacy Project.

There are various ways you can make a Will:

The details you will need to leave a gift/legacy to the Trust are:

Barn Owl Trust, Waterleat, Ashburton, Devon TQ13 7HU and our registered charity number: 299 835

Already made a Will?

Memory Tree Leaves

If you already have a Will and wish to leave the Trust a legacy, you can simply add a Codicil to your existing Will. A solicitor can advise you on this.

A lasting record of your generous gift

As a thank you, and as a permanent reminder of the contribution that you or your loved one has made to the important work of Barn Owl and wildlife conservation, every legacy and donation in memory is recorded for posterity with a hand-made wooden leaf on our Memory Tree – find out more.