Leave a Legacy

After ensuring that your family and those who matter most to you are properly provided for in your will, you may wish to remember a favourite charity whose work you have appreciated and valued during your lifetime.

Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft is an independent charity that does not receive any regular government or local authority funding so legacies are hugely important to its future.

“Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft holds a unique collection of objects related to the artists and craftspeople who came to the village from the beginning of the 20th century onwards. Seeing these objects in the context they were made is a rare opportunity to understand more deeply the motivation and philosophy of the people who produced them.

The story of the artistic community in Ditchling is an ongoing one. The art and craft techniques brought to the village by the original creative arrivals are still very much still alive today, and the museum has a key role in supporting contemporary artists and makers and using our collection for inspiration, teaching and research. Keeping this unique heritage safe and available for future generations is a key part of our role and we offer hands on opportunities to learn new skills from family drop ins to master classes for professionals. Artists and makers in residence bring an added dimension to our offer, showcasing contemporary practice in the disciplines represented in our collection.

We want to increase the accessibility of our collection, digitising objects and making more information available online, provide more interactive information in the museum for visitors, and create replica objects and samples for handling, to enable visitors to have a tactile experience.

We see the museum as a resource with a social purpose as well. In the heart of the village community, we offer early years sessions, an after-school club, free social crafting afternoons for people socially isolated in the surrounding rural area, and are starting to work with learning disabled adults on a social enterprise. We want to expand this offer to enable more people to access what we have to offer without barriers.” Stephanie Fuller, Museum Director

A Lasting Gift

Leaving a legacy doesn’t cost you anything during your lifetime, and your legacy gift is not subject to inheritance tax.

There are three main types of legacy:

– A pecuniary legacy is a specific sum of money, for example £5,000

– A specific legacy is a gift of something other than money.

– A residuary legacy is the amount of the money left after all debts, expenses, taxes and other specific legacies have been distributed.

A gift of the total or a share of your residuary estate is often the preferred way of defining a legacy because it will not lose its value over time.

You should always seek the advice of a Solicitor to ensure that your wishes will be met. If you have already made a will, then ask your Solicitor about making a codicil which is adding an instruction to an existing will.

If you would like to speak to the Director Stephanie Fuller about leaving a legacy to the museum please email steph@ditchlingmuseumartcraft.org.uk or call the museum on 01273 844744 ex 7.

Thank you for your support of the work of the museum.

Ditchling Museum of Art & Craft
Lodge Hill Lane, Ditchling, East Sussex, BN6 8SP. Tel: 01273 844744
Charity Number 1126970