Thinking about gifts and wills

Who is this guide for?

You may be thinking of giving or leaving a gift for a variety of reasons. Perhaps:

• You would like to support a friend or relative with a learning disability who lives in a UK Camphill community
• You want to support a particular community, perhaps they are supporting a friend or relative of yours now, or did so in the past

• You have come into contact with Camphill in some other way and would like to recognise the great work that communities do by supporting Camphill “in general”

… or there may well be other reasons.

Why is this guide necessary?

• There are some very important reasons why it may cause problems if you give or leave money directly to a relative or friend with a learning disability. This guide will not give you legal advice, but it will briefly explain why we recommend that before you make any gift to a relative or friend with a learning disability or leave them money in a will you should take specialist legal advice from someone with experience of dealing with learning disability issues.

• Camphill is not an organisation. It is a broad movement and there are many different Camphill organisations in the UK and even more worldwide. It can be very confusing, even for people who have a good knowledge of the communities, the charities and other Camphill organisations. If you are considering a gift, a regular donation or leaving something in your will, it is important that your gift goes to the place you intend it to go.