BES Facebook pageRemember the British Ecological Society in your Will
If you are thinking about making or amending your will, naturally your friends and family will always be foremost in your thoughts. After this, if there is room, please consider leaving a legacy to the British Ecological Society to help ensure that it can continue to advance the science of ecology and to make it count.
Why give money to the British Ecological Society?
Ecology's purpose is to provide knowledge about the way the world works and provide evidence on the interdependence between the natural world and people. Never before has this understanding been so important. A better understanding of ecological systems will allow society to predict the consequences of human activity on the environment.
Established in 1913 by professional ecologists to promote and foster the study of ecology in its widest sense, the BES is well placed to support areas of excellence and most need within the field of Ecology. Over the past 100 years the BES has developed and supported activities to do this.
Every year there are more worthwhile projects than funds available and so every donation will count.
To see where some of the BES funds are used, have a look at our current Grants and Awards Portfolio website.
To view an Adobe Acrobat.pdf version of the BES Legacy leaflet you can downloaded this from here.
We have put together some guidance notes for download but also feel free to contact our offices for more information on giving to the BES and or visit the Frequently Asked Questions webpage.
The UK budget announcement in March 2011 stated that those leaving more than 10% of their estate to charity will see their inheritance tax reduced by 10% from April 2012.
For more information on how your legacy could help the BES please contact the Grants Officer on 0207 685 2500 or send an email.
For additional information on making a charitable donation in your will go to www.rememberacharity.org.uk
Case studies:
An example of a residuary legacy to the BES in the recent past was from the estate of George Jackson which went towards building three houses to house researchers in the Serengeti, Tanzania as well as contributing to the BES general grants portfolio.
Serengeti Wildlife Research Centre, Tanzania
The research facility, consists of three houses and was built with funds from the estate of George Jackson (1927-2004) who spent a large part of his life as an ecologist in Malawi.
The facility was created to house qualified Tanzanian Scientists in the Serengeti so that they can maintain the long-term monitoring and research of that ecosystem. This research is both of fundamental scientific interest and provides essential information for conservation and management of this unique world heritage site. (The centre photograph above is of one of these buildings).
BES Studentship
The same residuary legacy went towards funding a three year studentship starting in 2007 at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain. This grant was created as continuation funding for Early Career Project Grant award winners, helping them carry out innovative or important research of a pure or applied nature through funding studentships under their supervision. The studentship will also develop young ecologists by helping them to carry out important research work that will result in papers being submitted for publication.
