ifeline Legacies are a vital element of the RNLI's funding, particularly for long-term capital expenditure. With signs of a decline in this source of income we examine the ways in which a legacy can indeed offer a lifeline to casualties of the future When Sir William Hillary launched his 'Appeal to the British Nation' in 1824, he could scarcely have imagined that more than 170 years later the Institution he founded would be preparing to meet the challenge of saving life at sea into the second millennium - and of maintaining the level of funds necessary to meet that challenge in a world which had changed beyond all imagining.

Yet that is precisely the situation which the RNLI is in today as a new generation of 25-knot, all- 'weather boats goes on station around the coasts of the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Although these new Severn and Trent class lifeboats will reduce the time taken to reach casualties their design, development and construction will require an investment of some £130m Construction of the new generation of 25 knot lifeboats will require an investment of £130m..

over the next few years. Maintaining these new boats, providing the facilities needed ashore and equipping their crews will add further to the amount of funds required.

Meanwhile, nothing stands still and the Institution's designers are already at work on the development of more new lifeboats, the next project being the replacement for the current slipway-launched Tynes when they reach the end of their service lives.

It is this long-term commitment which makes the RNLI's situation unique - it is committing itself to heavy expenditure to ensure that an efficient lifeboat service is not only available today, but also in the foreseeable future. Yet to do this it must be able to rely on a secure source of equally long-termAlthough 'super-legacies', ones that can fund an entire lifeboat, hit the headlines, it is not surprising that the majority of bequests are much more modest. This, of course, makes them very valuable to the RNLI, as they can be used for many different purposes, perhaps topping up a local appeal to provide the balance of the cost of a much needed lifeboat, or to fund particular items such as engines or navigational aids.

For example, in 1993 the appeal for the Arbroath lifeboat Inchcape raised £232,081, which although a very creditable amount was far short of the cost of a Mersey class lifeboat. The balance of £365,747 needed to fund and provide this much needed lifeboat was secured by grouping together 13 legacies with an average value of just over £28,000.

The Swanage lifeboat Robert Charles Brown, named after a local lifeboat hero who served in the crew for over 50 years, was also funded in this way. Nine legacies provided 45% of the total cost, with among them a bequest of £500 which paid for a portable VHP radio.

Research undertaken for the RNLI suggests that fewer supporters will be able to leave large legacies, and the rising costs of building lifeboats will also make individually funded boats less common. We can therefore expect to see even more lifeboats paid for by groups of relatively modest legacies.By coincidence the 'News' pages of this issue of THE LIFEBOAT announces one of the so-called 'super legacies', one large enough to fund all, or virtually all of a new lifeboat.

With Trents now costing £1 m each and the larger Severns now needing £1.4m to put afloat the number of whole-boat legacies is likely to fall, as is the number contributing more than the 50% traditionally needed to choose the lifeboat's name.

However the estimated £1m left to the Institution by the world-girdling yachtswoman Susan Hiscock will ensure that the name Wanderer, carried by every one of the cruising yachts owned by herself and her late husband Eric will live on - on a Severn or Trent.

Susan and Eric Hiscock were well known to the yacht cruising fraternity, with several circumnavigations under their belts, and were authors of many books recounting their travels which were often considered 'bibles' for those who emulated them.

funding, which has traditionally been provided by legacies - gifts in the wills of supporters.

Although subscriptions and donations from members make a tremendous contribution to funding the lifeboat service, it is a fact that 60% of the funds needed to maintain the service are thanks to gifts supporters have made after their lifetime.

With the number of lifeboat launches increasing with every passing year and need to provide modern lifeboats and equipment into the future the importance of legacy gifts continues to increase.

It was therefore quite disconcerting for the RNLI to discover that legacy income had fallen by some 4% during 1994, and that the decline has increased during 1995. This may not sound like a huge fall, but due to the importance of legacies to the Institution - particularly for long-term funding - it is a significant drop. In monetary terms it means that the RNLPs 1995 income could be some £4m down on 1994. Put another way, £4m is three new all-weather lifeboats or 65 new Atlantic 75 rigid inflatables! Fortunately the Institution's finances are sound enough to avoid any cutbacks in service - which have already been forced on other charities in a similar situation - but if the decline in legacy income continues the RNLI could be forced to dip into its reserves as early as this year or next.

At the moment it is not known whether the fall is merely a 'blip' or the harbinger of a continuing decline, affected by factors as diverse as falling property values and increased life expectancy.

However, the importance of legacies to the RNLI's life-saving work means that it is crucially important to be able to predict accurately what level of legacy income the Institution can expect to receive in the future - which explains why members received a letter on the subject in their previous issue of THE LIFEBOAT.

The purpose of the letter was to establish whether or not RNLI supporters were planning to leave a legacy to the Institution in their will - and asked whether they would give an idea of their intentions, anonymously of course.

The response was staggering and, to date, more than 14,000 replies have been received, more than a third of them positive. Although the Institution was very pleased to hear how many supporters intended to leave it a legacy, the information from those who had, as yet, made no plans was almost as valuable, as information on the number of legacies which can, or cannot, be expected in the years to come will be a great help to financial planning.

The letter was not intended as a fundraising exercise, but the replies included enquiries from a substantial number of supporters asking for more information on how to make a gift to the RNLI in their will. As a result a new booklet, called 'Preserving All You Value', has been written — in plain English and designed to help all members wishing to help secure the future of the lifeboat service in this way.

The booklet contains all the information necessary to make a will - or to update one - including suggested wordings for the main types of legacy. It aims to include everything needed when preparing to visit a solicitor.

'Preserving All You Value' is free, and can be obtained from the address given in the box on this page.

As well as containing 'legal' information - including the circumstances in which it becomes necessary to bring an existing will up to date - the booklet also includes a wealth of material about the history of the RNLI, together with some startling illustrations of how costs have risen over the years since Sir William Hillary's appeal.

For instance, even as late as 1895, the entire costs of running the service for a whole year amounted to just £75,000. Now, some £170,000 is required to keep the lifeboat fleet operational for a single day. Even allowing for inflation this demonstrates clearly how times have changed and the level of support a modern and technologically advanced lifeboat service needs.

The RNLI, as ever, depends entirely on voluntary contributions, and legacy gifts and pledges will continue to be needed to take the RNLI into the new millennium and to maintain the lifeboat service not only today and in the next few years but also into the foreseeable future.

Copies of the booklet 'Preserving All You value' can be obtained free of charge from the following 'Freepost' address - no stamp is required: John Marshall, Legacy Enquiries Officer, RNLI, FREEPOST, West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset BH15 1BR..