Gifts In Wills

Great Tits

Will you give songbirds a future with a gift in your Will?

After you have remembered your loved ones in your will, choosing to leave a lasting legacy is a powerful way to protect the future of our songbirds.

It won’t just enable critical scientific research today, but will continue to make a difference after you have gone, ensuring a world rich with the sound of songbirds.

Discover our PromisesDownload will guide

Why leave a gift in your Will to SongBird Survival?

One-third of our research programme is made possible by gifts in wills and in-memory collections. Without legacies we would not be able to continue our work.

Your gift will:

Discover our Promises
  • Help create the scientific evidence to fully understand the complex reasons why songbird numbers are crashing
  • Enable us to invest in long term research projects which will find solutions to save songbirds
  • Help us develop educational programmes to encourage people to get involved and take practical action to protect birds

You can order a free information pack, containing all the practical information you need about remembering SongBird Survival in your Will, by filling out the form below.

order nowdownload pdf

How to add a gift to your will

To add SongBird Survival to your will you need our name, address and registered charity number:

Charity name: SongBird Survival

Charity address: PO Box 311, Diss. IP22 1WW

Charity Number: 1085281 (England & Wales)

If you have any questions, please contact Georgina Bradley:
[email protected]

Write your will for free today

Make a Will Online logo

Write or update your Will for free with SongBird Survival’s free online Will writing service.

We have partnered with makeawillonline.co.uk, to offer a free solicitor checked online wills service for our members and supporters. There’s no obligation to leave a gift to SongBird Survival in your Will, but we hope you may consider it.

How does it work?
1. Click the Start your Will button below
2. Answer the simple online questionnaire
3. Review your answers on the summary screen
4. Your Will is then checked by a solicitor
5. Your Will is emailed to you with full instructions on next steps

start your will

To help us with our campaign, the details of your gift will be shared with us: your name, your contact details, the amount of any gift and the date you made the will.

We may contact you to thank you, and to keep you updated with information about us and how your gift will help the future of songbirds.

You can make a will and leave a legacy to us without sharing this information by paying for the will directly yourself - click here for full details.

We'd like to thank you!

If you have already included a gift in your will to SongBird Survival, or intend to in the future, we would love to hear from you. Not only will this information allow us to plan for the future but more importantly it means that we can thank you, personally, for your generous pledge.

Get in touch

Remember a Charity

Remember a Charity logo

SongBird Survival is proud to be a member of Remember a Charity, a UK wide network of Charities, Solicitors and other Partners - all working together to highlight the importance of gifts in wills and how easy it is for anyone to remember a cause close to their heart.

We'd like to thank you!

If you have already included a gift in your will to SongBird Survival, or intend to in the future, we would love to hear from you. Not only will this information allow us to plan for the future but more importantly it means that we can thank you, personally, for your generous pledge.

Get in touch

Giving In Memory

Donating or fundraising in someone's memory is a very special and meaningful way to remember them – honouring their life whilst helping to create a world full of birdsong.

We're always incredibly grateful to receive these donations and thank you for choosing to support SongBird Survival, at this time.There are different ways you can support SongBird Survival in support of someone close to you.

However you decide to remember them, this will be a special way to celebrate their life in a way that makes you both proud.

learn more

your stories

Michelle's niecesMichelle's robins

Aunty Michelle

Michelle’s family fondly remembers her as someone who found immense joy in nature, particularly in the wildlife that visited her garden. Her love for robins began in her childhood, inspired by her grandparent’s resident robin. She cherished the moments spent with her grandad, watching the robin feed, and could always spot them in her great-grandma’s garden.

This love for robins never faded, even as her work life became demanding. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Michelle began working from home full-time. One day, she spotted a robin on her fence, rekindling her childhood love for these birds. A visit to her grandparent’s grave, where a robin appeared as they chatted, deepened her connection.

Michelle, aware of her poor prognosis due to breast cancer and a recent pancreatic cancer diagnosis, found solace in these moments. Determined to attract robins to her garden, Michelle set up various bird feeders, overcoming the challenge of finding squirrel-proof ones. Soon, a robin appeared, and Michelle delighted in watching it daily.

She shared pictures with her nieces, Lottie and Ella, and the robin, along with its mate, became a regular visitor. They even raised their young in her garden, bringing joy to Michelle and her family.

Michelle’s nieces adore robins just as their Aunt Michelle did. Michelle had told them she would come back as a robin, a sentiment that brought comfort after her passing.  

Lottie and Ella continue to find joy in spotting robins along canal paths and in Michelle’s garden. The garden, a haven for various birds including hedgehogs, blackbirds, sparrows, magpies, pigeons, crows, goldfinches, a wren, a goshawk, and even a woodpecker, became a place of wonder for the girls.

They share pictures of robins they spot with their family, helping everyone cope better after Michelle’s passing. Each robin sighting feels like a magical reminder of Michelle watching over them.

Nature’s beauty, as Michelle’s legacy shows, is something we all need to take time to appreciate. Lottie and Ella, her nieces, will undoubtedly carry on Michelle’s love for robins throughout their lives.

Wren singing - SongBird Survival

David Douglas

David's daughter called to tell us that they had remembered SongBird Survival with a collection at his funeral as it was a cause so close to his heart. 

She told me about his passion for songbirds and his work helping wildlife and teaching about it on their award-winning farm on the Sussex downs.  

To highlight his love of nature they included “Songbird” by Eva Cassidy in the funeral service. This was to be sung by their friend and neighbour, the soprano, Charlotte Shaw – who would practice outside David’s window and serenade him with her beautiful song.

The family expected everyone at the funeral to feel the poignancy of this melancholy song. Bad timing meant that Charlotte was unable to attend the funeral in person – so she sent a CD of her song to be played instead.  

The funeral directors somehow managed to break the CD on the day.  The organist stepped up to the mark and played a rendition of the song; unfortunately, so badly that the congregation was brought to tears with laughter. 

David’s daughter admitted to me that he would have loved this catalogue of errors and would be loving the ridiculousness of it all and it all ended up being a perfectly fitting tribute to a wonderful man with a big heart. 

nightingale singing

Victoria Joyce

Victoria was an avid bird lover, she particularly loved nightingales, she thought them the most beautiful tiny birds with the most melodic song and was deeply concerned with the decline in their numbers due to the many challenges they, and other songbirds face.

Her father John told us how she spent many hours listening to and recording songbirds, and for her birthday last year, she requested that her friends and family donate to SBS instead of giving gifts.

After Victoria's recent passing, her sister Claire started a birthday fundraiser on Facebook to ask for donations for us in lieu of birthday gifts. Victoria's children, Katrina and Adam, also set up a fundraising page through MuchLoved.com and invited friends and family to donate.

They all chose SBS as the beneficiary knowing how much it would have meant to Victoria to be able to raise funds for a cause which had been so close to her heart.

With the most generous donations from their friends and family, Claire, Katrina and Adam were collectively able to raise a staggering £1,554.26. Such a fantastic amount which honours Victoria's name and will contribute directly to our continued research into the causes of the decline of her cherished nightingales and other threatened songbirds.

This will be a wonderful way to remember Victoria, and, we hope, brings some comfort to Victoria's friends and family at an incredibly sad time

Bruce's donation box

Bruce Cowe

Bruce was a long time supporter of SBS. An active member who regularly regaled friends and family about SBS and the work we do.

Sadly we received messages from his family advising he had died at home, surrounded by his family, aged 86. Having spoken with him on the phone before I had not realised his age. I do remember long chats about birds, interspersed with good natured jokes and some great stories from his life. He seemed like a wonderful man and I was very sad to hear of his passing.

The family were very keen for Bruce’s support for SBS to continue with his funeraland set up an in memory collection with us. They asked for leaflets and newsletters so they could give them out at the funeral so everyone could know about the cause. They even had special nest box shaped collection boxes made for use on the day. We set up an online donation page as well as the cash and cheques they collected at the funeral.

In total over £2,600 was raised; an amazing sum to remember a lovely man. I asked the family if they would like the funds to be used for any specific purpose and they were pleased to be able to support the education of young people in their local area as this would be the perfect way to remember Bruce; since he had always tried to educate those around him on the subject.   

These funds allowed us to attend their local area for the next two years and educate over 2,500 children. I have since met some of his lovely family in person and they have all promised to join the charity as members in Bruce’s memory.

other ways to donate