THERE are dozens of different ways people might decide to give to charity.

The old fashioned coins in a pot on a pub bar or shop counter is still not to be sniffed at, via direct debit straight from a bank account on the first of every month or even giving sponsorship money as a friend, colleague or family member gears up for a zany or gruelling fundraising event.

For some people, donating while they are alive is not enough and they elect to leave their estates to their favourite causes once they pass away.

Legacy donations are the lifeblood of certain charities and they would not be able to go on without the, often sizeable, lump sums given to them upon the death of a supporter.

But leading law firm Birkett Long have sounded a warning to charities to be wary of money left to them following a high-profile Supreme Court case where a woman's decision to leave her £486,000 estate to three animal charities rather than her estranged daughter was challenged.

Melita Jackson's choice was contested by daughter Heather Ilott who was as awarded £50,000 by a district judge, which was increased to £160,000 by the Court of Appeal.

The charities themselves appealed the decision, which was overturned by the Supreme Court who restored the original award.

Birkett Long partner Amanda Smallcombe said: "Although the Supreme Court approved the county court decision to give Mrs Ilott money from the her mother’s estate in spite of their estrangement, the court did, in fact, take into account the deceased’s wishes to leave the money to charity, which will no doubt please many.

“However, these claims remain particularly difficult to predict and are very dependent on their own facts.

"The court had to confine itself to the question of whether the appeal should be allowed and the original order reinstated.

"The judgement confirmed that there were, in fact, a range of alternative outcomes which would also have been justifiable and therefore provides only limited clarity.

“The Supreme Court did stress the importance for charities of legacies in people’s wills.

"However, local charities still need to be aware that adult children who are left out or receive only a small amount under a will may still seek to bring a claim.”

Rosie Catford, who runs Wild Lives Animal Sanctuary in Thorrington said the charity often receives donations from the estates of people she has never heard of which gives her organisation a massive boost.

She said: "We have had a number of people leave money to us who we have never heard of and we don't know.

"I think a large part of that is the support we get from The Gazette when we have stories about unusual animals and things like that.

"Much larger charities have legacy departments but we do see the odd £5,000 here, £1,000 here and £500 there which keeps us going really.

"It is nothing major like big charities but every little bit really does help.

"They are few and far between but we do appreciate it.

"Most of the time when we are left something it is when money is split between three or four different charities and often it is quite noticeable we are the smallest of the bunch - the little guys."

Jonathan Moore, chief executive of Age Concern Colchester said although his organisation does not benefit from legacies a massive amount, he believed living legacies were the way forward.

He said: "Having just moved into this role, legacy donations are not something which form a substantial amount of our income.

"However having worked across charities I think it is a very important part of the mix of how they are funded.

"I think from an Age Concern point of view, this story shows how important it is to look after and maintain relationships with the older people you know.

"Legacies are a very important thing for lots of people.

"When you come towards the end of your life you take stock about what you have done and what is important to you and often people might select a charity they believe in and wish to support.

"My own belief is something called living legacies, where people are making these donations while they are alive.

"That way they are able to see the difference their donations can make to the charity they want to support."