Legacy values have continued their slow and steady decline, but are likely to return to growth over the coming months, according to research released today.

Legacy values for the 42 charities which form the Legacy Monitor fell by £11m in year-on-year terms in the year ending March 2010, but the rate of decline has slowed significantly. The total amount brought in by legacies to the Legacy Monitor charities fell by 1.2 per cent over the year, but remain significantly below the highs achieved in the year to March 2008.

“There is a sense that perhaps the worst is over now,” said Meg Abdy, director of Legacy Foresight. “We do think that [legacies] will pick up again in the second half of this year.”

Abdy added that the fall in legacy income had not been as dire as some had predicted at the onset of the recession.

While the number of pecuniary gifts continue to rise, their average value continues to also steadily rise by 7 per cent a year, now standing at an average of £3,500. Residual legacy values, meanwhile, have stabilised at around £52,000.

Abdy said, however, that performance varies “a lot” between the Legacy Monitor consortium charities, with health charities such as Alzheimer’s Society seeing less or no fall in legacy values, while others report bigger declines.