Around 17 per cent of people aged over 60 say they have included a charitable donation in their wills, according to recent research - more than twice the number of people who have historically left a legacy.

The figures appear in a study by Remember A Charity, a not-for-profit organisation which encourages legacy giving.

Previous research in 2013 found that 14 per cent of people planned to leave a legacy.

Remember A Charity figures show that 7 per cent of people have historically left a legacy.

Remember A Charity conducted a survey of 2,000 adults aged between 45 and 60 plus, one in six people have included a donation in their will while 35 per cent who haven’t say that they would consider doing so.

Rob Cope, director of Remember A Charity (pictured), said: “It is fantastic to see that one in six have already included a charity in their will and twice as many would consider doing so. This tells us there is far greater potential still to be met when it comes to growing legacies.

“People know they can give in this way and many are willing, but there is a need to normalise this form of giving and ensure that it becomes a regular part of the discussion when planning a person’s inheritance or will.”

Remember A Charity’s research also found that, of those surveyed, 22 per cent of over 60s do some form of charitable volunteering.