Charities benefit: CUDECA and Donkey Dreamland

Maureen Thomson, a British resident of Benalmadena since 1998, died suddenly in 2020. Maureen had not left a will so her sister, Liz Thomson was left to deal with her estate which included 2 properties.

According to the Citizens Advice Bureau website: foreigners have the choice to apply either the law of nationality or the law of habitual residence to their succession. The habitual residency choice leaves many inconsistencies as to whether your habitual residence is in the country of residence or the country you were most associated with at time of death. For those who die intestate in Spain, the estate will be executed under Spanish law.

Eventually, Liz learned that she could gift the properties to charity without first inheriting them. So, given that Maureen was an avid supporter of Cudeca and also loved animals, especially donkeys, the 2 properties were divided between the charities Cudeca and Donkey Dreamland.

Cudeca’s Director of Finance, Rafael Olalla, said, “Maureen’s sister, Liz, has donated a beautiful apartment to us. We are extremely grateful for her generosity as inheritances are a fundamental source of our income”. A spokesperson for the donkey charity added, “Gestures like this enable us to go on giving care to our donkeys”.

Liz said, “I think she’d be very pleased with my decision. I have tried to do the right thing, to honour her memory and her spirit. In death she has given something back to the country in which she spent the greater part of her life”.