The Hospice of St Francis has teamed up with local solicitors in a special scheme that offers people the chance to make a Will during the month of March while donating to the charity.
During Make a Will Month, participating solicitors will waive their usual fees for their standard Will writing service in return for a donation to the Hospice.
The Hospice of St Francis, which provides free care and support when it matters most for people facing life-limiting illnesses across Herts and Bucks, relies on voluntary donations for more than 80% of its over £5 million running costs.
This year, a total of 13 solicitors across Herts and Bucks are taking part – the highest number ever – making it even easier to make an appointment.
Kathryn Ainsworth, a Partner at Sumner and Tabor in Berkhamstead, said: “We are delighted to be supporting Make a Will Month. Making a will is simple and ensures peace of mind for those you care about and we would encourage anyone to use Make and Will Month to make or update their wills in return for a donation.
“Sumner and Tabor are passionate supporters of the Hospice of St Francis and the incredible work they do to help patients and their families in the community.”
Lisa Gomm, 45, from Berkhamsted, who took part in last year’s Make a Will Month, said the experience was easier and more straightforward than she expected it to be. It was the first time that Lisa, a graphic designer, and her partner Jamie Poulton, 41, had made a Will since having children.
She said: “Making a Will is something that we’d been meaning to do for years. We’re both in our 40s now and you just never know what’s going to happen. As we’re not married things can be more complicated if you don’t have a Will so we just thought we should do something about it.
“Having proper legal advice was really helpful. If you do it by yourself you don’t really know where to start but having someone to talk through all the possibilities made the whole process really easy. It’s a huge weight off our minds now we’ve done it.
“We’ve supported the Hospice for a while so knowing we could make a Will and benefit the Hospice at the same time was the incentive we needed to get it done. If you are going to pay to have your Will written, it’s good to know that the money is going to such a worthy cause.”
Last year, more than 100 people took advantage of Make a Will Month to make their Wills, raising nearly £20,000 for the Hospice.
Anna Bates, Head of Philanthropy at the Hospice, said: “Our suggested donation of at least £100 for a basic single Will or £160 for a pair of basic mirror Wills is fantastic value and goes straight towards enabling us to care for patients and families in the community.
“We are delighted that so many solicitors’ firms have chosen to take part. Their generosity makes it the perfect time to get your affairs in order, make sure your family is provided for in the future whilst also helping local families benefit from the care and support of the Hospice.”
Anyone interested should contact the solicitors directly and quote ‘The Hospice of St Francis Make a Will Month’ when making an appointment.
For more information and a full list of participating solicitors, visit www.stfrancis.org.uk/MAW or follow us on Twitter @hospicstfrancis #makeawill