Wirral Life February 2019 | Page 14

W L APRIL IS 'MAKE A WILL' MONTH FOR WIRRAL HOSPICE ST JOHN'S Wirral Hospice St John’s has formed partnerships with a number of local solicitors who are all willing to draw up Wills at their own expense throughout April. However, the solicitors are requesting that individuals make a fair donation to the Hospice in return for this service, which is a suggested minimum donation of £80 for a basic single Will and £150 for a double Will. Appointments need to be booked in advance with each of the participating solicitors. Slots will fill up very quickly; early booking is advised so as not to be disappointed! Making a legally valid Will is one of the most important things you can do to ensure that your loved ones are provided for when you are no longer around to look out for them. Many people do not want to consider making a Will yet or think that they will get to it another time. It can usually cost in the region of £150+ for a single Will and £250+ for a double Will. More complex estates, for example those involving several properties, savings accounts or business assets can take much longer to work on and can be more expensive. In this country, if your wishes are not drawn up officially then legally your assets are at the mercy of the government, which could leave behind big problems for your loved ones that could take many years to sort out. If you are a homeowner and have children it is even more important to have a Will in place. The law does not recognise unmarried couples either so if one of you dies suddenly without a Will, your 14 wirrallife.com partner could be left without anything. You may already have a Will in place but if major changes have happened in your life, such as marriage, having children, divorce, death of a loved one, then it can make aspects or all of a current Will invalid. Wirral Hospice St John’s provides specialist care and support to patients, their carers and families across Wirral. The Hospice’s care is free to our patients but costs more than £5 million a year to run. Legacies are a vital part of our fundraising and help us to provide care and support for future patients and their loved ones at their time of most need. It really varies what people have left us in their Wills and we are always so grateful for whatever people choose to donate to us however small they might think that gift is. Julia Evans, Fundraising Development Manager at Wirral Hospice St Johns said: "If you use one of the firms of solicitors supporting our Make a Will Month, there is absolutely no obligation at all to leave a gift in your Will to the Hospice in addition to making a donation towards the cost of the Will-writing service. If you choose to do so though, it is at your discretion and the solicitor is not allowed to inform the Hospice or any other charity you might wish to support after your lifetime." To find out more information and a list of participating solicitors please visit www.wirralhospice.org or contact Julia Evans on 0151 343 0778 or email [email protected].