However, if you fail to make a Will before your death, the government states that the first £250,000 of your estate goes to your spouse, with your remaining wealth being divided between any children. Making a Will enables you to decide who you would like to remember, and for an increasing number of people gives them the opportunity to leave money to a favourite charity.
This November solicitors up-and-down the country, including dozens in
Norfolk, will be volunteering their time to help people pen their Wills, allowing a suggested donation of £90 (for a single Will), to be donated to nine of the UK’s leading charities:
ActionAid, Age UK, British Red Cross, Christian Aid, NSPCC, Save The Children and
Sightsavers.
Every £90 donation to Christian Aid could provide a five-day training course for four farmers in
Kenya, including training materials, allowing them to develop much needed skills and learn how to grow crops in challenging drought prone areas.
It could provide training for a community animal health worker in
Ethiopia, so that they can give health advice and other basic care to livestock in rural communities where animals are essential to people’s livelihoods. Or it could provide eight families in
Zimbabwe with drought resistant seeds, ensuring their next harvest provides them with enough food to last through the year.
Christian Aid’s Legacy Manager,
Alison Linwood said: “Making a Will is one of the most important things we can do to first protect those we love, as well as remembering the causes that are important to us. Will Aid offers an opportunity for people across the UK to have their Will professionally written and then contribute to the Will Aid charities. These donations make an incredible difference to the families and communities that Christian Aid supports, empowering them with the tools and training they need to lift their family out of poverty.”
To find a participating solicitor, visit
www.willaid.org.uk/find, or call 0300 0300 013. Appointments are made directly with the solicitor directly.