Make a Will, Make a Difference
Gill Snow – Solicitor
To make an appointment, please telephone Gill Snow or Rosalind Johnson on 01580 762248 or email info@pengelly-rylands.co.uk.
During November Pengelly and Rylands will draw up basic wills, or change your existing will, free of charge in return for a donation to the Will Aid charities. The suggested donation is £75 for a single will, £110 for a pair of mirror wills and £40 for a codicil to an existing will.
Will Aid is a campaign run by nine of the UK’s best known charities; ActionAid, British Red Cross, Christian Aid, Age UK, NSPCC, Save the Children, Sightsavers International, SCIAF (Scotland) and Trocaire (Northern Ireland). A donation of £110 could, according to Will Aid, pay for six children with cataracts to have an operation to restore their sight and £40 could pay for water purification tablets for 26 families.
Last year Will Aid, which has been running since 1988, raised £1.25m. in donations, £2,500 of which came from Pengelly and Rylands. All this money was used to make a real difference to the lives of people in the UK and all over the world.
According to Rosalind Johnson, Head of the Private Client Department at Pengelly and Rylands “we are happy to offer our time and expertise for free during Will Aid month as we believe that more people should make wills and this is a great opportunity to protect your family’s future at the same time as donating to a really good cause.”
Although making a will is a straightforward way of protecting your family and loved ones, it is estimated that two thirds of the adult population do not have one. It is recommended that anyone with any assets makes a will, but if you are unmarried or have young children it is particularly important.
If someone dies intestate, that is without making a will, their assets are distributed according to the laws of intestacy, which means that close friends and partners may be left out. In the worst case the Treasury is entitled to the assets of an intestate person with no relatives. Not making a will can result in real hardship for your family and delays in administering your estate which can lead to further distress. A will can also appoint guardians to look after young children if you and your partner or spouse were both to die.
Even when you have made a will, it is important that it is kept up to date so that it suits your current circumstances. Small changes can be made by way of a codicil but for major alterations it is advisable that a new will is prepared.
Published November 2010
