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Wills Month 2024

This October, take advantage of a special offer to write or amend your Will at a heavily discounted rate. Legal professionals have generously waived their usual fees, instead asking you to make a payment directly to St Helena Hospice.

Register your interest to book an appointment

We thank our generous legal friends who we have partnered with for Wills Month. Participating solicitors and estate planners are: 

Birkett Long logo

Birkett Long

Appointments fully booked for Wills Month.

John Fowlers logo

John Fowlers

Appointments fully booked for Wills Month.

Fisher Jones Greenwood logo

Fisher Jones Greenwood

Appointments available at their offices in: Billericay, Braintree, Chelmsford, Clacton-On-Sea, Colchester, Frinton-on-Sea and Sudbury.         

CWSE logo

Countrywide South East

Appointments available at your home, at St Helena Hospice in Colchester or at their office in Brentwood.

Why you need a Will

Are you over 18 years old? Do you have children under the age of 18 years old? Have you recently got married or had a civil partnership? Separated from your spouse or civil partner? Have you got lots of assets? 

These are a few key reasons to have a Will written and kept up to date. Best practise suggests reviewing your final wishes every five years as life can change so much in a short period of time. 

How does Wills Month work? 

•    Register your interest for an appointment using the button below .

•    Our fundraising team will contact you for further details, to book a suitable location and to agree payment method.

•    Our team will book your appointment for you and will send a confirmation letter once this is confirmed with the legal professional you have chosen and upon receipt of payment. 

•    A courtesy call will be made by the fundraising team two business days prior to the appointment.

•    After your appointment, we will ask you give some honest feedback of the experience received.

Read the full FAQs at the bottom of this page.

Read our terms and conditions.

Register your interest to book an appointment

To get the most out of your appointment we recommend preparing the following:

1.    Who are your executor(s) and what are their addresses? (You can have up to four) 

2.    If you have children under 18 years, who are the agreed appointed guardians (include address)

3.    List of assets (property, shares, premium bonds, savings etc).

4.    List of obligations (outstanding mortgage balance, bank loans, over drafts – other debts)

5.    Details of gifts to be left to family and/or friends

6.    Details of any gifts for charities (do not forget the charity registered number, St Helena is 280919)

7.    Funeral wishes

If you would like to know anything further, please contact us at giftsinwills@sthelena.org.uk

We would be honoured if you remembered St Helena Hospice in your Will. Your Will could do wonders! We ask that if you do remember us in your final wishes, that you let us know, so we can say thank you.

Having a Will in place means that you can have peace of mind that you have:

•    Appointed a suitable person (an executor) to address your affairs on your behalf after you die. 

•    Got your funeral wishes recorded to ensure your wishes are as you would want.  This can be such a help to family and friends, who may be finding it a very upsetting time and unable to think clearly.  

•    Arranged for guardianship of your children that are under 18 years old; who should care for your children. Without a Will, the courts decided. 

•    Included the people and charities you want to receive your assets, and which assets they should receive.

Without a Will, Intestacy rules will be applied.

No one has a crystal ball that can tell us when we must have our affairs in order by, so please book today and have peace of mind that your family and friends will know what you want.

Do not forget to put your Will in a safe place and make sure those closest to you know where this is kept. 

If you are unable to take part in Wills Month or would like to pursue the option of a FREE Will instead, we can accommodate this option too with our partners at Octopus Legacy. 

Find out more about making a free Will

Register your interest for a Wills Month 2024 appointment

Your details

Details for the Will appointment

If yes, we will give you a call to discuss this.

Pledging a gift

Terms and conditions

Keeping in touch

We would love to stay in touch with you occasionally to keep you up to date and informed with how your support is making a difference to local people.

 

Frequently asked questions

What is Wills Month?
Wills month is a campaign run by St Helena Hospice where participating local solicitors and estate planners, waive their fee for writing a standard Will in exchange for a minimum fee to be paid by the client, in advance, to St Helena Hospice for their service.
When is Wills Month?
The Wills Month campaign period runs from 1st – 31st October 2024. 
Can I contact the participating solicitors and estate planners directly?
No. All appointments must be arranged initially through the St Helena fundraising team as agreed with the participating companies. Once the initial information has been relayed to the participating office either St Helena or the participating office will contact you directly to finalise appointment.
You will be provided a unique referral number to quote when liaising with the legal office. Failure to provide this could cause a delay.
What is the difference between a solicitor and a Will writer?
A Will writer does not require a chartered lawyer qualification.
Which solicitors and estate planners are taking part?
Appointments are limited, and on a first come, first served basis so please book early to avoid disappointment.
•    Birkett Long LLP: Colchester
•    CSWE Ltd: Totally flexible. Home visits, at St Helena Hospice (Colchester) or at their office, Brentwood.
•    Fisher Jones Greenwood LLP: Billericay, Braintree, Chelmsford, Clacton-On-Sea, Colchester, Frinton-on-Sea, Sudbury                 , 
•    John Fowlers Solicitors: Brightlingsea, Colchester, Mersea 

CWSE Ltd as estate planning consultants.
All Wills are drafted in full compliance with the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioner code (STEP). This provides their clients with peace of mind knowing that their Will preparer is doing the best possible job in helping the client plan for their future. 

The Code is a set of ethical principles that demonstrate openly the standard of transparency and service you can expect from STEP members preparing your documentation.
How much does is cost to take part?
£130 is the minimum fee required for a simple Will (saving an average across the participating professionals of £243.50)
£180 is the minimum fee for a mirrored (joint) Will (saving an average across the participating professionals of £400.50)
For both type the minimum fee shown includes VAT. 
What is not included?
The promotion is for a standard Will only. If you require a Trust(s) to be added or Powers of Attorney this will incur additional cost and to be agreed separately with the participating service provider. 
Can I give more than the minimum fee?
If you wanted to support our work further, you are welcome to give a supporting donation in additional to the fee and this would be much appreciated. 
If you are eligible to claim gift aid, we can apply it to any additional donation where applicable. 
 
When can I make an appointment?
Appointments can be made now, subject to availability and payment fee in advance.  
Visit: www.sthelena.org.uk/wills
How do I register?

Register by contacting the fundraising team by phone 01206 931468 or email enquiries@sthelena.org.uk and give your details to register. Or complete our website registration form. Alternatively, you can register when completing your response form if an appeal you have received, carries the opportunity to register via this method.  

To register when we contact you we need you to provide 

  • Address
  • Telephone  
  • Email 
  • Whether the will required is single, or joint 
  • Any preference of solicitor to use, or if you wish to use Farewill.   
How do I pay?
This is to be directly to St Helena at the time of booking the appointment. You can pay the minimum fee by:
(1) At our website www.sthelena.org.uk/donate You must quote Wills Month in the reference. 
(2) Card payment by phone 01206 931468 
(3) Cheque payable to ‘St Helena Hospice’ to be sent to Fundraising Team, St Helena Hospice, Unit 6 The Atrium, Colchester, Essex, CO4 9AS
 
Do I need to include a gift to St Helena in my Will?
We would be honoured to be considered but this is not a mandatory requirement to benefit from the promotion. 
How do I leave a gift in my will to St Helena?

It's very easy, simply provide:
•    Name:
St Helena Hospice Limited
•    Charity registration number: 280919
•     Registered address: Myland Hall, Bancroft Close, Highwoods, Colchester, Essex CO4 9JU
•    Gift details: Is it a share of the estate (known as a residuary bequest) or a set amount of money (known as a pecuniary bequest) 

Residuary gifts are a percentage of your estate after any cash gifts are taken off, here is some model wording
I give [insert percentage] of my residuary estate to St Helena Hospice (registered charity number 280919), Myland Hall, Barncroft Close, Highwoods, Colchester CO4 9JU to be applied for its general purposes. I declare that the receipt of the finance director or appropriate officer shall be a complete discharge to my trustees.

Pecuniary (Cash) Gift: these are paid out of your estate first, before any percentage gifts of what is remaining in your estate.
I give [insert amount] to St Helena Hospice (registered charity number 280919), Myland Hall, Barncroft Close, Highwoods, Colchester CO4 9JU to be applied for its general purposes. I declare that the receipt of the finance director or appropriate officer shall be a complete discharge to my trustees.
 

What happens after I register?

Once registered, we will contact you to take the minimum payment if you have not already done so via the website and to arrange availability for the appointment. 

What happens after I have attended the appointment?

Your will progresses through a draft stage and then is finalised with your agreement and once final, needs to be witnessed.

My Will is now final – what happens next?
After your appointment and once the Will has been finalised, we will ask for you to complete a brief feedback form. This is to be returned to us by post or email.
We will be in touch to thank anyone you pledged a gift to us and offer opportunities to continue to involve in our work or attend our annual thank you event.
 
 
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