Actually as far as we here at Marley Solicitors are concerned, every month is Free Wills Month! But here in the UK, as with many things, there is actually an official month for that too. So for many years, March and October have been designated Free Wills Month. Many people think this is the only time you can access a free will service, but that’s not true. However here is a little more about it…
Why Free Wills Month was started
Free Wills Month was originally created to bring together a group of well-respected charities. They offered members of the public aged 55 and over the opportunity to have their simple Wills written or updated free of charge. The wills would be made using participating solicitors in locations across England, Northern Ireland and Wales. Since then that remit and scope has changed a lot. But Free Wills Month is still a great opportunity to keep the importance of having a will on people’s radar. As well as bringing well needed publicity to the charities who can benefit from it.
The general idea behind the programme is to ensure anyone can benefit from having a simple will created for them. And it absolutely is totally free of charge. The concept means that it will cost you nothing at the point of creation. But when you pass, you’ll support a worthy cause that’s dear to you by leaving them a gift or a pledge in your will. It is entirely legal and binding in the same way that any other will would be. So not only does the charity benefit ultimately, but it makes having a will accessible to absolutely everyone.
The only rare exceptions to this are if your Will is more complicated, and a simple will service isn’t appropriate. Or alternatively, if your estate is valued over £325,000, then you’ll normally need to pay for the service yourself.
How does the Free Wills service work
Again, remember that Marley Solicitors have partnered with two established charities to ensure we can bring you this Free Wills Service at any time of year, not just during Free Wills Month. Moreover where often this programme is only available for people over 55, we can offer it to all adults over the age of 18.
Charities that take part in these schemes partner with a small number of established, reputable solicitors. In doing this they can cover your solicitors fees for writing your Will. The charities would of course be grateful if you remembered them in your Will but it’s not essential to leave a gift to charity. There are over 100 charities that take part in these schemes. You can check online to see whether your chosen charity offers a free Will service but here at Marley Solicitors we are partnered with both Cancer Research UK and the Alzheimers Society.
What if I can’t get into branch for my will
That’s totally fine too. Of course we are located in an easily accessible area in central Bamber Bridge, so traveling on foot, by train, bus or even car is easy for many. But we do understand that for any number of reasons this may not be possible. Health, work, accessibility or family reasons can all prevent you calling in. Also if you live a little further away we want to make this process as easy as we can for you. So for that reason we have introduced either a home visit or zoom video call service to create your wills if you’re unable to get into branch.
There really is no better time than to take the opportunity to have your will made. Don’t just wait for Free Wills Month, we can help you all year round. Just get in touch and we can chat to you more about the options.