Making a will

The importance of making a will

The statistic that 40% of adults in the UK do not have a will is concerning and perhaps it is more worrying that 30% of adults of retirement age have made no provisions. Many more have failed to update their wills when their circumstances change such as a house move, divorce or cohabitation without marriage. Having a will provides peace of mind that your assets will go to your intended beneficiaries on your death and that loved ones will be protected.

We are urging people to take time and effort to make a will and believe the current isolation we are in gives people the ideal opportunity to sort out their personal affairs.

Anne Oliver, Community Engagement Manager at Age UK Lancashire says: “We very often hear that people have be meaning to make a will but haven’t yet got around to it. The statistics show that nearly half the adult population don’t currently have an official will in place, which means should anything happen to them, their families face a great deal of stress, time and costs to ensure your estate goes to the intended people’.

With current social distancing and lockdown restrictions in place, we are working with solicitors around the county to offer a telephone based will writing service.

Gary Rycroft, solicitor at Joseph A. Jones says: “There are many positive reasons why you should make a will. By making a will, you will be in control of what happens to your assets on death; you can ensure that your family, friends, pets and good causes benefit. If you do not make a will, inflexible legal rules (known as the Intestacy Rules) will dictate what happens to the assets in your estate. In other words, the law will decide who will benefit from your estate rather than you making that decision".

Solicitor Gary Rycroft

Age UK Lancashire’s current scheme allows anyone over the age of 50 to receive a basic written will for approximately half the usual cost. This give Lancashire residents an affordable option. The cost is donated to Age UK Lancashire to enable them to generate much needed revenue to support their charitable work.

Gary Rycroft added: “If you make a properly drawn up Will with a solicitor in circumstances where it is clear that you have the requisite mental capacity and have done so of your own free choice, then this will reduce significantly the chance of disagreements (and in extreme cases, legal action) between family members after your death.”

How do I start the process?

For information on the scheme or to enquire about booking a telephone appointment, contact Age UK Lancashire on 0300 303 1234 or advice@ageuklancs.org.uk

Anne Oliver said: “As well as telephone appointments with our partner solicitors, we also have the option to make a will online through Bequeathed. Those people who have access to the internet can find the link for this on our website. Making an online will in this way is completely free, so another good option for anyone considering their options”.

More information on the importance of making a will can be found here.