A great national fundraising campaign that raises money for charities such as Trocaire, SCIAF, Sightsavers, Save the Children, NSPCC, Christian Aid, British Red Cross, Age UK and Action Aid is Will Aid! The campaign sees solicitors drawing up Wills for free in the hope that the Will-maker will donate to the charities.
A Will Aid campaign recently went on through September and took place in many places around the United Kingdom.
This scheme was set up in 1988 and since then, it has raised huge amounts of funds - more than nine millions pounds, which undoubtedly will benefit the charities immensely that it raises money for.
The scheme doesn't make donating compulsory, although the suggested donation from the Will-Maker is Although it isn't compulsory for the Will-maker to donate, the suggested donations are around £40 for a codicil to an existing Will, around £85 for a single Will and around £125 for a pair of Wills.
The reason why Solicitors like to get involved with this scheme is because they like to raise money for the charities but also because they like to raise awareness of the importance of having a Will - which is understandable.
Making sure that you are going to a professional practice is really important as they make sure that your Will is written correctly and then upon death, your estate is dealt with correctly.
Everybody above the age of 18 should have a Will, if you die without a Will, then there are certain rules which state how your money, property or possessions should be allocated and this might not be the way that you would have distributed it.
Settling for an online Will that is cheap can sometimes seem like a good idea at first, however, when you sign up for one online, you're tied up to the company to execute your Will - they will also be the people that deal with your estate upon death.
Another thing people don't initially realise when they sign up for a Will online is that this company will take a percentage of your estate - this can sometimes mean double or triple what a solicitor would charge you.
The Will aid campaign benefits everybody, especially the charities and the enhances the importance of having a Will in place.
Some people opt to write their own Will, which is legal, but not advised as having a professional one drawn up means that you will have peace of mind that everything is done correctly.