St Barnabas Hospice is running its Make a Will Month scheme virtually this May, helping supporters to make plans for the future whilst isolating.
The award-winning St Barnabas ‘Make a Will Month’ scheme has returned once again for 2020, after the Hospice and partner solicitors cleverly adapted the service to make it virtual. This service enables St Barnabas supporters to make a basic Will completely free of charge.
Joining St Barnabas with this scheme are local solicitors from Dale & Co., Roythornes and Sills & Betteridge. These three companies will be helping supporters to make their Will via telephone appointments and providing answers to any questions they might have.
For online Wills, the Hospice has teamed up with bereavement support specialists Guardian Angel to give supporters the chance to make their Will online in around 15-30 minutes.
Jenny Peake, Supporter Engagement Manager at St Barnabas Hospice, said: “Since we re-launched our Make a Will Month scheme in 2018, it has supported so many people to start planning for the future. Although we are in the middle of a pandemic, we recognise that it is now more important than ever for our supporters to sort out their life admin and make sure things are in place for their family, friends and even beloved pets.
“Normally we would offer face-to-face appointments with local solicitor firms, but this just isn’t possible because of lockdown. We would like to thank our three solicitor partners for adapting to help us keep the scheme running.
“I am also really excited that the Hospice will be providing FREE online Wills for the first time in history. This opens up the service to those who struggle to attend appointments during working hours, and particularly our incredible key workers with varying shift patterns.”
When the Make a Will Month scheme re-launched in 2018 with new branding, it saw a fantastic 300% increase in people signing up to make their Will and leave a gift to the Hospice. The success led to it winning Digital Campaign of the Year at the 2019 Lincolnshire Technology and Innovation Awards.
Patients at the Hospice who are living with a life-limiting or terminal illness, and their families and carers, are reliant on supporters leaving a gift to St Barnabas in their Will. This gift will help them access free, compassionate end-of-life care when they need it most, both now and for patients in the future.
A gift of just 1% of your estate could go on to give precious, pain-free time with family to a local patient at the end of their life. It is an easy way to support the St Barnabas of the future without it costing anything to yourself whilst you are alive.
To take use the St Barnabas FREE Wills service this month, visit www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/legacy where you can sign up and make your appointment. By signing up, you will also receive a helpful guide from the Hospice about the new process.