Will Aid

Will Aid
Founded 1988
Founder Graeme Pagan
Type Charity partnership established by Deed
Location
  • Roundham House, Oxen Road, Crewkerne, Somerset
Area served
United Kingdom
Method For the month of November, participating solicitors waive their fee to write a basic will or a pair of mirror wills. In return, they invite clients to make a donation to Will Aid.
Key people
 Chris Millward (Chair), Shirley Marsland (Campaign Manager)
Slogan Make a Will, make a difference
Website willaid.org.uk

Will Aid is a charity will-writing scheme designed to reinforce the need for everyone to have a professionally drawn-up will and to raise funds for the participating charities.

Will Aid was originally founded in 1988 following the example set by Band Aid and Live Aid and continues to run each November.

Scheme Operation

Will Aid recruits solicitors all over the UK who agree to waive their usual fee for writing basic Wills during 'Make a Will Month' (November). The client is then invited to donate to the Will Aid group of charities the fee that the solicitor would usually charge.

The suggested donations are £95 for a single will, or £150 for a pair of mirror wills.[1]

Supported Charities

Will Aid is a partnership of nine charities: ActionAid,[2] Age UK,[3] the British Red Cross,[4] Christian Aid,[5] NSPCC,[6] Save the Children,[7] SCIAF,[8] Sightsavers [9] and Trócaire.[10]

All the funds raised by Will Aid are shared between these charities and used to support their projects helping vulnerable people in the UK and around the world.

Fundraising

Will Aid has raised over £15.6m since its launch and many tens of million more has been pledged as legacies by people making their Will through the scheme. The 2013 campaign raised £2.1m in donations and Gift Aid.[11]

Will Aid is the largest scheme of its kind in the UK and is a major charitable contribution from the British legal profession. Over 1,400 solicitors firms take part each year. In the 2013 campaign this number rose to 1,500. Since the scheme was launched, participating solicitors have drawn up wills for over 275,000 people.

Will Aid is endorsed by the Probate Section of the Law Society who encourage their members to participate.[12] The scheme is run entirely through solicitors firms.

Publicity

Will Aid has received extensive press coverage in the UK in both national and regional press and consumer magazines.[13][14][15][16][17]

25th Anniversary

2013 marked the Will Aid scheme's 25th anniversary.

References

  1. ↑ Will Aid
  2. ↑ ActionAid
  3. ↑ Age UK support Will Aid
  4. ↑ British Red Cross
  5. ↑ Christian Aid
  6. ↑ NSPCC
  7. ↑ Save the Children
  8. ↑ SCIAF
  9. ↑ Sightsavers
  10. ↑ Trocaire
  11. ↑ Will Aid raises over £8m
  12. ↑ The Law Society encourage solicitors to take part in Will Aid
  13. ↑ Rogerson, Lindsey (2010-09-11),"Slashing the price of leaving a legacy" The Herald
  14. ↑ Atherton, Mark (2010-11-06), “Make a will or your loved ones will pay” The Times
  15. ↑ Hampshire, Susan (2002-11-13), “A cheap way to make a will” Daily Mirror
  16. ↑ Thornhill, Jo (2010-10-31), "Be sure to write a will as loved ones can miss out if you don’t say where assets are going"The Mail on Sunday
  17. ↑ (2010-10-31)"Write a cut-price will and support nine charities"The Independent
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