Make a Will Month April 2025

Secure your family’s future and your peace of mind

The hospice provides specialist care and support services, free of charge, to patients with life-limiting illnesses, alongside appropriate support for their loved ones too. This is only possible thanks to the kindness and generosity of our local community, and this includes gifts people leave in their Wills.

Make a Will Month
Why make a Will
Legacies
Request further information

Make a Will Month

Each April, Local solicitors are kindly giving up their time and waiving their fee in return for a donation to Wirral Hospice St John’s.

The solicitors are requesting that individuals make a fair donation to the hospice in return for this service, which is a suggested minimum donation of £120 for a single Will and £170 for a double Will. It can usually cost in the region of £350+ for a single Will and £500+ for a double Will.

Appointments are available throughout April but fill up really quickly, so an early booking in March is strongly advised and we encourage supporters to contact the Fundraising office by telephone 0151 343 0788 or email fundraising@wirralhospice.org so we can send a Make a Will voucher and list of solicitors who are taking part.

When you make your booking, the solicitor you choose will send out an initial form for you to fill in so that the main issues you want to be addressed in your Will are covered.

Click to watch a short film about the importance of gifts in Wills to Wirral Hospice St John’s

Why Make A Will?

It’s natural for people to believe there’s plenty of time before they have to take this important step, but experience tells us that it’s never too early. If your Will is not officially drawn up then your assets may be subject to processes under the law which may have negative repercussions for loved ones for many years.

You may already have a Will in place but major changes can happen in life, including marriage, divorce, having children or even the death of a loved one, which can potentially invalidate some, or all, of a current Will.

Unmarried partners or those who have not registered a civil partnership cannot inherit from each other unless there is a Will in place. Homeowners and people with dependent children are especially encouraged to have an up-to-date Will.

Legacies/ Gifts in Wills

Legacies are a vital part of our fundraising and help us to provide care and support for future patients and their loved ones at their time of most need. We simply couldn’t continue to provide all our services without the generosity of our supporters who leave us a gift.

Anything that is left to a charity is not counted towards the total taxable value of your estate and, if you leave at least 10% of your ‘net estate’ to a charity, it can cut inheritance tax from 40% to 36% where that may be applicable.

There are different ways of leaving a gift in your Will;

Residual legacy: A gift of the remainder or share of your estate, after all other gifts are given and debts cleared. You could leave anything between 1% to 100%

Pecuniary legacy: A gift of a fixed sum of money

Specific legacy: A gift of a particular named item such as jewellery, a painting, a car or such like.

Please do note that if you further choose to leave something to the hospice, or any other charity, in your Will it is totally for your discretion and completely confidential between you and your solicitor.

Book early before spaces fill up

Fran, a hospice supporter who made a Will through Make a Will Month told us about her experience,

“I decided it was time to update my Will. I read the information, spoke to Julia at the hospice and called one of the solicitors. It was really easy. After completing the paperwork, I made my donation to the hospice for around half of what it might have cost normally. I also chose to leave a gift in my Will for the hospice. I had thought you might have to leave a specific amount but actually, you can leave any percentage of whatever estate you leave. There was no pressure at all, I just wanted to make a further contribution towards our hospice for some time in the future. 

Many Thanks to Fran and the many people who support the hospice through Make a Will month each April, the hospice is so grateful for everyone’s support.

To find out more information and to request a list of this year’s solicitors, please contact Julia Evans at Wirral Hospice St John’s in the following ways;

Call: 0151 343 0778, Email: juliae@wirralhospice.org or complete the below form.