Free will-writing service now on offer via Norfolk and Waveney Mind 01 October 2024 | By Keiron Pim If you die without leaving a will, your loved ones will face a burden of unwanted extra stress and legal wrangling just when they have already been hit by the impact of grief. It brings the risk that your estate will not be divided according to your wishes, and in some cases that part of it will be diverted to the Crown. Given that a majority of adults in the UK don’t have a will, this scenario is an all too common occurrence. Making a will is something that remains unaccomplished on the ‘to do’ list for many of us, but if this applies to you, from this week you have the ideal opportunity to put it right. October is Free Wills Month (www.freewillsmonth.org.uk), and from then until the end of December, Norfolk and Waveney Mind has signed up to the National Free Wills Network. This means we are offering people aged over 18 the opportunity to have a will written free of charge, paid for by our charity. Beth Jex, our Legacy, Trusts and Foundations Coordinator, explains: “Fifty-four percent of adults in the UK don’t have a will, and a total of 5.4 million people don’t know how to go about writing one. “Whether you’re writing a will for the first time or updating your existing one, it doesn’t have to be complicated. “We’ve partnered with the National Free Wills Network to offer our supporters the opportunity to have a simple will written or updated in person for free with a local solicitor.” To use this service, head to the Gifts in Wills page on the Norfolk and Waveney Mind website and request a pack to be sent to your home address within two weeks. This pack will have details of local solicitors who participate in the National Free Wills Network and explain how to make an appointment with one. If you are one of the 46 percent of British adults who already have a will, you could instead choose to amend it via the Network’s service, as it’s important to keep a will up to date if your circumstances change. For instance, you might want to make amendments if you get married or divorced, start a family or retire, or if one of the people mentioned in your will dies. Knowing that your will is in order gives you peace of mind, in the knowledge that your wishes will be carried out. Many people decide that after they’ve taken care of their loved ones, they would also like to leave a gift to a charity. Leaving a legacy to Norfolk and Waveney Mind would be a way of knowing that your money continues to help people in our local communities after you’ve gone, by funding frontline mental health services that make a real difference to those struggling with issues such as depression and anxiety. Beth adds: “There’s no obligation to leave us a gift in your will, but if you do choose to remember us, thank you. Although we are part of the national Mind network, we are a local independent charity and raise our own funds. With your help, we can create a future where no one in Norfolk and Waveney has to face poor mental health alone.” Norfolk and Waveney Mind supports tens of thousands of local people every year through our services and support programmes. The vital services we provide range from supporting people experiencing mental health crisis, to short- and long-term recovery programmes, to pioneering projects that tackle less familiar issues such as climate anxiety. Services such as our REST hubs in King’s Lynn and Great Yarmouth rely on supporters’ donations and legacies to keep their doors open (we also have REST hubs in Norwich, Thetford and Aylsham which are funded by the local NHS). REST is a partnership project that brings together mental health support, local services and a place where everyone can feel welcome. Our drop-in hubs are based at the heart of the community and deliver support to people experiencing mental health difficulties, in a non-clinical environment. Last year 30,306 people visited our REST hubs – 48 percent more than the previous year. People regularly tell us that the work carried out by our frontline staff has made a critical difference in the most challenging times of their lives. Just a few weeks ago, our team at REST Norwich received this feedback from someone who had been helped by our Peer Support Worker Emma Whalley: “Emma was so lovely and helped me get out of a really weird stage of my life. She helped me work through things I had put off for a while and helped me get a plan in place for if I ever feel myself falling in to that place again. She is the first person I have spoken to that made me feel heard and made me feel like my experiences matter.” Beth says: “Thanks to the kindness of our supporters, we are able to provide this kind of vital care for thousands of people a year in Norfolk and Waveney. Our work can be the difference between life and death for people in mental health crisis. “We hope plenty of people will take up this opportunity to write their will through the National Free Wills Network, and if some of them also choose to leave us a legacy then it will help us continue this work well into the future.” If you have any questions, email legacies@norfolkandwaveneymind.org.uk or call 0300 330 5488. For general resources and information about Norfolk and Waveney Mind’s other services, visit norfolkandwaveneymind.org.uk or call 0300 330 5488. For urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 option 2. Share Tweet Share on WhatsApp