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Wills Month 2026

Appointments open for booking from August 2026 for October 2026 appointments (Subject to availability)

We would like to thank all of our generous solicitor friends over the years who have partnered with us to help others write their final wishes with confidence.

A Will isn’t just about who gets what, it’s about what and who mattered to you. It lifts a weight off your loved ones.

This October, take advantage of a special offer to write or amend your Will at a heavily discounted rate that will save you hundreds of pounds. We are partnering with various solicitors in north east Essex that have generously waived their usual fees, instead asking you to make a payment directly to St Helena Hospice at the time of booking.

In addition to this, some of our solicitors are offering a discount if you also wanted to arrange your Power of Attorneys too. 

How does it work?

It’s very simple. All bookings must be made directly though St Helena on this webpage.

Register online from August 2026 and pay the minimum fee (with optional additional donation) for your standard Single or Mirrored Will, and take advantage of this fabulous promotion.

If you wish to consider adding Powers of Attorneys with your registration, simply tick the associated box on the form. Please note that the solicitor's office will collect a separate payment for this in October if you decide to proceed. For more information on Powers of Attorney visit: https://www.gov.uk/power-of-attorney

"The team at St Helena were a huge support when my mother’s late husband, Bill, died. Not only did they care for him at home, but they were there for her too.

Leaving some money in our wills is a way for us to say thank you and to support the hospice in years to come."

- Kevin and Karen Bentley, who used the Wills Month service

Image: Kevin and Karen Bentley, who both decided to leave a gift in their Wills to St Helena Hospice

Save £100s on your Will with St Helena's Wills Month this October

Appointments available from August 2026 (Subject to availability) – We encourage early booking to avoid disappointment.

Standard Single Will - £165 (inc VAT) 

Standard Mirrored (Joint) Will - £225 (inc VAT) 

The cost of your Wills appointment goes directly to St Helena Hospice, helping ensure we can continue to be here for the people you love.

Why you need a Will

Are you over 18 years old? Do you have children under the age of 18 years old? Have you recently got married or had a civil partnership? Separated from your spouse or civil partner? Have you got pets? Have you got lots of assets? Do you want others to understand your final wishes?

Best practise suggests reviewing your final wishes every five years as life can change so much in a short period of time.

To get the most out of your appointment we recommend preparing the following: 

  1. Who are your executor(s) and what are their addresses? (You can have up to four)  

  2. If you have children under 18 years, who are the agreed appointed guardians (include address) 

  3. List of assets (property, shares, premium bonds, savings etc). 

  4. List of obligations (outstanding mortgage balance, bank loans, over drafts – other debts) 

  5. Details of gifts to be left to family and/or friends 

  6. Details of any gifts for charities (do not forget the charity registered number, St Helena Hospice is 280919) 

  7. Guidance around any pets to be re-homed 

  8. Funeral wishes – e.g this can be type of funeral (burial / green burial / cremation or medical research) and if flowers are wanted. 

If you would like to know anything further, please contact us at giftsinwills@sthelena.org.uk 

We would be honoured if you remembered St Helena Hospice in your Will. Your Will could do wonders! We ask that if you do remember us in your final wishes, that you let us know, so we can say thank you. 

Having a Will in place means that you can have peace of mind that you have:

  • Appointed a suitable person (an executor) to address your affairs on your behalf after you die.  

  • Got your funeral wishes recorded to ensure your wishes are as you would want.  This can be such a help to family and friends, who may be finding it a very upsetting time and unable to think clearly.   

  • Arranged for guardianship of your children that are under 18 years old; who should care for your children. Without a Will, the courts decided.  

  • Included the people and charities you want to receive your assets, and which assets they should receive. 

Without a Will, Intestacy rules will be applied.

No one has a crystal ball that can tell us when we must have our affairs in order by, so please book from August 2026 (subject to availability) and have peace of mind that your family and friends will know what you want.

Do not forget to put your Will in a safe place and make sure those closest to you know where this is kept. 

If you are unable to take part in Wills Month or would like to pursue the option of a FREE Will instead, we can accommodate this option too with our partners at Octopus Legacy. 

If you’d like to arrange your final wishes sooner, and outside the Wills Month promotion, you can do so with a local solicitor by clicking the button below

Find a Solicitor

Frequently asked questions

How much does is cost to take part?

· £165 is the minimum fee required for a simple Single Will.

· £225 is the minimum fee for a Mirrored (joint) Will

For both type the minimum fee shown includes VAT.

Enjoy savings of hundreds of pounds, made possible by the generosity of our participating solicitors.

Can I give more than the minimum fee?

If you wanted to support our work further and pass on some of your saving, you are welcome to give a donation in additional to the minimum fee, this would be much appreciated by both St Helena and the participating solicitors.

If you are eligible to claim gift aid, we can apply it to any additional donation where applicable but not to the minimum fee.

When can I make an appointment?
Appointments can be made from August 2026, subject to availability and payment fee in advance.
How do I register?

Register by completing our website registration form.

What is Wills Month?
Wills month is a campaign run by St Helena Hospice where participating local solicitors and estate planners, waive their fee for writing a standard Will in exchange for a minimum fee to be paid by the client, in advance, to St Helena Hospice for their service.
When is Wills Month?
The Wills Month campaign period runs from 1st – 31st October 2026. 
Can I contact the participating solicitors and estate planners directly?

No. All appointments must be arranged initially through the St Helena fundraising team as agreed with the participating companies. Once the initial information has been relayed to the participating office either St Helena or the participating office will contact you directly to finalise appointment.

You will be provided a unique referral number to quote when liaising with the legal office. Failure to provide this could cause a delay

What is the difference between a solicitor and a Will writer?
A Will writer does not require a chartered lawyer qualification.
Which solicitors and estate planners are taking part?

Appointments are limited, and on a first come, first served basis so please book early to avoid disappointment.

· Attwells Solicitors Colchester

· Bolt Burdon Appointments held at St Helena Hospice, Joan

Tomkins Day Centre

· Fisher Jones Greenwood LLP: Billericay, Braintree, Chelmsford, Clacton-On- Sea, Colchester, Frinton-on-Sea, Sudbury ,

· John Fowlers Solicitors: Brightlingsea, Colchester, Mersea

· Knights: Colchester, Chelmsford

What is not included?

The promotion is for a standard Single/Mirrored Will only.

If you require a Trust(s) to be added or Powers of Attorney this will incur additional cost and to be agreed separately with the participating service provider.

How do I pay?
This is to be directly to St Helena Hospice at the time of registration for the appointment following the link on the website.
Do I need to include a gift to St Helena in my Will?
We would be honoured to be considered but this is not a mandatory requirement to benefit from the promotion. If you do leave a gift, we’d love you to share that you have pledged a gift in your Will.
How do I leave a gift in my will to St Helena?

It's very easy, simply provide:

· Name: St Helena Hospice Limited

· Charity registration number: 280919

· Registered address: Myland Hall, Bancroft Close, Highwoods, Colchester, Essex CO4 9JU

· Gift details:

o (1) a share of the estate (known as a residuary bequest)

o (2) a set amount of money (known as a pecuniary bequest)

Residuary gifts are a percentage of your estate after any cash gifts are taken off, here is some model wording

I give [insert percentage] of my residuary estate to St Helena Hospice (registered charity number 280919), Myland Hall, Barncroft Close, Highwoods, Colchester CO4 9JU to be applied for its general purposes. I declare that the receipt of the finance director or appropriate officer shall be a complete discharge to my trustees.

Pecuniary (Cash) Gift: these are paid out of your estate first, before any percentage gifts of what is remaining in your estate.

I give [insert amount] to St Helena Hospice (registered charity number 280919), Myland Hall, Barncroft Close, Highwoods, Colchester CO4 9JU to be applied for its general purposes. I declare that the receipt of the finance director or appropriate officer shall be a complete discharge to my trustees.

What happens after I register?

Once registered and paid, your details will be sent to the solicitor, and they will be in touch to arrange an appointment based on your preferences indicated.

If your preference is not available, you will be booked with the next available solicitor.

What happens after I have attended the appointment?

Your Will progresses through a draft stage and then is finalised with your agreement and once final, this will need to be signed and witnessed. Your Will is not valid until it has been signed.

My Will is now final – what happens next?

We will be in touch to thank anyone you pledged a gift to us and offer opportunities to continue to involve in our work or attend our annual thank you event.

Additionally, once the Will has been finalised, we will ask for you feedback on your recent experience. This feedback helps us to improve services for future campaigns and pass on to the solicitors.

By taking control of these details now, you liberate your loved ones from difficult decisions, allowing them to focus on honouring your memory.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions.

Terms & Conditions

Wills Month

Members of the public, for example supporters of St Helena Hospice, hereon known as the client, register with the Hospice to receive the Will making services. Those registered, can then receive services during the Wills Month (October 2026) campaign with our participating local solicitors. All service suppliers will waive 100% of their usual fee for writing a standard Will in exchange for a minimum fee (and optional top up donation) to be paid directly to the Hospice at the time of registration:

£165 (inc VAT) for Single Will £225 (inc VAT) for a Mirrored (joint) Will. All appointments must be taken during the campaign period 1st to 31st October 2026. We ask people to consider a gift in their Will to St Helena Hospice, but people are under no obligation to do so. If you do leave a gift, we would love you to share this with us (not the details).

Booking

Clients must register and pay for the offer with St Helena to enable an appointment to be booked, to make a standard Will or joint Will. Trusts are not included under the promotion.

If you are requiring a standard Mirrored (joint) Will, only one client needs to complete the registration.

Registration and payment are to be made via St Helena Hospice website. We reserve the right to close registration before the end of 31st October 2026, should available appointments reach capacity across participating solicitors.

Booking early is recommended to avoid disappointment.

Should your preferred choice be unavailable, you will be booked with the next available appointment with one of the other participating solicitors subject to availability.

Solicitor Appointments

As agreed with our participating solicitors, solicitors will make contact with the prospective client upon completion of registration and payment with St Helena for Wills Month 2026 appointments.

Once registered and paid, the Hospice will provide the provide the solicitor with the required information you provided. St Helena Hospice will share to the chosen legal participant the client's name and contact details, preference for the time of day for an appointment, whether the appointment is for a Single Will or Mirrored (joint) Will.

As processes can vary how the offices work, where applicable the Hospice will confirm to the client the appointment booked for them and inform the participating office of the client attending.

Minimum Fee

Clients will be asked to make a minimum fee at the time of registering. The minimum fee for services is £165 (inc VAT) for a standard Single Will and £225 (inc VAT) for a standard Mirrored (joint) Will.

The fee must be paid at the time of registration. If you wish to benefit from other services including Powers of Attorney, this is paid separately at the time of the appointment to the solicitor (not St Helena Hospice).

Payment is to be made via our website.

If desired, there is an option for additional to add a donation to your booking, that will be eligible for gift aid depending on your eligibility to claim under the gift aid criteria. To find out more: Gift Aid Declaration

Delivery of service
The minimum fee is chargeable for writing of a standard Single or standard mirrored Will. Clients must state their needs when beginning to take services from the solicitor. At any time, it is apparent client needs are more complex, clients will be liable for the fee over and above what is included in the standard service. The solicitor will pre-agree the additional fee directly with the client.
Client Identification
As required by the solicitor acceptable identification documents must be provided upon request by the client, to enable services to be completed. Photographic ID such as a passport or driving license, plus address identification such as a bank statement or utility bill is normally acceptable, and this will be determined by the solicitor.  
Completing the Will
Upon completing a Will, we ask you to return the feedback form. The Hospice requires the form to enable thanking of any clients choosing to pledge a gift in their Will, and to see if they were happy with the service received.

We may contact clients after the receipt of the form, to follow up on feedback and the campaign, and also to ask if they would be willing to contribute to future marketing work by engaging in case studies, stories, or by reviewing the offer. Clients may decline any or all of these opportunities to engage with us, after receipt of the form. 
Cancellation or postponed appointments
If for any reason a client is unable to attend an appointment, the client should let the solicitor / estate planner know so this can be rearranged between the client, and the solicitor / estate planner.  
Refunds and cancellations
Fees are non-refundable. In exceptional circumstances refunds will be considered on a case-by-case basis. We will not be liable for any damage, costs, loss, or injury incurred by the client in taking part in Wills Month. 
Complaints
If a client feels they have any cause to complain about any aspect of Wills Month, or wish to offer suggestions for its improvement, please contact Rosalyn Leclercq, Senior Philanthropy and Legacy Manager by email rleclercq@sthelena.org.uk or by phone 01206 646159. Alternately you can contact the solicitor directly if this relates to them.
Contact

If you have any questions about these terms and conditions, please contact us at the below:

St Helena Hospice Myland Hall
Barncroft Close
Highwoods
Colchester
Essex
CO4 9JU

01206 646159 giftsinwills@sthelena.org.uk

 
 
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