Northern Ireland Hospice provides specialist care to over 3,000 local babies, children and adults with terminal illnesses, also providing support to their families at difficult times in their lives. A number of solicitors from DWF's Belfast office are offering the local public a free standard Will writing and updating service in return for a discretionary donation to Northern Ireland Hospice. For example, if a couple were writing their will and made a donation of £100, this could fund a night of specialist care at the hospice. Not only does this initiative raise much needed funds for the hospice, it also raises awareness of the importance of writing a Will.
Sharon Gorman, Legacy Officer for Northern Ireland Hospice, said: “Amazingly, two-thirds of people in Northern Ireland do not have a will. What we are aiming to do is highlight to people the importance of making a will and also keeping it up to date. Having a will not only gives a person peace of mind that their wishes will be carried out, it can also save family and loved ones a lot of heartache and stress at what is a difficult enough time. Indeed, one-in-five of our patients are cared for thanks to gifts in wills so we are very grateful for local firms such as DWF (Northern Ireland) for supporting this important initiative.”
Ken Rutherford, Executive Partner at DWF (Northern Ireland) said: "Northern Ireland Hospice is a charity at the heart of the community. This fundraising initiative is a special one due to the awareness raising aspect and we are proud to be one of the local firms supporting it. Not only does the Hospice rely on gifts in wills to provide the specialist service today, but it enables the Hospice to secure future care for all patients."
Last year, 'Make A Will Month' raised over £12,000 and 32 local solicitors participated.
If you are interested in making a will as part of this initiative, please contact Legal Executive at DWF (Northern Ireland), Jillian McCord at jillian.mccord@dwf.law