By making your will and keeping it up to date you can make sure that your affairs are in order and that your estate is dealt with as you would wish.

If you die without a will, your estate may not go where you would have wished. Someone else will decide who gets your money, and in what shares.

We recommend using a qualified solicitor or a professional will writer when making or updating your will. We’ve partnered with the expert will-writing service Octopus Legacy, offering a quick and easy way to make your will online.

If you live in England or Wales, and need help finding a solicitor near you, you can contact The Law Society on 020 7320 5650 – or visit lawsociety.org.uk.

With Octopus Legacy, you can write or update your will online at any time of the year. The process is quick, secure, and guided by legal experts, with optional solicitor support if you’d like added reassurance.

Octopus Legacy (formally Guardian Angel) offer expert will writing advice and support online, over the phone or face-to-face. Since they were founded in 2016, Octopus Legacy have had one mission which is to help people plan for and manage death – so they’ve made it easy to write a will online to help give people peace of mind.

Octopus Legacy work with close to 250 charities of all sizes across the UK, from other hospices, to national charities and many more and we are delighted to be working with them too.

When making your will, it’s always advisable to use a solicitor to ensure all legal procedures are followed. A solicitor will guide you through the process, making sure your will is accurate, legally sound, and reflects your wishes.

During Make your Will Month (October), local solicitors generously donate their time to write or update your will in person in exchange for a donation to St Giles Hospice.  This takes place once a year, and appointments are limited.

You can update your existing will by adding an amendment. We strongly recommend you consult with a solicitor before adding an amendment, to ensure it’s legally binding.

There are three different types of gifts you can leave to St Giles Hospice in your will:

1. A residuary gift – a gift of a percentage of your estate, once your friends and family members have been provided for and any debts have been cleared.
2. A pecuniary gift – a gift of a fixed sum of money (this can decrease in value over time due to inflation).
3. A specific gift – a gift of a particular item, such as jewellery or antiques.

Whatever you choose to give, your donation will mean that more families will get the care they need, when they need it most.

Gifts to UK registered charities are exempt from Inheritance Tax, and may also bring down the total value of your estate below the Inheritance Tax threshold. We strongly recommend that you speak to a solicitor for advice on tax matters.

By leaving a gift in your will to St Giles Hospice, you’re helping to ensure that we can continue our care for local people, and their families.

Not at all – your will is personal and it is completely up to you whether you share this information with us. If you do tell us, this will be confidential and you can change your mind at any time.

However, by telling us your plan to leave St Giles Hospice a gift in your will, it allows us to say thank you, to invite you to future legacy events and to keep you updated with news from the hospice.

If you would like to discuss making a gift to St Giles Hospice in your will, or inform us that you have already done so, please contact fundraising@stgileshospice.com