GIFTS FROM WILLS PROVIDE VITAL INCOME, SAYS HOSPICE

A much-loved hospice serving families in Harrow and Brent has urged people to plan for the future in the run-up to Make A Will Month.

Research shows that three in five adults in the UK do not have a will in place.

The care of one in eight patients at St Luke’s Hospice, in Kenton Grange, Kenton Road, Harrow, is made possible thanks to gifts people leave in their wills.

The call also comes ahead of Hospice Care Week, which takes place next month, running from 4-8 October – an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the work that hospices do, focusing on the value of support and care available to people at the end of their lives.

Jo Pearce, Head of Major Gifts at St Luke’s, said that despite most people knowing that making a will was important, many kept putting it off. “Making a will not only ensures the financial security of your loved ones, but can also guarantee the people and causes you care about benefit when you are gone. We would always respectfully ask people to consider their local hospice when they make a will. Every penny we are left through people’s kindness makes a difference to thousands of people and their families in Harrow and Brent.”

There are numerous reasons people shouldn’t put off making a will – as well as protecting your partner, it reduces the chance of your assets being disputed, can help decide who looks after your children, and guards against paying too much Inheritance Tax.

Mrs Pearce said many people did not realise that they could leave as little as one per cent of their estate to charity, ensuring loved ones still inherited 99 per cent.

Last year, the hospice supported more than 1,800 people and their families in Harrow and Brent. The hospice provides a wide range of care with the aim of giving local people the best quality of life each and every day. As well as care in the home and a 12-bed inpatient unit, the hospice offers support through wellbeing services, complementary therapy and physiotherapy.

“The generosity of people leaving gifts in their wills – no matter how large or how small – is vital, so that we can ensure we are here for generations to come,” Mrs Pearce said.

Make A Will Month runs throughout October, and St Luke’s will be partnering with Balance Consultancy Solicitors to hold a ‘virtual Make A Will seminar on Wednesday 6 October at 12pm, where people can ask questions as well as learning more about making a will. The hospice will also partner with legal experts throughout the month to help people get a will written for free.

Details about how to book a place at the seminar and find out more about will making services are available at the St Luke’s website at www.stlukes-hospice.org/giftinwill

Mrs Pearce added: “St Luke’s needs to raise £4.5m annually to continue to deliver the services we provide and to ensure the levels of care continue to be of the very highest standard. The needs of our community are changing, and our number one priority is to meet those needs by being able to put the right care in place where it is needed most.”