During the month of January, a host of solicitors from across Northern Ireland will be waiving their fee for Will writing services with clients as aprt of the part in the Will You? initiative, and instead, donating to leading local health charity Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke’s Heart Strong Campaign.
Murlands Solicitors, Downpatrick, Gordon Bell & Sons Solicitors in Rathfriland, Kilkeel and Dromore, JW McNinch & Sons Solicitors in Ballyclare and Glengormley, C.T. McAlpine & Sons Solicitors, Dungannon, Elliott Duffy Garrett in Belfast and Redman Solicitors with practices in Portadown and Craigavon, are all taking part in the ‘Will You?’ initiative.
The initiative is a first for the charity, which was successfully trialled in November with Mallon McCormick Solicitors in Maghera, raising over £4,000 in just one month.
All funds raised through the initiative will go to support the charity’s much needed new service, Heart Strong, a new heart health and recovery service which will bridge the gap between rehab after treatment, and getting back to normal life. It will help people with a heart condition grow beyond their current capabilities.
Will You?
With people pledging commitments to New Year’s Resolutions and the period commonly viewed as the prime time to evaluate and make a fresh start, recently collated data by Co-op Legal Services* has shown that January is a popular time to make a will or update an existing one.
However, recent research from Royal London also revealed that 54% of adults do not have a will**. The serious implications of this include making an already challenging time more stressful for families. Young people who have just married, bought homes or become parents are amongst those who are likely to be unaware they should ensure their affairs are in order after big life events.
Now, these local solicitors are encouraging local people to meet with their teams to realise the benefits of ensuring peace of mind for their family in the future.
John O’Prey, Partner at Murlands Solicitors in Downpatrick said, “We are proud to be involved in this initiative during the month of January. It is important that wills are reviewed regularly and kept up to date, as significant life events will change people’s circumstances – marriage even invalidates an existing will. We are calling on people to combine using our services to make or update their will, with supporting a very deserving local charity.”
Fiona Sterritt, Partner at HHD Solicitors in Belfast added, “As families come together over the festive period, it may spark some motivation for people to ensure their loved ones are protected. Or the new year might just bring a fresh perspective and desire to ‘get things in order’ such as finances and future plans. We’re pleased to be both encouraging people to make or amend their will while contributing to the fight against heart disease in Northern Ireland.”
Jackie Trainor, Director of Income Generation at Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke added, “There are around 74,000 people living with heart disease across Northern Ireland and it accounts for over 10% of all local deaths. The donation of the £75 fee will pay for one person living with heart disease to attend our new Heart Strong programme for one week. We are pleased to have so many legal practitioners from across Northern Ireland on board with this initiative, which is a first for Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke, and we appreciate their kind support of our Heart Strong campaign.”
