Making or updating your will for free
Making a will, or if you already have one, checking to see whether it needs updating is one of the first things we should all do when thinking about putting our affairs in order.
A will makes sure your wishes are followed after you die. It can bring peace of mind, knowing your loved ones are provided for in the way that you want. A will can also be a way of remembering causes that are important to you.
Currently the number of UK adults with a valid will still only hovers around 40%, despite it not being as expensive or as difficult to arrange as many people imagine.
Kingston Hospital’s partner charity, Kingston Hospital Charity, has teamed up with the expert free will-writing service Octopus Legacy to make it even easier for you to write or update your will. There is no obligation to leave a gift to Kingston Hospital Charity when using this service.
It’s free to write a simple will, which for most people is all they need, as their affairs are straightforward.
It’s flexible as you can write your will online on the Octopus Legacy website, with step-by-step support. Octopus Legacy’s team of legal experts check over each online will, which is legally binding when it’s printed and signed by your witnesses.
Or if you prefer, you can arrange your will over the phone or face-to-face by calling 020 4525 3605. Please remember to quote ‘Kingston Hospital Charity’.
It’s quick – the average time it takes is about 15 to 20 minutes.
Alternatively, if you would prefer to use a local solicitor, our charity has partnered with Lodge Brothers Legal Services to write your will for free. Email r.aldous@nhs.net or call 020 8973 5042 to find out more.
So much of what Kingston Hospital Charity has achieved is thanks to grateful patients who have left a gift in their will in support of our hospital. Such gifts helped develop the Maxwell Thorne Haematology Day Care Unit and the Roy Dominy Ophthalmology Acute Referral Centre. They have also paid for cutting-edge equipment for better diagnosis and treatment, while contributing towards the transformation of our elderly care wards to provide dementia friendly environments.
Gifts to a registered charity like Kingston Hospital Charity are exempt transfers. This means that inheritance tax is not payable on anything you leave to charity and it won’t count towards the total taxable value of your estate. Since April 2017, if you leave 10% of your taxable estate (rather than the entire estate) to charity in your will, the inheritance tax rate will be reduced from 40% to 36%. You can find out more by visiting www.
If you choose to leave a gift to Kingston Hospital Charity, thank you very much. The key information you need, having decided what sort of gift you want to make, is:
Name: Kingston Hospital Charity
Address: Galsworthy Road, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT2 7QB
Charity No: 1056510