This October is Wills Awareness month here at Foothold. It’s a great opportunity for us to highlight the difference that gifts in wills make to our work. Did you know that on average one in six of the engineers we care for is funded by a gift in a Will? Gifts of all sizes can help and make an impact.

We’ve partnered up with The National Free Wills Network to offer our supporters the opportunity to make their Will for free. And it’s got me thinking about my own experience of writing a Will. It’s something that I put off for many years, despite having a husband and two young children to consider in the event of anything happening to me.

As my children approached school age, I decided to take advantage of a discounted Will scheme run by a charity a care about. It was a positive experience and I encourage anyone who hasn’t made a Will to get on and do it. You won’t regret it.

Thinking about the unthinkable

There’s no doubt about it – thinking about our own mortality can be uncomfortable for many of us, whatever age we are. Considering who would look after my children if my husband I both died was very confronting. Mulling over at what age they would inherit our estate if we died before they were 18 was something I had never given a second’s thought. Even more shocking was having to consider what would happen if all four of us died. Who would we then want to inherit our house and other possessions? My husband and I had to answer all of these questions and reach an agreement.

 

Leaving a piece of me behind – a gift in my Will

I realised that when I’m no longer here, my Will is going to have to do the talking for me. So, with that in mind, I also chose to include information about my wishes for my funeral. I also appointed my executors to carry out my wishes. This will be one less thing my family will have to worry about when the time comes. I also included a modest gift to a charity close to my family’s heart. It’s a great comfort to know that my support can continue beyond my lifetime. Often people think gifts in Wills need to be large and substantial but this isn’t the case. Charities need and appreciate gifts of all shapes and sizes.

 

Peace of mind

Once my Will was written, signed and witnessed, it really brought me peace of mind. It’s now safely tucked away and I’ve had conversations with all the people that need to know. Now I have my Will, I can be certain that my family know my wishes and will be looked after if I’m not around. To me, that is priceless.

If you’re interested in making a Will and leaving a gift to Foothold, I’d love to hear from you. You can find out more here or get in touch with me at [email protected].