Parents in Central London are being urged to “face their worst fears to help protect their children” after a survey revealed 35% of them have not written a will.

A poll by Will Aid, a national will-writing campaign, found that nationally 52% of mums and dads with children under 18 had not assigned legal guardians for them by preparing this vital piece of paperwork – while regionally the picture looked even bleaker.
Stephen West from Oliver Fisher Solicitors in Notting Hill said: “It’s very easy to bury your head in the sand to avoid about thinking about difficult subjects – and death has always been a hard concept to confront.

“Writing a will is the only way to make sure you have that last word however – and parents have a duty to their kids to protect them even after they are gone.”

According to the survey, a staggering 65% of parents from the North West and Wales and 58% of parents in the South West were without wills.

Meanwhile in the North East and Yorkshire, 57% of parents had no will.

The news comes as solicitors across the country take bookings for Will Aid Month.

This sees participating solicitors waive their fees for will writing services during November, instead inviting clients to make a voluntary donation to Will Aid, with these funds supporting the vital work of the nine partner charities.

Peter de Vena Franks, campaign director for Will Aid, said: “Parents have to face their fears. After all, writing a will is a chance for a parent or parents to protect their children for the worst – leaving clear instructions about who they would like to care for their child in the event of their death.

“If you die without appointing a guardian, and there is no other parent with parental responsibility, an application would need to be made to the court to decide with whom your child will live, in the event of a dispute about this.

“Preparing a correctly worded will with a solicitor is the best way to ensure your wishes are carried out. It is always a good idea to seek legal advice on wills and inheritance to make sure everything is legal and correct.”

Today Will Aid patron Robert Peston urged everyone to use Will Aid to get their affairs in order.

The journalist, Political Editor of ITV News, presenter of the weekly political discussion show Peston and founder of the charity Speakers for Schools, who had two sons with his late wife Siân Busby, said a will helped clarify a person’s wishes after their death.

“Although the act of writing a will can be upsetting, the pain and disruption for your family if you have not written one is likely to be far worse,” he said.

“When my late wife Siân Busby and I wrote our wills in our early 40s, we assumed this was boring insurance for an event that would never happen. Only 10 years later, Siân died after a horrible illness, and it fell to me to sort out her affairs.

“Devastated by grief, not really thinking straight, I was so grateful that she had written down what she wanted to do with her money and possessions and had given clear instructions about what should be done with her ashes.”

Will Aid Month takes place across the country from 01-30 November.

Solicitors who take part provide the will writing service for local people and waive their usual fee, instead you are invited to make a voluntary donation to Will Aid which then supports the work of nine of the UK’s best-loved charities.

Our suggested voluntary donation for a basic Will Aid will is £100 for a single will and £180 for a pair of mirror wills.

In 2018, Will Aid raised more than £1 million for the vital work of its charity partners – ActionAid, Age UK, British Red Cross, Christian Aid, NSPCC, Save the Children, Sightsavers, SCIAF (Scotland) and Trocaire (Northern Ireland).