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Write or update your Will for free

Dementia UK partners with several different Will writing providers to offer you the chance to make or update a Will for free, either in person or online.

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    We understand how important it is to plan for the future. Writing a Will gives you peace of mind, knowing that your savings and possessions will be passed on to the people and causes you care about the most.  

    Whether you’re making your Will for the first time or updating it, it doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive. Dementia UK partners with several different Will writing providers to offer you the chance to make or update a Will for free, either in person or online. There’s no obligation to include a gift to Dementia UK, although we hope you will consider it, so that families facing dementia will continue to receive the dementia specialist support they desperately need long into the future. 

    The National Free Wills Network offers the chance to have a simple Will written for free by a solicitor in your local area. There are over 900 participating solicitors across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Once registered you will be sent an information pack, including a list of your nearest participating solicitors where you can make an appointment.

    Leaving a gift in your will

    The following information may help if you have further questions on leaving a gift in your Will.  If you cannot find the answer to your question, please contact us on 0300 365 5500 or email giftsinwills@dementiauk.org.

    Gifts left to charity in Wills are free from inheritance tax so can, in some circumstances, reduce the amount of inheritance tax that might otherwise be payable on your estate.  If, for example, you leave 10% of your net estate to charity, the rate of inheritance tax applied to your taxable estate could be reduced from 40% to 36%, so this:

    • reduces the overall inheritance tax bill
    • means it costs less to give to charity

    We would always recommend that you seek a solicitor’s advice in relation to inheritance tax, as this is a complicated subject.  The Money Advice Service website has some more detailed information on inheritance tax, but please speak to your solicitor if you have any specific questions.

    For every £1 we receive, we spend 73p on helping families face dementia, 26p on raising the next £1 and 1p on governance. Read more about our vision of compassionate and expert care for those affected by dementia.

    Read more about our vision of compassionate and expert care for those affected by dementia.

    Our dementia specialist Admiral Nurses work in the community, in GP practices, in hospitals and hospices, on our free Dementia Helpline, and in our Closer to Home virtual clinics. Admiral Nurses provide life-changing support for families facing dementia. They have the time to listen and the knowledge to solve problems. They help people with dementia stay independent for longer, and support the people around them so they have the strength to cope with the bad days, and the energy to enjoy the good days.

    To give you a rough idea of how a gift in a Will could help families facing dementia:

    • £135 could pay for one Admiral Nurse to attend a specialist masterclass on caring for people with dementia at the end of their life
    • £ 1,000 could pay for a new Admiral Nurse for an entire week, offering a lifeline to families affected by dementia
    • £2,800 could cover the costs of an Admiral Nurse to provide 200 people with in-depth, specialist support on our Helpline
    • £6,720 could pay for a nurse to answer calls from struggling families during the week for two months
    • £10,000 could cover the running costs of a brand new Admiral Nurse service for 10 weeks

    For more information, contact your solicitor or your GP, or get in touch with our Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline: call 0800 888 6678 (Monday-Friday 9am-9pm, Saturday and Sunday 9am-5pm, every day except 25th December) or email helpline@dementiauk.org. You can also book a phone or video appointment in our Closer to Home virtual clinics.

    If you are caring for a person with dementia, there may come a time when they are unable to make decisions about their care and their finances. A lasting power of attorney (LPA) is a legal document appointing one, or more, trusted people to be their attorney(s).  An attorney is a person responsible for making decisions on their behalf.

    Read more about Lasting Power of Attorney

    If you change your mind, that is absolutely fine, we understand circumstances may change and there may be a time when you need to take Dementia UK out of your Will.  This is your choice and we completely respect it.

    Dementia UK is a member of the National Free Wills Network.  The Network gives us the opportunity to pay for a limited number of ‘simple’ Wills to be written.  To receive an information pack with details of several participating solicitors in your area, email your full name and address to giftsinwills@dementiauk.org or call us on 0300 365 5500 – letting us know that you would like to receive information on The Free Wills Network.

    If you would like to talk to us about leaving a gift in your Will, or about our work at Dementia UK, please contact our supporter care team on 0300 365 5500 or email giftsinwills@dementiauk.org

    If you would like more information on Admiral Nurse Services in your area, the Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline, or any aspect of our organisation, please let us know.