Lawyers support national Air Ambulance Week

During National Air Ambulance Week (19 – 25 September) we, in partnership with Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, are appealing to Gloucestershire residents to take advantage of the charity’s Free Will Writing Service, for those aged 55 and over.

We have been offering the Free Will Writing Service to those residents since July 2014 as part of Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s scheme and are encouraging more people to think about writing a will or updating an out-of-date one to ensure they have documented their wishes so that they are carried out as they intended.

Miranda Hawkes, a lawyer in our wills, probate & trusts team, is helping the charity with the free will initiative. She said: “Writing a will is very important and yet there are still a significant number of people who have not made a will or are keeping it up-to-date to reflect changes in their lives. Loved ones can potentially suffer real deprivation, delay and distress at an already difficult time so by making a will it ensures that you provide for those you want to, and indeed those you need to.”

In the last 12 months Midlands Air Ambulance has attended over 60 incidents in Gloucestershire; 26 per cent of its missions for the region was to help people suffering from heart attacks. Other most commonly called on missions were traffic accidents and sport and leisure incidents.

Susie Godwin, local fundraising manager for Midlands Air Ambulance said: “We’re enormously grateful to Willans for supporting the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity and I encourage people to take part in this free will initiative.

“From three air bases, we undertake over 46,000 missions a year spanning six counties. On average each mission costs £2,500 and we receive no Government or National Lottery funding and heavily rely on legacies to continue our lifesaving work.”

Willans’ private client team has been handling all the legal aspects of wills, trusts and inheritance tax planning for individuals and generations of families since the 1940s.

Or to discuss the service with a member of the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity team, please contact the Legacies and Grants department on 0800 840 2040 or visit http://www.midlandsairambulance.com/gift-in-a-will/free-will-writing-scheme.