According to research, the most reported reason for not having a Will is that people have not got around to it yet, followed by believing they are too young or don’t have anything to give.

However, if you don’t have a valid Will, standard rules defined by law will be used to dictate how your money, possessions, and property (known collectively as your ‘estate’) are divided when you die. Without a Will, you also have no say over who will act as your executor, the person responsible for sorting the legal proceedings that are required.

These standardised rules won’t consider any of your personal wishes and can mean that those you intend to inherit your estate, such as a long-term partner, may receive nothing. Dying without a Will can create significant difficulties and disputes for your loved ones.

Whilst standard rules of inheritance might be suitable for some individuals and their circumstances, for many these do not reflect their personal wishes for how they’d like their estate to be divided. For example, long-term partnerships not legally recognised by marriage or civil partnership do not lead to inheritance under the standard rules. Writing a Will is the only way to have your say on how your estate should be divided.

Anyone over the age of 18 can have a Will, and it is advisable to do so. However, there are specific life situations which make it particularly wise to write, or review and update, your Will to ensure it reflects your wishes and personal circumstances. These situations include:

• Entering a marriage or civil partnership – in England and Wales this revokes any previous Wills.
• Entering or ending committed relationships that aren’t legally recognised by marriage or civil partnership.
• Getting divorced or separating.
• Having children – not only can you provide for them financially, but your Will can determine who would become their guardian if you were to die whilst they were under 18.
• The death of someone included within your Will.
• Other complex family or relationship circumstances, such as complications relating to someone included within your Will (e.g. disability, vulnerability, debt or divorce) or the breakdown of a relationship.
• Moving home, entering a joint ownership of a property, or buying property oversees.
• Acquiring assets overseas.
• Changes in financial circumstances.
• Changes in the law which could mean an arrangement made several years ago could no longer be necessary or meet your needs.
• Selling or parting with a possession that was included as a specific gift in your Will. Otherwise, the gift of the item is void and your intended recipient will not receive anything as an alternative.
• Decisions about, or changes in, your funeral preferences – funeral instructions can be included in a Will so that your family don’t have to make these difficult decisions.

When changes occur in your personal circumstances, such as having children or moving house, it is advisable to write or update your Will to ensure it still accurately reflects your wishes.

There are many different options when it comes to writing your Will. These differ in price but also, importantly, in their level of regulation and their suitability for your specific needs. It can only take one mistake for your Will to become invalid, and the more complex your personal circumstances the more advice and guidance you should seek. We highly recommend that you use a solicitor or professional and regulated Will-Writer to write or update your Will. This will ensure it is validly written and witnessed, giving you the most peace of mind.

The Law Society website provides a list of impartial solicitors in your area.

Writing or updating your Will should be a simple process, if you seek the correct professionals to support you through it.

Once you have chosen your solicitor or professional Will-writer, they will ask you to gather details about your bank accounts, pension pots, possessions, investments, etc. This will collectively form your estate and it is then your decision as to how you’d like this to be divided up and gifted on.

Gifts to loved ones and/or charity can take the form of a percentage of your overall estate, a fixed sum of money, or you can gift a specific item. More details about these types of gifts, including those that the Wildlife Trust BCN can accept, can be found in our FAQs.

To include a gift to a charity there are a few key bits of information that you will need to provide when writing or updating your Will, including the registered charity name, number and address. For the Wildlife Trust BCN these can be found in our FAQs.

There are other important considerations to make, such as inheritance tax and appointing executors. We cover these in our FAQs and your solicitor or professional Will-writer will guide you through this.

One of the most important stages of writing your Will is to ensure you then sign the finished document in the presence of independent witnesses, as without this it is not legally valid. This should then be securely stored in a location that your executor is aware of.

Gifts in Wills to the Wildlife Trust BCN enabled the purchase of this special all-terrain tractor. This is used to carry out essential habitat management on several of our reserves, including grassland restoration, woodland management, and the towing of trailers for grazing and equipment distribution.

In England and Wales, on average around 14% of charitable income comes from gifts in Wills (Legacy Futures, 2024) meaning gifts of this kind contribute significantly to the success and help offered by a broad scope of charities. The country would be a very different place if it wasn’t for generous people making these very special gifts to causes they love.

At the Wildlife Trust BCN, this is no different – last year 1 in 5 of our core tasks were funded through gifts in Wills! Having benefitted all three of our counties, multiple types of wildlife and habitats, and all aspects of our work, there is no disputing the significant impact a gift to the Wildlife Trust BCN has on creating a wilder future.

Previously, gifts in Wills have:

• Purchased vital equipment for the successful management of our reserves
• Secured important wildlife sites, saving them from future development
• Inspired young people and the wider community to care about the natural world through supporting a broad array of activities
• And much more – see here for further details.

Gifts in Wills to the Wildlife Trust BCN have contributed towards the facilitation of many of our community and education events, such as our Little Bugs clubs which inspire young children to connect and care for nature.