Macmillan Celebrates Will Writing Service Success On Anniversary And Urges People To Remember Charity

Online, January 29, 2014 (Newswire.com) - Macmillan Cancer Support celebrated the first anniversary of its discounted will writing service this week and urged people to continue to remember the charity in their wills.

Macmillan launched the service in January 2013 and since then, more than 200 wills have been written, with many supporters pledging to leave money to the charity in their wills. While more than 70 per cent of people in the UK give to charity during their lifetime, fewer than a tenth of these then leave money to charity in their will.

Helen Eddleston, Legacy Manager at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: "We are thankful to all the people who have used our discounted will writing service and to those who have included a legacy gift to Macmillan in the past year. Legacy giving makes up a third of all Macmillan's income and helps us to provide vital support to people affected by cancer.

"Macmillan recommends using a solicitor to ensure your will is written correctly. There is no obligation to leave a gift to Macmillan when people use our will writing service, although we do hope they will consider the benefits to the charity of doing so."

Lauren Killilea, Senior Associate at Shoosmiths solicitors, one of the four legal partners participating in the Macmillan will writing service, commented: "Shoosmiths are delighted to be associated with the fine work that Macmillan does. Some people don't bother writing a will because they think it's an expensive process, which it isn't. Making a will is the only way to guarantee that your assets are distributed the way you want them to be. Leaving a gift in your will to charity can reduce the amount of inheritance tax you pay if your estate is worth more than the Ј325,000 threshold."
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Rachel Kingston, from South London, used the Macmillan discounted will writing service to ensure her estate was left to her young son.

She said: "When I bought my flat, as a single Mum, I decided it was about time that I made a will. I heard about Macmillan's discounted will writing service through my local Legacy Relationship Manager and, as it was such good value I went ahead. It was quick and easy - I filled in my wishes online and had my will emailed to me a few days later to print out and sign.

"I would certainly recommend the Macmillan service. Since I had accessed the discounted rate through Macmillan, I decided to leave a small percentage of my estate to the charity as a thank you, and to hopefully help to ensure that the support is there when it is needed by my generation as we get older, and for my son too, should he ever need it."

More than one in three people get cancer during their lifetime and there are currently over two million people living with cancer in the UK.

Anyone interested in using the Macmillan will writing service should contact should call Macmillan free on 0800 107 4448 or email leavealegacy@macmillan.org.uk For more information, please visit www.macmillan.org.uk/willwriting

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NOTES TO EDITORS
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About Macmillan Cancer Support
When you have cancer, you don't just worry about what will happen to your body, you worry about what will happen to your life. At Macmillan, we know how a cancer diagnosis can affect everything and we're here to support you through. From help with money worries and advice about work, to someone who'll listen if you just want to talk, we'll be there. We'll help you make the choices you need to take back control, so you can start to feel like yourself again.
No one should face cancer alone. For support, information or if you just want to chat, call us free on 0808 808 00 00 (Monday to Friday, 9am-8pm) or visit macmillan.org.uk
About Macmillan's discounted will writing service
Writing a will is the best way to make sure the people you care about are looked after once you're gone. It ensures that everything you want to happen happens. And it puts your mind at rest.
Finding this peace of mind is now even easier with Macmillan's discounted will writing service, which is available across the UK.
We have a variety of services for different needs ranging from online, over the telephone, face-to-face and at local branches of our legal partners.
Macmillan's discounted will writing service gives you a choice of legal professionals you can trust, and saves you money at the same time. And while there's no obligation to leave a gift to Macmillan when you use the service, we hope you might consider it.