Success of Free Will Month sees local mental health charity receive thousands of pounds

Cygnet Law’s Free Will Month campaign has written 83 wills for free and raised more than £7,000 for local mental health charity Redcar & Cleveland Mind.

The Redcar-based Will and Mental Health Law specialist law firm offered its will writing services for free, only asking for a donation to the local mental health charity in return. Anyone taking up the offer was asked to make a contribution to Redcar & Cleveland Mind, either directly at the time, or by leaving a charitable donation in their will.

An outstanding total of £7,725 was included as charitable legacies in wills or donated directly to the charity.

This is only the latest fundraising done by Cygnet Law on behalf of the charity. Last year, the law firm raised more than £500 with its first charity beach walk.

Gemma Brooks, Solicitor and Estate-planning specialist at Cygnet Law, said “We’re incredibly pleased with how well the Free Will Month went. Of the 83 people who accessed the offer, only a few have had their final meeting to sign off the will so far. We expect that many of the people who we see over the next few weeks will donate as well, so the total should far exceed what we already have.

“It’s a service we’ve been happy to provide. Whether you have thought about where you want your estate to go or if you have no idea where to start, we can help you write your will. Many people think you only need one if you own property or have a lot of wealth, but it’s an important legal protection everyone should have regardless of money or age.”

Veronica Harnett, CEO of Redcar & Cleveland mind said: “Leaving a legacy is an incredibly generous gesture that helps us to sustain our services in the future. We would encourage everyone to recognise how important it is to have a will in place so that their wishes are clearly followed after they have gone. Legacy funds make it possible for charities like ours to develop new services for people with mental health problems at a time when funding is a real challenge.”