Pictured: Nicky Gough

There is good news for people in Cotswolds who have put off making a Will or need to get it updated. Cotswold Family Law are now taking part in the campaign to write Wills during Will Aid's Make a Will Month throughout November.  

Solicitors around the UK donate their time to support the Will Aid charities and instead of paying a normal fee for writing a basic Will during the month of November, clients are asked to donate to the Will Aid charities. Suggested donations are £85 for a single basic Will and £125 for a pair of mirror Wills or £40 for a codicil or change to previous Will.

The scheme is designed to raise much needed funds for UK charities including: Actionaid, Age UK, British Red Cross, Christian Aid, NSPCC, Save the Children, The Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF), Sightsavers and Trocaire. It provides vital funds to help people to build their communities and improve their future in the UK and around the world. Last November, over nineteen thousand clients, made their Will with Will Aid, raising over £1.5 million, for the Will Aid charities.

Will Aid has also teamed up with Certainty, the National Will Register, to offer Will Aid clients the opportunity to register the location of their Will - for Free (usual cost is £30). When a Will is needed, the register enables loved ones to quickly and easily locate it.

Nicky Gough and her team are throwing themselves into this fund raising campaign, generously donating their legal services for free to clients making Wills. They already have 15 meetings booked in for November Will Aid appointments.

Nicky explains: "At Cotswold Family Law we understand the hardship caused to loved ones when someone dies without a Will and so we are keen to help local people avoid the problems it causes.  In the UK around 60% of deaths are intestate. This means that the deceased's estate is distributed according to a precise set of rules, which very often does not reflect their wishes. For example, people who are not legally married or in a civil partnership are not automatically entitled to anything from the estate of their partner. There are even financial limits on what a surviving legally married person can receive. As a result many surviving loved ones may have to endure a drawn out legal process and a good deal of emotional stress. We would be delighted to hear from clients who still have this on their 'to do' list."

Aside from being a solicitor, Nicky takes part in many other charitable projects, she is a trustee for Special & Different, an agency working to tackle addiction, a trustee for the Sunshine Centre in Banbury and also for the Cyclists Defence Fund. She is a voluntary representative for Traidcraft, a member of the Howard League for Penal Reform, a member of Amnesty International, and an active contributor to a variety of charities working to combat poverty in the UK and overseas. Nicky also takes part in charity cycle rides for Medicines Sans Frontiers and cancer charities.  

Cotswold Family Law provide expert advice in private client legal services including Family Law issues and Wills and Probate. Nearly a year old, the company have already been shortlisted as a finalist for the Banbury Women in Business Awards for new business.  

For further information or to book an appointment to write a Will in Will Aid's Make a Will Month contact Nicky Gough at Cotswold Family Law on 01608 686590.