Solicitors are offering their services free of charge to help people write a basic will and help Noah’s Ark children’s Hospice.

Wellwishers are being invited to make a will during October, with a voluntary donation to the hospice in Barnet, which depends on public support.

All they have to do is choose a participating solicitor and quote “Noah’s Ark Make a Will Month” to draw up their will free and in return make a £120 voluntary minimum donation or £175 for a pair of wills.

“This is an opportunity to support a worthwhile charity,” says Samantha Anastasiou from Anvoner Law Solicitors in Potters Bar. “We are helping clients protect their own legacy for future generations as well as leaving a gift to Noah’s Ark.”

The donation or legacy gift will help children with life-threatening or life-limiting conditions and their families across north London.

Noah’s Ark gives palliative care every year to more than 350 children from the point of diagnosis. It provides activities and days out, for families to enjoy life as parents and children rather than ‘carers and patients’ to make the most of every day.

One family it is supporting is Katie and Tom Hainbach and their daughter Leia. 

Katie said: “I was so grateful this hospice existed to support us. A children’s hospice is a place where memories are made, making the most of the life that you have — even if it’s not as long a life as the average person.”

Visit https://noahsarkhospice.org.uk/2024/09/16/make-a-will-month-2024/ for a list of participating solicitors.

Leaving a gift in a will to Noah’s Ark creates a legacy that brings comfort and support to babies, children and young people and their families “at a time when most needed”, the charity says. The gift in a will or any donation leaves a lasting impact that will always be remembered.

The hospice in High Barnet has a catchment area that includes the London boroughs of Barnet, Enfield, Camden, Islington and Haringey, as well as Hertsmere in Hertfordshire. It takes referrals of babies, children and young people with life-threatening or limiting illness — but needs an annual budget of £1 million to keep going, most of it from public goodwill.