Free will writing service: Write or update your will for free
Write your will for free with the Red Cross. We offer support online or in person near you from professional solicitors.
With our help, writing a will can be a quick and easy process that’s completely free. Use our free will writing service to make a simple will online or in person with a professional solicitor near you.
Our Legacy team will answer any questions about will writing or, leaving a charity gift in your will to the Red Cross.
Help over the phone writing a will
Will writing with the Red Cross
If you want to leave a gift in your will there are different options to choose from. You can make a new will or update an existing one. Find the way that best suits you:
Will writing with a solicitor near you
The British Red Cross offers a free-will writing service through our partnership with the National Free Wills Network. Their participating solicitors are available to help you with writing your will for free. All you need to do is request a will-writing pack below, which includes a list of solicitors near you.
Request a free will writing pack
Will writing online
Partnering with Bequeathed, we provide you with a hassle-free way to write a will online. Follow a few simple steps, and a legal professional is available to offer advice in a free 30-minute phone appointment.
Need some help from the experts?
If you'd like to speak to a legacy expert about writing your will, or if you would like more information about our free will writing service, we are happy to help.
How to write a will
Create a will template with our free planner
Writing your will may seem complicated, but it's easy with our simple will planner.
In five easy-to-follow steps, we'll help you start a template for your will by identifying key information, such as who you want to provide for and the value of your estate, making it easier to communicate your wishes to your solicitor.
Download your free and simple will planner, print it off, fill it out, and take it with you to your solicitor appointment.
Download our simple will planner (PDF)
Making a will checklist
There are many things to consider when writing a will, here is our checklist:
1. Work out the value of your estate
Your estate simply means the value of all you own, minus any money you owe.
2. Decide who you’d like to provide for
From your nearest and dearest to your favourite charities.
3. If you have dependent children, choose guardians
Who are the relatives or friends you would want to look after them?
4. Choose your executor
An executor is someone you nominate and entrust to carry out the instructions in your will after your death.
5. Make notes of any questions
It’s good to have them all in one place to talk through with your solicitor.
Update an existing will
If you've already created your will, but wish to include a gift to the British Red Cross, use our codicil template form to make the necessary update.
Download a Codicil Form (PDF).
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to write a will?
At the British Red Cross, we’ve partnered with the National Free Wills Network and Bequeathed to allow supporters the opportunity to write a simple will for free. This includes a basic single or mirror will.
For more complicated wills, additional features will be charged once agreed between the client and solicitor. This includes, for example, adding a Power of Attorney to your will.
When should you write a will?
We recommend writing and amending your will at various key stages in your life, or when you find your circumstances have changed. This can either be when you purchase a new home, get married or divorced, to the arrival of children and grandchildren.
Updating your will frequently allows you to care for your family, but also make sure your wishes are followed after you’ve gone.
Do I have to leave a gift in my will?
You are under no obligation to leave the British Red Cross a gift in your will, if you do take up our free will writing offer.
This decision is entirely up to you, but a gift of this kind is a wonderful way of making a promise to people in crisis in the future will always get the life-saving and emotional support they need.
More help with writing a will
Do you have more questions about leaving a gift in your will?
- Explore our advice on making a legally valid will
- Get help as a will executor
- Speak to one of our legacy experts
Building a brighter future, together
Include a gift in your will and your donation could help many people:
- £250 could buy a vulnerable person a fuel card top-up, helping them to keep warm at home over the winter.
- £704 could pay for two community midwives for one month at a health clinic in Yemen, supporting mothers to deliver healthy babies.
- £1,000 could pay for a ready-to-use defibrillator, which could save someone's life in a first aid emergency.
- £6,500 could help to provide 60 goats to farmers in Kenya affected by climate change, supporting their livelihoods and families.
- £50,000 could buy a fully converted large emergency response vehicle so that we can provide practical support and reassurance for people impacted by an emergency.
Contact us for help with writing your will
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