"I should be celebrating with my little brother this month. He would have been turning 40 years old. David's life was suddenly cut short in 2018, and it took us all by surprise. As we did our best to get our heads around what had happened, we discovered none of us knew his wishes; we had not been brave enough to have 'the conversation' about the inevitable with each other, and we were left with no more time to ask him. 

Like most young people, he also didn't have a Will. This meant we had nothing in writing describing his wishes, nor any guide for what should go to his family and friends in terms of sentimental items or funds. The lack of a Will made it very hard to ensure his partner (mother to his child) could access his estate and accounts, as they were not married. This resulted in significant additional documentation to go through, to help his partner, which felt very complicated and unnecessary at a time when we were all so sad. 

We did our best to give my brother the best send-off we could in a 'Celebration of Life', but we don't know if it is what he would have liked. These days, we miss him lots but have many happy memories to share from his amazing life. While this is a serious and tough subject to broach, what we all learned was the importance of having that difficult conversation with each other, to create personalised Wills, and to keep them up-to-date."

"The North Wales Wildlife Trust legacy team had the answer for me: a free, online Will-creation service that could be tailored to suit me. I found the online form so easy to use that I didn't even need to meet with a solicitor. I added all the things I would like to happen after I'm gone, including my favourite music for my celebration of life, who I want to leave my more precious items to, and of course included a gift for North Wales Wildlife Trust. A solicitor checked my Will remotely, I then printed it off at home and had it signed by witnesses before storing it safely. I can easily amend my Will online, print it and get it signed again when I need to update it.

I am so grateful for this simple, fast, free Will service. It is a huge weight off my mind, and it is important to me that I could include a gift in my Will to help secure the future of wildlife in North Wales for future generations, like David's beautiful daughter Clara, pictured with me enjoying the coastal wildlife at Rhiwledyn nature reserve, near Llandudno.

So, no matter what your age, don't delay. Check out North Wales Wildlife Trust's free Will-writing service and get yours ticked off. It's free and easy, and you'll make a difficult time much better for your family and friends when the time comes, as they'll know exactly what you want!"

by Kirsty Brown