Leamington law firm Berrymans Solicitors has been been recognised by Cancer Research UK after its ‘free wills’ campaigns secured more than £800,000 worth of legacies to the charity.

Donna Bothamley, head of wills and probate at the Rugby Road solicitors, who was presented with a certificate of appreciation for the firm’s ongoing support, said her department had been offering the free will service to people aged 55 and over in Leamington and the surrounding area for the past 20 years.

As part of the service, Berrymans Solicitors gives advice and support for those wishing to write a will or update an existing one, together with guidance for those wishing to leave a legacy gift for Cancer Research UK.

Mrs Bothamley said: “The charity receives no government funding for its research and relies heavily on the generosity of people leaving gifts in their wills. More than a third of its research into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer is funded in this way.

“A legacy gift is traditionally money but it can be anything that has a monetary value, such as an estate or a specific item. Anything left to Cancer Research UK can be marked to be ring-fenced for research into a specific cancer type or research within a local area,” she said.

Clare Moore, director of legacies at Cancer Research UK, said that everyone reached a stage at some point in their lives when they start to look ahead and consider what would happen to their financial affairs in the future, when they may no longer be around.

“At Cancer Research UK we work with local solicitors like Berrymans Solicitors to offer local people aged 55 or over the chance to make an all-important first will or to update an existing one. The service has grown in popularity over the past couple of years and while it is provided free of any obligation, the vast majority of people choose to kindly leave a gift to the charity.

“It’s quite astonishing to think that by simply combining enthusiasm with the highest professional standards Berrymans Solicitors has helped secure more than £826,000 worth of legacy gifts, which will go a long way towards helping our scientists, doctors and nurses to beat cancer sooner,” she said.

For more information about leaving a legacy gift and Cancer Research UK’s free will service, visit www.cruk.org/freewillservice or call Berrymans Solicitors 01926 831231

CAPTION: Neil Antcliffe, Legacy Partnership manager with Cancer Research UK (left), with Donna Bothamley, Jaz Virk and Paul England from Berrymans Solicitors’ wills and probate team.