A national will writing and estate planning firm is undertaking its own free wills month as part of efforts to offer employers and consumers the chance to write a will with the cost covered up to £150 in exchange for leaving a gift to charity.
In October Octopus Legacy’s nationwide ‘Free Wills’ campaign encourages individual to either write or update their will for little or no cost, in exchange for leaving a legacy as part of this.
Speaking on the importance of this campaign, Octopus Legacy’s Founder and CEO Sam Grice said:
“At Octopus Legacy, we see a will as more than just a formality. It’s an opportunity to make a lasting difference. Increasingly, people are realising they can shape the future for the causes they care about most through their will, and this campaign is about harnessing that energy and making the process simple, accessible, and free. By empowering people to take this first step, we can help ensure that their legacy is able to help the people, places and causes that matter to them most.”
The firm ran the same campaign earlier in the year generating an estimated £15.2 million in future pledged income for participating charities. As part of this campaign, 93% of participating charities received at least one pledge, with some charities securing as much as £1 million in future gifts.
This latest campaign is run in partnership with over 150 charities – including ActionAid, Stonewall and the Eden Project – and some of the UK’s biggest employers including John Lewis and DHL.
Gifts in wills are a well established method for raising much needed charity funding, with an estimated 28% of all funds raised for UK charities coming from legacy donations.
Commenting on their partnership with Octopus Legacy for this campaign, a spokesperson for the MS Society said:
“This campaign not only raises awareness but also empowers people to make a lasting difference for everyone affected by MS. This partnership has been really valuable because it’s helped us offer our supporters something practical and meaningful — the chance to write their will for free. This service not only supports them, but also opens the door for more people to consider leaving a gift to the MS Society, which will make a lasting difference for future generations.”
As part of the Spring campaign, an average of £150,000 per charity was pledged in just two months, up from £100,000 in the previous autumn campaign. The drive also delivered a 115% increase in the number of wills drafted compared to the previous campaign in the Autumn of 2024, and a 442% rise compared to Spring 2024,
