Opened on 26th November 1888, the Braintree & Bocking Public Gardens were a gift from the Courtauld family to the people of Braintree. You may be surprised to learn that the Gardens are in fact not owned or funded by Braintree District Council. The Gardens are kept open for the benefit of you, your family and the Braintree public by a dedicated board of Trustees.
It costs almost £30,000 a year to keep the gardens open and free for the public, which is raised by the Trustees, all of whom are local volunteers. Funding is dependent on donations from the general public and a range of local supported fundraising events.
Recognising that these much-loved Gardens and local charity needed support, Holmes & Hills Solicitors in Braintree organised a free Wills week in December 2015, offered to write basic Wills for free, in return for a donation made to the Garden’s charitable trust. The event has raised a total of £10,000* and George Canvin, Trustee and Treasurer of the Braintree & Bocking Public Gardens Trust was delighted, he said:
“The Trustees of Braintree & Bocking Public Gardens are extremely grateful to the group of solicitors at Holmes & Hills who gave their time freely to support the initiative.
Almost 100 people took advantage of the offer made by Holmes & Hills to have their Wills prepared for free in exchange for a donation to Braintree & Bocking Public Gardens Trust.
B&BPGT is a registered charity and is totally dependent upon public donations to maintain the gardens and the money raised by the solicitors goes a long way towards meeting this year’s expenses.”
Andrew East, chartered legal executive of the private client team said:
“We are very pleased to have been able to raise so much money for such a fantastic cause As a will and probate specialist, people often ask me if there is a ‘minimum age’ to make a Will. People often have wrong perception that you should only make a Will when you are in the final days of life; however, they are missing the important benefits of having a Will prepared.
"If you do not make a Will, you die ‘intestate’ and your estate is administered according to the intestacy rules. Whilst your next of kin will benefit from the estate, the extent of their entitlement will be determined by the intestacy rules. Your estate may not be distributed as you wish and will not necessarily pass wholly to your wife, husband or civil partner. If you are not married the extent to which your partner may inherit is uncertain.
Everyone should have a will, but it is even more important if you have children, property or savings, investments, insurance policies or you own a business. Additional benefits of writing a Will can also ensure effective planning for inheritance tax, to reduce its impact. It protects your assets for the family as well as appointing guardians for young children.”
Contact your local office of Holmes & Hills Solicitors to speak to one of our lawyers about making or updating your will and to arrange a face to face meeting at your convenience.
*gift aid included
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