Will writing donations boost Warrington Wolves Charitable Foundation

A leading Warrington law firm’s free will writing offer has helped raise funds for a rugby league club’s charitable foundation.

Watsons Solicitors pledged to provide free wills in exchange for donations to the Warrington Wolves Charitable Foundation as part of its Will Week initiative in November 2018.

And the campaign, which promoted the importance of having a will, raised £2,000 for the sporting charity’s heritage activities.

The organisation is the charitable arm of Warrington Wolves, and works to create life changing opportunities for local people through sport, education, health, and the arts.

The donation will go towards the upkeep of a history wall on the south stand of the club’s Halliwell Jones stadium, which is used to educate school pupils on the eight-time Challenge Cup winner’s history.

Alex Mitchell, partner and head of the private client department at Watsons Solicitors, said: “This initiative was successful in raising funds for the Foundation, and increasing awareness of why writing a will is an important process.

“Statistics show that half of all UK adults do not have a will, but there is a strong argument that anyone over the age of 18 should have one to protect assets, and avoid upset and expense in the future.

“Writing a will is often put off for fear of high cost, but the market is competitive, which keeps down the price. At Watsons Solicitors, we also store clients’ wills in an onsite strong room free of charge.

“We had a fantastic response with 20 will appointments made in exchange for donations, and our cheque was presented to the Charitable Foundation’s sport and lifestyles manager, James Howes, at the Ryan Atkins testimonial match.

Shaun Briscoe, partnerships manager at Warrington Wolves Charitable Foundation, said: “As a charity we rely heavily on donations from local businesses like Watsons Solicitors, and this money will help us continue to promote the charity’s profile.

“Staff from both the Foundation and Watsons Solicitors teamed up to hand out flyers in Warrington to promote the campaign, with Alex and the team then doing the hard work writing wills to provide us with this fantastic donation.”

The scheme was the latest in Watsons Solicitors’ series of community work, which includes sponsorship of Warrington Town Football Club and organising the Warrington Business Awards.

Warrington Wolves came very close to winning silverware last season, making it to two finals, but Warrington’s Physical Disability Rugby League Team, launched by the Foundation, went one better by winning in Australia to be become World Club Champions.

Watsons Solicitors, which has been established for more than 60 years, specialises in family law, employment law, wills and probate, and conveyancing.

Its experienced solicitors each hold accreditations and memberships of professional bodies relevant to their expertise, while the firm’s partners oversee all areas of work.

Anyone interested in having a will should contact Watsons Solicitors on 01925 571 212.