Number of West Midlands people who haven't made a will revealed

A poll commissioned by charity will-writing campaign Will Aid found that 62 per cent of people in the region do not have a will, ranking third in the top five areas of people without one.

Findings also suggested that nationally, 59 per cent of the population do not have paperwork protecting their loved ones in the event of their death.

Peter de Vena Franks, campaign director for the charity, said that the research findings for the West Midlands were "concerning".

He continued: "The results show that nationally we have a population that is burying its head in the sand when it comes to preparing their loved ones for the inevitable.

"And in the West Midlands, we can see that the situation is also concerning. Our poll delved into the many reasons why people avoid drawing up a will with many citing the difficulties they have talking about and thinking about death.

"We recognise that this is a tricky conversation to have with the people you care about but drawing up paperwork to protect the ones you love, after you are gone, comes with a sense of peace.

"Another barrier to making a will was cited as expense which, in light of the current cost of living crisis, is understandable.

"Will Aid can provide a cost-effective solution that comes with the security that a will is being drafted by a professional, regulated and insured solicitor, while you also help vulnerable charities that are also struggling at this time."

The charity's study showed that in the West Midlands, the main barriers to making a will were seen as fear of thinking about death, with 24 per cent, lack of time, with 20 per cent, and nothing worthy of passing on with, 19 per cent.

Despite the region's shortage of people with wills, research found that this was not reflective of the percentage for Birmingham, which ranks seventh of 13 cities for the percentage of residents without a will.

In other areas of the UK, the region with the most number of people without a will is Northern Island with 75 per cent, followed by the North West with 67 per cent and Yorkshire and the West Midlands coming in joint-third with 62 per cent.

Wales ranked in fourth with 61 per cent and the North East in fifth with 60 per cent.

Mr Vena Franks added: "There are still so many people in the UK who do not have a will and this needs to be addressed.

"A will is the best way for a person to make an active choice about inheritance and estates, not to mention make decisions on the guardianship of underage children."

Will Aid runs for the month of November and raises money for nine charities in the UK, including ActionAid, British Red Cross, Christian Aid, NSPCC, Save The Children, Sightsavers, Age UK, SCIAF (Scotland) and Trocaire (Northern Ireland).

Solicitors volunteer their time to charity to write wills for members of the public and so, instead of paying the usual fee for the will, the client is asked to make a voluntary upfront donation to the charity.

The suggested donation for a basic Will Aid will is £100 for a single will and £180 for a pair of mirror wills.

Those who wish to book an appointment with a solicitor to make a will in November can do so from September onwards via the Will Aid website or by calling 0300 0309 558.

For more information visit willaid.org.uk