Category Archives: Funerals
Making a Will
In November I had re-written my Will, which, on this occasion, was professionally written by a solicitor. Previously I have done DIY Wills bought from the Post Office or a High Street shop. l update my Will roughly every five years or so and as I was aware of the Will Aid Scheme, I thought that I would do this update as a comparison. Will Aid is a scheme that is available every November, where one can get a Will written for a donation of around £95.00. Will Aid is a partnership between the legal profession and nine UK’s charities. Every November, participating solicitors waive their fee for writing a basic Will. Instead, they invite clients to make a voluntary donation to Will Aid – They suggest £95 for a single basic Will and £150 for a pair of basic ‘mirror’ Wills.
My new Will details/wishes were more or less taken from the previous Will that I had written, as I brought it in to discuss. The only significant change to note was writing the addresses of those that I want to benefit from my will. This was advised to be written in the Will, rather than on a separate piece of paper, and it proved helpful as I became aware that I didn’t have all the addresses.
In conclusion, if you have a fairly simple Will, which I did, then DIY Wills is no different and just as legal. In England and Wales, the legal requirement is that the will is signed and witnessed by two people present. In Scotland, it only needs to be witnessed and signed by one other person.
If you are over 55 years old you can get a Will done for free. Under the scheme called Free Wills Month. The Scheme takes place every March and October and is backed by Charities, however, be prepared for your solicitor to ask if you would like to leave a donation to a chosen cause when you die, although you are under no obligation to do so. The towns and cities taking part in Free Wills Month vary each time the campaign runs. Visit the ‘Free Will Month‘ website during March or October and enter your postcode. You’ll be given a list of participating solicitors close to you, which you can choose from to arrange an appointment.
However, it’s simple to write a will, particularly when using guidelines from DIY Wills or from the opportunities of a solicitor as noted above. Its worth noting that all Wills become invalid if you get married and it’s wise to update your Will regularly. The most important message that I can offer is DO WRITE A WILL, this allows your wishes to be granted as you would want and your funeral wishes too. We often change our minds or viewpoints so rewrite your Will or funeral plan regularly to reflect this.
Visiting a natural burial ground
On Sunday 15th May 2016 I went with a small a group of people to visit Higher Ground Meadow, a natural burial ground situated in Corscombe. The family ownx 130 acres of land, where they had farmed sheep; now approximately 12 acres are currently used as the burial ground.
This is a family-run business, and Jo Vassie kindly showed us around the grounds in a 2-hour tour, her son has come into the business and they now also offer a very respectful funeral directors’ service with their mortuary at a nearby site.
As you can gather from the name, the meadow is situated high up on the ridge and has stunning, far-reaching views over Dorset and Somerset.
Bier
We were first shown the barn: a beautiful indoor gathering place which has large windows looking out onto the fields and seating capacity for 100 people. It has a log burner as the main form of heating and holds the bier, a beautiful wooden cart upon which the coffin or ashes can be laid and transported to the chosen plot. However, people can choose not to make use of the barn and do the whole of the service outdoors.
The hay meadows are cut once a year around September and baled, they consist of natural, native wildflower meadows. There are also small woodland patches in which Jo insists that only native trees are planted and the grass around the trees is managed similarly to average grass cutting.
Higher Ground Meadow
The beautiful burial plots are left and become fairly flat, blending into the shape of the field. Most plots here are left unmarked, but otherwise a tablet of oak with a brass name plate can be laid or set in flush to the ground.
Jo informed us that the land is kept in trust so will not be sold off. Recently the Vassie family has asked for planning permission to create a neolithic- style burial mound and indeed will be receiving visitors from the Planning office the day after our visit. This seems quite an exciting project and I believe there is a successful tomb in Wilshire that was opened last year. Ashes are laid in small shelves inside the tomb-like chamber. I hope they are successful in gaining permission; the structure will likely become a small unobtrusive grassy mound in another section of their field.
I was impressed by the care and attention that has been put into this beautiful burial ground, the tour was informative and * would have considered a natural burial ground for myself, however, I co-own a private plot of land and have already planned my final resting place.