Buxton solicitors offer free Wills in February in return for donations to High Peak hospice charity

Brooke-Taylors Solicitors, on the Quadrant, is running the initiative to raised much-needed funds for Blythe House Hospicecare and Helen’s Trust.

The two organisations, which merged in 2020, help hundreds of people every year across High Peak, the Derbyshire Dales and North East Derbyshire, ensuring they have vital services close to home and free of charge in their final days.

Chapel-en-le-Frith resident Joanna and her late husband John were among those grateful for assistance from Blythe House as he was undergoing treatment for prostate cancer, and Joanna is sharing her story in support of the Brooke-Taylors campaign.

She said: “Having an up-to-date will is the only way you can protect your family and loved ones. By making a donation to Blythe House in lieu of legal fees you will have the rewarding knowledge that you are supporting and helping to protect, for the future, such an important and invaluable local charity.

“You will make a real difference to individuals and families like mine who can benefit from the wonderful compassionate care offered by the amazing team at Blythe House.”

John was first diagnosed in 2019, and began attending the High Peak prostate support group, out-patient clinics and ‘therapeutic Thursday’ sessions run by the hospice.

Joanna said: “The support we had from Blythe was unmeasurable. It was a place where we could turn to. At the worst of times they were there to make sense of the diagnosis for us, and the support group gave him time around other men who could understand and suggest ways to manage the side effects of treatment

After six months of treatment and two rounds of radiotherapy the treatment, doctors told John his cancer had spread to his bones and he had become terminal.

Joanna said: “He was able to speak to Blythe House nurses and set his mind at rest. I know he tried his best to protect me as much as he could. It gave him a chance to know how to bring up those difficult conversations especially after his treatment had been stopped.”

“I found the out-patient clinic with Dr Sarah Parnacott really helpful. She helped John’s pain management and would go through the medication with me to explain what everything was. She made something that I found quite overwhelming to process, more manageable.”

To book an appointment to make your Will and support families like Joanna’s, call Brooke-Taylors on 01298 22741 quoting Blythe House Hospicecare and Helen’s Trust.

Brooke-Taylors director Rosemary Wood said: “Many people seek legal advice only after someone has died, but in fact planning ahead with our help can be an invaluable investment and make the future for those you leave behind much clearer and more secure.

“Making a Will is important because it is your opportunity to decide who will deal with your estate after your death and ensure that your assets pass to those closest to you or your chosen charities.”

For more information, visit blythehousehospice.org.uk/support-us/wills-month.

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