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Kirby Simcox's solicitors volunteer time for Will Aid 2006

During November, Bristol Solicitors Kirby Simcox are giving up their time free of charge as part of Will Aid 2006 which offers clients a chance to put their affairs in order and support charities at the same.

Kirby Simcox which has offices in Bristol, Kingswood and Thornbury has regularly taken part in the biennial Will Aid Scheme. The scheme enables someone to have a basic Will professionally drawn up by a solicitor, but instead of paying the solicitors a fee, clients can choose to make a donation to Will Aid.

Will Aid, is a registered charity which raises funds for people in need in the UK and around the world. The scheme is run by nine leading charities including Save The Children UK, Action Aid and the Red Cross and is supported by a number of legal firms throughout the UK.

The last time the scheme was run in 2004 Kirby Simcox raised £2,585 in donations for the Charity. Kirby Simcox Managing Partner Amanda Firth said, “We are delighted to support this excellent scheme. This is a fantastic way for someone to ensure all their affairs are in order and at the same time help many thousands of people in need.”

She continued, “Making a Will is a simple and an important way of protecting the future for family and loved ones but it is surprising how few people make one. Each year in England and Wales, people without a Will leave over £2 billion which is then distributed according to the laws of intestacy – a detailed impersonal set of rules that dictate where the money goes. It can take years to sort out someone's estate if they die without a Will, leaving their nearest and dearest in great distress. We therefore encourage people to make a Will this month and also help others in need.”

Lawyer completes Tall Ship voyage

Family Law expert in Bristol, volunteered his time recently to help youngsters take part in a voyage of a life-time in the 50th Anniversary Tall Ships Race from Torbay to Lisbon.

Tom joined the crew of the 60 metre Square Rigger sailing ship, ‘The Prince William’, to take part in the last leg of the epic Race which covered 1200 miles from La Coruna in Spain to Antwerp in Belgium.

As an experienced sailor for more than 20 years, Tom was able to work alongside the ship’s professional crew and help to train and support a crew of 40 Youngsters who were taking part in the Race for the first time.

The weather on the 10 day leg was mixed particularly as the Ship crossed the notorious Bay of Biscay where it was confronted by extremes in conditions from rough squalls to flat calm.

Commenting on the trip Tom Starkey said, “This was a great experience and it was wonderful to be able to work with the youngsters in the crew and watch them develop their skills and to learn to work as a team. During my leg of the voyage we encountered some pretty bad conditions with some stormy seas. However, the worst was the few days we spent in the doldrums when the wind dropped completely and the ship hardly moved. Mentally this is the most challenging for the crew there is little you can really do until the wind picks up.”

He continued, “Despite this it was a wonderful experience to be part of the special 50th Anniversary race which saw over 80 of the worlds most beautiful Tall Ships compete together. All at one point we were in third position, but we finally finished around 11th. However, our final position didn’t really matter as it is certainly the taking part that counts in such a unique event.”