Alison has chosen to leave us a gift in her will, here she explains why it's so important to her.

Dying without a will can leave a practical and emotional mess. At a time when bereaved people need support and peace many are thrust into the harsh reality of finding out that have been left at risk of eviction, poverty and family breakdown. Others see the estate going to people who the person who has died didn't expect or want to benefit, their children without guardians or are landed with unexpected tax bills. Professionally, I spent many years offering legal advice and emotional support to people picking up the pieces so I have always known the importance of having a will. 

Many charities rely on legacies to survive so shortly after I was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, I did some research into Cardiomyopathy UK and saw that there was an opportunity to help them to maintain and expand their services by leaving a gift in my will. As cardiomyopathy is often inherited I also saw this as a chance to help distant relatives and future generations of my own family. I decided to leave a percentage of my estate to each of my beneficiaries as this future-proofed the will against the effects of inflation. It also helped me ensure that I could take advantage of current inheritance tax (IHT) laws that offer a lower rate of IHT for people who leave more than 10% of their estate to charity. 

We all know that tragedy can happen to anyone at anytime so please do something about one thing you can control and make making or updating a will a priority. It gives me peace of mind to know that my wishes will be carried out after my death and that I can make a real difference to the thousands of people with cardiomyopathy that will come after me. 

I would urge other people to get advice on how to write a will that will protect those that they love and leave a legacy to those people and organisations that have been important in their lives.