A NORTH Cornwall resident is doing her bit to try and make end-of-life documentation feel accessible to all.

Sarah Woodward runs Simply Wills, a Cornwall-based will-writing and Lasting Power of Attorney service, which is on a mission to ensure everyone has the documents they need before its too late.

Sarah, who lives between Launceston and Bude, started her work after her family and community needed her support.

She told the Post: “I used to work in tax, so I loved forms and then my grandad died about 12 years ago and I was like, ‘I’m brilliant with forms, I can do everything’, so I did all his probate, all of his Lasting Power of Attorney. And then I organised my stepdad’s and then before I knew it, I was doing the paperwork for extended family and beyond. It became community help, free of charge, where I’d help people with forms.

“Then when my dad passed away and he left me an inheritance, is I thought ‘let's take this thing I love and let's make everyone feel they can access it’.

“People are being quoted thousands for what I’d consider simple work, so I became a lifesaver for them.”

Now, having already helped countless individuals, Sarah is launching a new sponsorship scheme designed to fund free wills and Lasting Power of Attorney for people who feel these services are out of reach.

She explained: “Sponsorship contributions are used directly to cover the cost of providing professional legal planning to individuals and families who might otherwise go without — whether due to financial pressure, lack of confidence, or fear of engaging with formal legal services.

“In my work, I regularly meet people who assume they “aren’t the sort of person who needs a will yet”, believe legal planning is only for the wealthy, or worry they’ll be judged for asking what they feel are “silly questions”. Others are put off by cost, complexity, or previous experiences where legal advice felt intimidating or inaccessible.”

Sarah says that despite it being free to create a Lasting Power of Attorney, not everyone can comprehend the signing process needed.

With the new scheme, Sarah is hoping to increase the information people have about wills and end of life legal documents in a way that makes them feel more accessible.

“I’ve found a lot of people think it’s very complicated and super expensive,” she said. “And what I want to so is remove those boundaries so that every person on the street feels as though they are accessible. So that anyone in any kind of potential future medical situation has got their documents in order that they may or may not need.

“Thanks to the sponsorship scheme, if someone comes to me and can’t afford it, they have the opportunity to get it for free.

“Sponsors can donate any amount they like, a few people do £5 a month, but if we can get enough of those donations, it makes a big difference and generally does help people.”

Find out more about sponsorships via: www.simplywills.net/sponsorship