Estate Planning Special Event

12 members of the local community came together at @StBedesRCchurch in South Shields on 18th March 2026 to meet Rachel from the Cooperative Legal Services to discover what estate planning means.

The group learned all about the importance of Lasting Power of Attorney, and just how difficult and expensive taking control of a loved ones care and finances if it is not in place. The big lesson is that everyone should have a Lasting Power of Attorney arranged, and not leave it until the later years. Experience shows that in the event of a sudden illness or accident may lead to putting it in place quickly but if the person has lost their ability, then it may be too late to arrange.

The next shock to the group was learning about wills and family protesting them. There has been many cases of family estates being lost to other families due to a widow or widower forming a new relationship, and then when they pass, their estate passing into their new relationship's family, outside of the original family, causing disputes that are hard and expensive to fight.

Thank you to Rachel from Cooperative Legal Services for her clear direction and myth busting for us all.