PEOPLE across South Devon are being invited to take a simple step that could make a lasting difference for local families by taking part in Rowcroft’s Make a Will Week this May.

During the week, which takes place from May 11 to 15, six participating local solicitors will write or update their clients’ Wills and donate their fee to Rowcroft Hospice, helping to fund compassionate end-of-life care for families across South Devon when they need it most.

For Sarah Mason and her son Harry from Shaldon, that care meant everything.

From a young age, Harry (pictured right with brother Charlie and mum Sarah) was always thinking of others.

‘He loved to please,’ said Sarah.

‘He’d pick flowers for me on his way home from school.

‘He didn’t have a bad bone in his body’, Sarah added.

As he grew older, Harry spent much of his time on the water – wakeboarding, waterskiing, paddleboarding and enjoying the river with friends.

But in 2015, aged just 21, his life changed when he was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer.

‘At first, we just assumed he’d live,’ said Sarah.

‘We thought it would be scans every six months and that would be it’, Sarah added.

Harry continued working as an electrician through rounds of chemotherapy. But when the cancer returned more aggressively, Rowcroft’s team stepped in to help him stay at home.

“The Rowcroft team were just so lovely,” said Sarah.

‘They would come out at night if Harry needed pain relief – they were so quick to arrive.

‘At the door, they’d give me a hug and ask, ‘Are you looking after yourself too?’ They did so much for me’.

Being at home meant everything.

.He hated it when he was in hospital’, said Sarah.

‘He was so much happier being here, watching the boats on the river. It made such a difference to him – and to us’.

Harry died at home in August 2022, aged 28.

‘It does actually give me comfort that he died here,” said Sarah. ‘I just feel that he’s here with me. If he’d had to go to hospital, it would have been so much more traumatic for him’.

Leaving a gift in your Will can help families like Harry’s. Even a small gift can make a lasting difference.

Matthew Cooper, Partner at WBW Solicitors, said the firm is pleased to be supporting Rowcroft’s Make a Will Week.

‘As solicitors, we see how important it is for people to have a Will in place to protect their loved ones’, Matthew said.

‘Through Rowcroft’s Make a Will Week, people can do that while also supporting the compassionate care Rowcroft Hospice provides to families in our community’, Matthew added.

Find out more about Rowcroft’s Make a Will Week at: rowcrofthospice.org.uk/willweek