SOLICITORS who volunteered their services for a month in exchange for donations to Prospect Hospice have allowed the charity to raise £16,500 towards end-of-life care.

Throughout November staff at Lemon & Co, Jeary & Lewis, Withy King, Andrews Martin, Morrison & Masters, Bower and Bailey and The Merriman Partnership updated or drafted the wills of hundreds of clients free of charge as part of the Make a Will campaign, waiving their professional fees and handing them to the Wroughton organisation instead.

The sum will go towards the Adver’s ambitious 160 Appeal to collect £160,000 for Prospect – all by the end of December.

Withy King lent its expertise to around 50 clients and was able to collect £7,000 for the hospice.

Mandy Casavant, a solicitor in the private client team and a trustee of Prospect Hospice, said: “We were heartened by the support for the initiative and the generosity of everyone who took part.

“We are pleased to continue to support Prospect in this way, and I’m delighted that we’ve been able to beat our previous fundraising records.

“I think most people recognise how important it is to have a will and keep it updated, so being able to help raise money for such a worthwhile cause motivated them to come and see us sooner rather than later.”

Lemon & Co helped to raise £4,000 in donated fees, a personal best for the firm which has taken part in the Make a Will campaign in the past.

“This has been our most successful year,” said solicitor Deirdre Moss. “People have been very generous. The Prospect do a really good job. I have been out there a lot of times over the years to see people in the last weeks of their lives and families always say what a comfort staff are there.”

Sheryl Crouch, head of fundraising at Prospect Hospice, who is finalising the grand total raised said 2013 had been the campaign’s most successful year to date.

“This is the fifth year we’ve done this and it is the most the campaign has raised,” she said. “Between then they’ve raised £16,500 which is an amazing amount.”